The Witch’s Grave (21 page)

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

With every book, I’ve been fortunate to experiene a certain amount of serendipity, but this one has had more than its share! And I would be remiss not to thank those who took the time to ferret out information for me, answered my endless questions, and basically held my hand through the whole process!

Sarah Durand—it’s been a real pleasure working with you on this series, and you’ve had a tremendous impact on who Ophelia and Abby have become. You truly have the patience of Job when it comes to working with your authors! Best of luck always!

Stacey Glick—you’re the greatest! Your support has meant so much to me, and I thank my lucky stars that I have you in my corner!

Joanna Campbell Slan—your friendship means the world to me, J.! Your words of wisdom and no nonsense advice always pull me through. Thanks for helping me keep things in perspective, and, yes, I’ll remember to “quit worrying about it and just write the dang story!”

The Grasset family—Luc-Olivier, Barbara, and Fiona.

Many, many thanks for being my “eyes” on Paris! Barbara, I still can’t believe you went to the town archives and researched garbage collection circa 1941 for me! And Fiona and Luc-Olivier, the information you provided for me on the Catacombs, points of interest, and places where the characters might have lived in Paris were invaluable.

Armando Villareal, Administrator for the Division of Latino Affairs—thanks, Armando, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to give e a perspective on what it’s like for undocumented workers in this country.

Ron and Linda Mark—thanks for letting me use your name, Ron! And thanks to both of you for all the background into the Iowa wine industry! I’ll look forward to opening a bottle of your wine when this book is released!

My friends—Cheryl, Cindy, June, and Theresa. I know murder and mayhem isn’t always your favorite topic of discussion, but thanks for listening to me anyway!

And as always, my family—Eric, Christine, Scott, and Sara. It isn’t easy having a writer for a mom, but thanks for respecting my work and understanding how important it is to me.

Oh, and one last thing—any mistakes in this book are strictly mine!

All the best,

Shirley

Take a life-long interest in the paranormal and mix it with a vivid imagination. Let the potion simmer in a small Iowa town, and the result is the Ophelia and Abby mystery series written by SHIRLEY DAMSGAARD.

Shirley, author of numerous published short stories, resides with her family in small-town Iowa, where she has served as Postmaster for the last twenty years. An Agatha Award nominee for
Witch Way to Murder
, she is currently working on the next Ophelia and Abby mystery, which again touches delightfully on the paranormal.

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This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE WITCH’S GRAVE
. Copyright © 2009 by Shirley Damsgaard. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Microsoft Reader December 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-172812-9

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