Fifty Mice: A Novel (27 page)

I wish I could say I sat at the feet of famous scientists for all the mouse stuff, and spent a year on Catalina on a genius grant from some swanky foundation, living in a hut on the sea cliffs, writing with a pen made from California quail quill, but no, it just sprung out of my head, a jumble of experience, research, facts and fiction, that I wrestled to make sense of whenever I found the time; don’t trust any of it but believe it all. Thanks are overdue to Scott Shepherd, my longtime friend and sometime coconspirator, who has once again renovated and reinspired me. Benee Knauer deserves all the credit for pushing me to be a better, better, and better writer; also Victoria Sanders and Bernadette Baker-Baughman for their peerless guidance and support. David Rosenthal I thank for believing in me; Phoebe Pickering and everyone at Blue Rider Press for their hard work and collaboration. Julia Gibson and Aaron Lipstadt gave needed notes and encouragement on the earliest draft. Michael Convertino dug up more memory science than I knew what to do with, and my sister, Dr. Susan Pyne, helped me understand it. Susan Ruskin and Philip Seymour Hoffman saw in this story a movie that we nearly made and their thoughtful feedback as we pursued that dream had a subtle but profound impact on the novel.

And then there’s Joan, who is my rock and my muse, and Katie and Joe, who make it all
worthwhile.

Daniel Pyne’s screenwriting credits include the remake of
The Manchurian Candidate
,
Pacific Heights
, and
Fracture.
He made his directorial debut with the indie cult film
Where’s Marlowe?
Pyne’s list of television credits (creating, writing, and showrunning) is vast and spans
Miami Vice
to
Alcatraz.
His two previous novels were
Twentynine Palms
and
A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar
. He lives in Southern
California.