The Cypher (18 page)

Authors: Julian Rosado-Machain

Tags: #Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Young Adult

BOOK: The Cypher

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Acknowledgements

“A writer writes…get to it.” My father told me almost twenty years ago. He saw something more than just the weirdness people attributed me, because make no mistake, I’m weird.

Thank you dad, here’s a book. I’m sorry it took that long.

The influence of my big brothers, Leo and Mac, with their crisscross of fantasy and sci-fi shaped Guardians Incorporated into the largest corporation in the world, at the forefront of technology, riddled with magic but also –I hope- like both of them, very cool.

My little sister Terillo, with her contained beauty, much like an eye of a hurricane, contributed to many of the characters, from Pianova to Tasha going through Kiran. Oh no, you don’t want to see her angry.

Mom…what can I say that’s enough? You are the Pillar in the family.

Thanks to my wife Michele and my kids Julian, Andy and Regy for putting up with the weirdness and giving me their love.

The Cypher, began as a theological conspiracy theory story for adults, it was bloody, gritty- a little bit on the heretical side of the spectrum- and completely out of character the moment Doctor Franco popped into my mind. Thank you, Mr. Stephen Colbert for that one.

Many thanks to my editor Allison Itterly for her expert guidance, which enriched the Guardians with every comment she made. To Martin J. Coffee for his eyes and my test subjects… I mean readers, Alonso Vega, Brittney Skettini, Bella Wilcox and Mariela Alvarado, thank you very much.

I am especially grateful to my friend and partner Francisco Trueba who saw the bare bones of a story I had locked in the corner of a computer file and sharing the dream, turned it into Guardians Inc. He too, for the record, is also very weird.