Vengeance Road (35 page)

The lovely, brilliant, wonderful author gals who read
Vengeance Road
prior to publication and had such nice things to say about it: Alexandra Bracken, Jessica Spotswood, Mindy McGinnis, Megan Shepherd, Saundra Mitchell, A. C. Gaughen, Jodi Meadows, and Susan Dennard. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Who knew there was so much love out there for Westerns?

My trusty critique partners and beta readers, Susan Dennard, Jenny Martin, and Mindy McGinnis: Thank you for weighing in early, for smacking the dust off the less-than-stellar scenes and setting my sights straight. (Sooz, you especially kicked me into gear. The second half of this novel was completely overhauled—for the better!—because of your astute insights. I owe you bigtime.) Additional love to Sarah Maas, whose friendship continues to keep me sane and laughing throughout this industry's ups and downs.

To the pioneers of the literary world, the trailblazers better known as librarians, educators, and booksellers: thank you for all that you do. Truly.

I relied on a mountain of texts while producing this book, and am indebted to the writers whose research and documentation allowed me to bring Kate's story to life. Among my most heavily referenced resources were Thomas E. Sheridan's
Arizona: A History,
David Dary's
Cowboy Culture,
Robert Blair's
Tales of the Superstitions,
and the incredibly illuminating
Indeh: An Apache Odyssey
by Eve Ball. I very much wish to thank her and the numerous Apache men whose interviews grace
Indeh'
s pages for allowing me such an intimate look at Apache culture.

As always, much thanks to my family. Dad, I'm so glad for the hours spent sitting on the couch beside you, watching Westerns. Thanks also for driving the van cross-country and showing me the great Southwest as a kid. Just like Kate says about her pa, you're one of the smartest men I know, one of the
best
men I know. Mom, you always find the time to read my manuscripts and cheer me on. Thanks for catching a few historical inaccuracies in this one and providing me with reputable sources to help me address my errors. (The perks of having a librarian for a mother!) Kelsy, I sometimes wonder if I'd be here, writing for a living, if you didn't ask “What happens next?” as I worked on a certain manuscript many years ago. I owe you for that, sis.

Rob, this book exists only because of you. Thanks for introducing me to the Lost Dutchman legend, participating in brainstorming sessions, “suffering” through re-watches of some of our favorite Westerns, and hopping a plane to Arizona with me for research purposes. You are my best friend, my home. I love you so very much.

Casey. Sweet, little Casey . . . You were the size of a grain of rice inside me when I started writing this novel. By the time this book enters the world, you'll be almost a year old. Who knew I could love someone so fiercely? I can't wait for the day you can read these stories Mommy writes. But only when you're old enough. For now, let's stick to board books. Also, stop growing so fast.

And last but certainly not least, don't think I forgot about
you
. Thanks so very much for picking up this novel and following Kate across the gritty plains. I am so fortunate to call writing my job, and it's only possible because of readers like yourself.

E
RIN
B
OWMAN
used to tell stories visually as a web designer. Now a full-time writer, she relies solely on words. She lives in New Hampshire with her family, and when not writing she can often be found hiking, commenting on good typography, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter. She is also the author of the Taken trilogy (
Taken, Frozen,
and
Forged
). You can visit her online at
embowman.com
or on Twitter:
@erin_bowman
.