I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my agent, Nat Sobel, for the belief he had in my work and for the pit-bull tenacity he showed in finding this book a home. My life is clearly divided into Before Nat and After Nat. Thank you to my editor, Sara Minnich, and the folks at Putnam for taking a chance on me and the good people of McFalls County. (No plot knots, Sara, I promise.)
And last: Thanks, Dad. For hiding the remote. For the comics. For never once giving up on anything. For the ride home from New York. And for Waylon. But mostly for being the best goddamn father a son could ask for. I miss you every day, old man. I’ll see you when I get there.