“His grandmother saved all these cards and she thought I should have them.”
Chee opened one and read aloud: “‘To Ricky, May you walk in beauty and grow up to always do the right thing.’ It’s signed, ‘From Emma and Joe.’”
“The grandmother cried when she showed me that card,” Leaphorn said. “But I told her not to be sad. On the last day of his life, her grandson had walked in beauty. He had saved the life of a good man who loved him.”
Acknowledgments
As always, there are many more people to thank for help in bringing a novel from idea to reality than I can mention here. They did their best; and all mistakes are my own.
My editor at HarperCollins, Carolyn Marino, provided enthusiastic encouragement and specific suggestions for Song of the Lion. Her wisdom helped me solve problems for Bernadette Manuelito I didn’t even realize I had created! Marino’s fabulous assistant, Laura Brown, handles bucketsful of wiggling details with graceful efficiency and much patience.
I’m blessed that David and Gail Greenberg have taken me under their wings. This time, David helped me begin to understand the complicated details of the law enforcement response to a deadly explosion at a large public event. Generous Gail put her educated eyes on the text, making sure the words said what I meant, and eradicating a plague of unnecessary commas. She also brews a fine, fine cup of coffee.
A big thank-you to Pearl Goldtooth, the hardworking Tuba City Public Library manager who made time to introduce me to the mysterious beauty of Coalmine Canyon and share the joys of life in To’Nanees’Dizi. She and the staff help make Tuba City, Arizona, a place where stories thrive. I’m grateful that librarians throughout New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona have welcomed me to book festivals, fund-raisers, solstice celebrations, and cowboy breakfasts. Where would writers or readers be without the wonderful gift of public libraries and the men and women who staff them?
Despite being ignored, neglected, and grumped at, my husband, photographer Don Strel, and our son, Brandon, cooked, shopped, did the dishes, walked the dog, and more while the siren of writing seduced me. Thanks to Katie Hawkes for asking “How’s it going,” a question that kept me working when I didn’t want to!
Besides handling details of contracts, Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli helped improve the manuscript with tactful criticism. If all agents had her talent, more authors would be smiling. My business partner and friend Jean Schaumberg stayed at my side and listened to me whine about Joe Leaphorn. Big thanks to Randy Johns and his family, Leigh Irvin, and my friends at the Farmington (N.M.) Library. Thanks to Lucy Moore for all her insights into the world of mediation and for her help in reviewing the manuscript.
I thrive with the ongoing support of the literary community in my home state of New Mexico and my hometown of Santa Fe, including our treasured indie bookstore. A shout-out to my buddies, the Literary Lunch Ladies, a little posse of writers and readers who keep each other shooting straight.
The publication of my nonfiction book Tony Hillerman’s Landscape led to a series of educational tours to Navajoland under the auspices of Road Scholar. Although I served as a Study Guide, I learned more than I could have dreamed from the wonderful Navajo, Zuni, Acoma, and non-Indian experts who shared their knowledge with our group. Our trip to Tuba City, Cameron, and the Grand Canyon helped create this book.
Speaking of the Grand Canyon, thanks to Steven Smith and Stacia Lewandowski for sharing their story of a hike in the fog at the Grand Canyon and for showing me the beautiful pictures. You never know where a conversation will lead you.
Finally, a Grand Canyon–size thank-you to all the fans of Tony Hillerman’s work who took a chance on my first novel, Spider Woman’s Daughter, stuck with me for Rock with Wings, and asked for more. Without your support and encouragement, Song of the Lion and the two books that came before would not exist, and the stories of Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn would be over. Thank you for embracing Bernadette Manuelito in her new role as crime solver. I am in your debt.
None of my novels would be possible without the inspired work of my dad, author Tony Hillerman (1925–2008). He introduced readers to Joe Leaphorn and the fascinating world of mysteries set on the Navajo reservation beginning way back in 1970 with The Blessing Way. Thanks, Dad. I miss your smile.
To see Dad’s manuscripts and learn more about his work, please visit the Tony Hillerman Collection at Zimmerman Library at the University of New Mexico, or go to ehillerman.unm.edu
About the Author
Anne Hillerman is the author of two previous novels, Spider Woman’s Daughter and Rock with Wings, both New York Times bestsellers. Her stories continue the popular Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo mystery series created by her father, Tony Hillerman.
Anne’s novels have been honored with the Spur Award from Western Writers of America and the New Mexico–Arizona Book Award
for best mystery and best book of the year.
Before writing fiction, Anne wrote several nonfiction books, including Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn, created with photographer Don Strel. She began her career as a journalist. A New Mexican since the age of three, she writes and lives in Santa Fe.
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