Authors: Mitchell James Kaplan

By Fire, By Water (48 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

F
IRST-TIME NOVELISTS
constantly hear the refrain, “It’s not like it used to be in the days of Max Perkins. Don’t expect much from editors.”

In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined receiving the quality of assistance that my publisher, Judith Gurewich, and editor, Katie Henderson, have provided. In discovering my unagented manuscript among so many submissions, in recognizing both its potential and its weaknesses, and in knowing how to address both, Judith Gurewich gave ample proof of her idealism and courage. Katie Henderson deeply and thoroughly understood my intent and provided additional, and no less brilliant, guidance. To them I will be forever indebted, as they taught me a great deal.

Mark Kramer’s expert assistance in preparing the manuscript for submission is also very much appreciated. Yvonne Cárdenas, production editor at Other Press, provided expert guidance during the copyediting phase. Valerie Sebastyen kindly drafted the map of Spain that appears.

My wife, Annie, and two children, Ariel and Ezekiel, put up with a great deal of financial and geographical dislocation over the course of six years so that I could research, write, and rewrite this book. They were patient, encouraging, and endlessly supportive. Annie was far more than my sounding board. At crucial points, she provided insights into my characters’ minds and emotions as well as essential research and a limitless passion for getting things right. Without her help, this book would be very different, and far less good.

To all of the above, and to my friends, parents, and relatives who read the manuscript at various times and provided encouragement and help, including Jack Mackey, Chris and Carol Klatman, George and Anna Ganzberg, John Briley, Marc Kramer, Herb Schnall, Susan and Joseph Balistocky, Bob Michel, David Waag, and David McCollum, my heartfelt thanks.

M
ITCHELL
J
AMES
K
APLAN
has lived and worked primarily in Paris and Los Angeles as a translator, screenwriter, and script consultant. Currently, he resides in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children. Mr. Kaplan plays classical and jazz flute and is a licensed private pilot. This is his first novel.

Iberian Peninsula map copyright © 2010
by The Pennsylvania State University

Excerpt from
The Dream of the Poem
by Peter Cole © 2007 by Princeton University Press. Used by permission of Princeton University Press.
Excerpts from “Toledoth Yeshu” adapted from
Jesus Outside the Gospels
by R. Joseph Hoffman (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1984), pp. 50–53.

Production Editor:
Yvonne E. Cárdenas

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Other Press LLC, except in the case of brief quotations in reviews for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast. For information write to Other Press LLC, 2 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Or visit our Web site:
www.otherpress.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Kaplan, Mitchell James.
By fire, by water / by Mitchell James Kaplan.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-1-59051-357-6 1. Inquisition—Spain—Fiction. 2. Spain—History
—711-1516—Fiction. I. Title.
PS
3611
.A
656
B
9 2010
813′.6—dc22 2009041068

P
UBLISHER’S
N
OTE:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

v3.0