The Ventifact Colossus (The Heroes of Spira Book 1) (46 page)

First and foremost I wish to thank my wife, Kate Jenkins, for her unwavering support, insightful criticisms, and all the wonderful conversations we’ve shared about the story. As with all good things in my life, this book would not exist without her.

My children, Elanor and Kira, listened intently to the whole book and never tired of telling me how great it was. While their opinions may have held a
slight
bias in Dad’s favor, they were still nice to hear. Thanks, kids!

Behind every author is an editor who knows better. Mine was the inestimable Abigail Mieko Vargus, whose encyclopedic knowledge and attention to detail are why there are about a thousand fewer problems with the book than there otherwise would have been. I cannot thank her enough though I’m surely going to try.

I employed a small army of beta readers, all of whom offered insights, suggestions, and support in varying degrees. At the top of the list is Edward Aubry, who bludgeoned me relentlessly with his merciless wisdom. I needed every kick he delivered to my authorial rear end. Just below Ed on the pyramid are Adi Rule, who overturned upon my head a necessary bucket of cold water after a very early draft; Alexander Hart, for whom no detail was too small to notice; and Michael Chaskes, who combined keen observations with exactly the amount of approval I needed to stay energized. Of course, the book would not be the same without the thoughtful input from
all
of my readers: Jim Blenko, Kit Yona, Benjamin Durbin, Jim Bologna, Christopher Cotton, Jeff Foley, Josh Bluestein, Karen Courtney, Aaron Size, Paul San Clemente, Phil Moriarty, Karen Escovitz, and Andy Cancellieri.

At the end of the process, I employed a slightly smaller battalion of proofreaders, each of whom saved me from profound embarrassment in multiple places. Thank you to Fiona Heckscher, Bob Osborne, Corey Reid, Jeanine Magurshak, Darren Frechette, Christopher Wicke, Anise Strong-Morse, and (again) Alexander Hart.

As I ought to thank anyone without whom this book would not exist, I also extend my gratitude to Steven Cooper, Russell Morrissey, and all of my readers at EN World who told me over and over that I should do this thing.

And, finally, I want to thank my parents, Charlotte and Jacob, who have never stopped blowing wind into my sails
.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dorian Hart
graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in creative writing. This led circuitously to a 20-year career as a video game designer, where he contributed to many award-winning titles including
Thief, System Shock, System Shock 2,
and
BioShock.
He is also the author of the interactive novella
Choice of the Star Captain
,
published by Choice of Games.

Dorian now lives in the Boston area with his fantastic wife and two clever daughters.

THANK YOU

FOR READING

For information about the Heroes of Spira series, please visit

http://dorianhart.com/the-heroes-of-spira/

Please consider leaving a review of The Ventifact Colossus on Amazon!

http://amzn.com/B01AC3V8TG