ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Numerous people gave of their time and wisdom in providing feedback on this book as it grew. I want to thank especially Fran Grote, who argued against the most obdurate resistance in the world—mine; Oz Whiston, for her blade-edged criticism; Janine Latus, a superb writer and canny reader; and my editor, Keith Clayton, who caught every single thing that everybody else missed and then some. Thanks to Shana Cohen, my agent, for keeping everything on track, including me. Once again a special thanks to M. Swanwick and the M. C. Porter Endowment for the Arts for the long-term chivvying they provided; and to Barbara for weathering it all. Finally, my thanks to the great shadow puppeteer Richard Bradshaw, who once upon a time let me have a peek into his world.