AUTHOR’S NOTE
The Nightkeepers’ world is well hidden within
our own; bringing it to light wasn’t always an easy process. My
heartfelt thanks go to Deidre Knight, Kara Cesare, Claire Zion,
Kara Welsh, and Kerry Donovan for taking this book from a dream to
a reality; to J. R. Ward for critiques and help each step of the
way; to Suz Brockmann for being a mentor and an inspiration; to
Angela Knight for early reads and encouragement; to Marley Gibson
and Charlene Glatkowski for being there for me every day without
fail; to Sally Hinkle Russell for keeping me sane; and to Brian
Hogan for too many things to name in this small space.
Just as the few surviving Nightkeepers live among
us today, their ancestors lived with the ancient Egyptians, Olmec,
Maya, and Hopi; they left their imprint on each of these
civilizations, and were influenced in turn. Thus, while their
culture is best reflected in the myths and beliefs of the Maya, the
parallel is not absolute.
That being said, I drew upon a number of sources
to understand the Nightkeepers’ world. These include the excellent
hieroglyphic dictionaries of John Montgomery, Allen J.
Christenson’s translation and annotation of the Popol Vuh, Miller and Taube’s illustrated dictionary
of Mayan gods and symbols, and the vast online resources of the
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. In
addition, I used various resources to understand the cataclysm
predicted for 12/21/2012; these included works by Patrick Geryl and
John Major Jenkins. Finally, works of Erich von Däniken, Kenneth L.
Feder, Stephen Williams, and Charles Pellegrino were used for their
discussions of Atlantis, alien influences on prehistoric cultures,
and other so-called pseudoscientific theories. For a full list of
references and recommended reading on the ancient Maya and the 2012
doomsday prophecy, please visit www.JessicaAndersen.com.