These books cannot possibly be written in a vacuum. It all starts with an idea and in this case, John Ordover called me with the pitch barely a month after Star Trek Nemesis opened. Fans had filled gigabytes online debating how this happened or why that person was at the wedding and not someone else. Clearly there were stories to tell and after research showed how much time existed between Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek Nemesis, John knew he had an event.

These two books of mine would not be here without the contributions, advice, cajoling, and friendship of my fellow authors. Our latest doc, Tropp, came from Dayton Ward and his barbecue-lovin’ partner, Kevin Dilmore. Jim Peart and Chief of Staff Koll Azernal are the creation of David Mack, who will spotlight them more in the following volumes. There are other little touches you’ll see from the works of John Vornholt, who kicked this whole thing off, and Keith DeCandido, who tidies everything up at the end. Keith actually does more than that in so many less obvious ways and he gets a special salute.

The actors who brought the characters to life clearly must be acknowledged, especially Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, who made us want Riker and Troi to stay in love despite all their duties and other distractions. Being the author to finally write the proposal was a privilege.

A tip of the hat to my colleague Jeff Mariotte, who provided a good look at the Rikers’ relationship in his Lost Era novel, Deny Thy Father. And no book about the romance of Riker and Troi would be complete without referencing the events depicted in Peter David’s superb Imzadi Forever. Thanks for the inspiration, Peter.

At Pocket Books, I couldn’t ask for better assistance and support than from publisher Scott Shannon, editor Ed Schlesinger, and assistants Elisa Kassin and John Perrella. And at Paramount, a big thanks to Paula Block and John Van Citters for keeping me on the straight and narrow.

A tip of the hat to the Malibu Gang for being there; to the readers at PsiPhi.org (the best online Star Trek book website around) and the Trek BBS for their support and kind words. Special thanks to Jim McCain, who tracked down an elusive name or two for me while I was in the middle of a paragraph.

The support isn’t all online, either. Shore Leave and Farpoint, two of the best fan-run conventions you could ever ask for, continue to support the authors and provide priceless opportunities to speak directly with the fans.

And there are my supporters at home. Deb understands my passion for the material and my need to write, exercising muscles I do not get to use in my current editorial job. She’s more of a fan than she likes to admit in public, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner. My kids have grown up watching television and movies with us, and have turned into their own creative selves, able to quote obscure movies or song lyrics at the drop of a hat. They’ve sat at my side as I’ve written through the years, supportive in so many subtle ways. Kate’s about to leave home for college, so the next project will be different, written without her daily presence. I get two more years with Robbie, which is nice since he’s more overt in his support—he actually makes time to watch Enterprise with me, giving me someone to chat with for instant feedback.

And a nod to Dixie, the loving wonder dog who usually is at my side or underfoot as I write.

Without friends and family, writing these books would be so much more like a job than a pleasure.