Fast & Loose (27 page)

I grew up in Louisville, still live just outside of town, and absolutely love writing about it. I know the city and its environs intimately, having lived and worked in many of those environs. However, I have taken some literary license with my hometown. The Ambassador Hotel is fictional, modeled after Louisville landmark the Seelbach Hotel, because I know the venerable and elegant Seelbach would never tolerate some of Bree’s hijinks or the trawling of call girls in its bar. Deke’s, likewise, doesn’t exist, and is an amalgam of Highlands nightclubs, some of which, alas, are no longer in business.

I’ve also played fast and loose (if you’ll pardon the pun) with Louisville’s seasons, something one wouldn’t think it possible to do considering the fact that Louisville’s seasons are so unpredictable. But the locals will recognize areas where I’ve done that and can feel smug thinking, “That’s so wrong,” while others will find in reading those passages the enjoyment of, I hope, some evocative and lovely prose.

And although there are scores of real Derby Festival events I could have had Lulu and Cole attending, I invented a few for my own selfish purposes. This is the first of a three-book series, and I need to save some of the good stuff for later novels. I have done my best to include some local color, and if I’ve made mistakes with any of it, it’s due to the fact that, since I started writing full time, I don’t get out much anymore. So I apologize if there are any errors within. (Please address all angry e-mails to [email protected].)

And, finally, if you’re interested in renting a house for Derby sometime, you can find more info at www.rentmyhouse4derby.com. (Really.)