The Short Drop (34 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing is a solitary pursuit, or so goes the familiar refrain. But for myself, the opposite proved true—in writing
The Short Drop
, I discovered that it was I who had been the solitary pursuit. I am surrounded by brilliant and loving people: family and friends—it took writing a novel for me to grasp fully how fortunate I am. It is to my shame that I am so late in learning that lesson, but I am grateful that in most cases it was not learned too late. I must begin with Mike Tyner, who provided the grist for Gibson Vaughn and who made me look considerably smarter than, in fact, I am; I continue to be amazed and alarmed at the breadth of your knowledge. Eric Schwerin and Gerald Smith gave me shelter from the storm that first difficult year; I am sorry I was not better company, but in retrospect that appears, selfishly, to have been for the best. Steve Feldhaus, who has always set the highest bar, was an irreplaceable conspirator; it would be a far different book without your peerless clarity. David and Linda Gibson opened their home at Blue Run Farm with boundless hospitality when I needed to get out of the city; the best pages of this book were written there. Lori Feathers made the introduction of a lifetime in David Hale Smith, who has already proven to be a home run of a man and an agent; it was the lunch that changed my life. Alan Turkus of Thomas & Mercer—your belief in
The Short Drop
made this next chapter in my life possible; I am deeply grateful for your guidance and passion. The brilliant Ed Stackler taught me invaluable lessons about editing while also making the process feel like working with an old friend. And to the readers who lent me a gentle shoulder on which to bang my head against stubborn characters and tangled plot points—Nathan Hughes, Karen Hooper, Allie Heiman, Christine Lopez, Brian Orzechowski, Giovanna Baffico, Tom Hughes, Michelle Mutert, David Kongstvedt, Drew Hughes, Daisy Weill, Ali FitzSimmons, Kit Manougian, Rennie O’Connor, Vanessa Brimner—your generosity astounds me. Lastly, I must thank my parents—I began with a cliché, and so I think I will end with one: this book would not exist without your love, support, and wisdom. This is not a figurative platitude but an honest and literal truth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2015 Serena Kefayeh/Creative-Ideation.com

Matthew FitzSimmons was born in Illinois and grew up in London, England. He now lives in Washington, DC, where he taught English literature and theater at a private high school for over a decade.
The Short Drop
is his first novel.