A Spear of Summer Grass (31 page)
Read A Spear of Summer Grass Online
Authors: Deanna Raybourn
Acknowledgments
This book, more than any other I have written, owes everything to the kindness of friends and strangers. I am most grateful to:
The stylish and generous Dianne Moggy and her husband, David, for sharing safari photos so spectacular I could almost believe I was in Kenya.
Becky at Busch Gardens Tampa for answering endless questions and giving me a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility—including access to Kasi, a handsome young cheetah who listened politely while we talked.
Jill Martin and Jackie Ogden for arranging access to Gary Noble and Steve Metzler, Disney wildlife experts who graciously shared their time and expertise at Animal Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Heartfelt thanks for the thrill of standing ten feet in front of a roaring lion—an experience I will never forget. Particular gratitude to our safari tour guides at Animal Kingdom, most especially Mark, for making us forget for just a little while that we weren’t actually in Africa. (It was a true delight to return home and find out after the fact that Mark just happened to be a fan of Lady Julia and Brisbane.)
Vee Romero for her passion for Africa and its wildlife.
Dr. Ross Fuller, my dentist, who made endless trips to his office far more bearable by sharing his wealth of knowledge on the subject of historic double-barreled British rifles, specifically the .416 Rigby.
Jana Angelucci and Gail Sauer for their Georgian hospitality and willingness to play chauffeur. Also, to Kim Caudell and Blake Richardson Leyers for providing research that has not made it into this book but will certainly prove too delicious not to use in the future. Many thanks to Gayatri Khosla and Rati Badahur Madan for their contributions regarding the character of Raj Patel and their delightful enthusiasm.
Alecia Hawkes for transcribing by hand the narration of BBC documentaries on the history of safari which I could not access from the U.S.
Generous
is not a strong enough word to describe her contributions.
The entire Harlequin MIRA team—art department, sales, PR, marketing, editorial and support—all the many hands that labour willingly and with such flair to make my books the best they can be. Particular thanks to Michael Rehder for giving me the breathtaking cover of my dreams. I am especially grateful to the beautiful cover model who graciously allowed her hair to be cut to truly embody Delilah Drummond.
The immensely talented Miranda Indrigo for an elegant, featherlight line edit that has elevated this book beyond what I could have done alone, and to Laura McCallen and Michelle Venditti for their eagle-eyed attention to detail.
My writer friends for encouragement, laughter and perspective. Most especially to Joshilyn Jackson for inspiring me to write fearlessly and to Lauren Willig for her generosity and enthusiasm when we realised we were both writing 1920s Africa books with characters named Dodo!
Chobani for fueling me, Nicole Hunt Sardinas for posting TOTO’s “Africa” video, and Jomie Wilding for providing cupcakes during the home stretch. Frivolity is sometimes an essential component of creativity.
Librarians, booksellers, bloggers and readers who come to events, buy books, sell books, send emails, tweet and kindly share their appreciation with others.
My staggeringly supportive agent, Pam Hopkins, for innumerable kindnesses.
As ever, my family. Without my parents, my daughter and, most of all, my beloved, I would write, but poorly.
And to the people of New Orleans for showing me exactly where Delilah comes from and who she is.
Questions for Discussion
Delilah Drummond is a unique and not always likable heroine. How do the different characters in the book view her—as a friend or adversary? What was your reaction to her? How does Delilah change over the course of the book?
Ryder White is a larger-than-life character. What traits make him appealing?
How does the political climate of colonial Kenya influence the characters and their response to their environment? How does Dodo display attitudes typical of the colonial English? In contrast, the Farradays are representative of a particular type of scandalous settler notorious in Kenya between the 1920s and 1950s. How do you think each of these characters views Africa?
Gideon and his younger brother, Moses, both touch something within Delilah. What does this relationship seem to fulfill for each of them? Delilah makes a tremendous sacrifice for Gideon. Why? Was she right to do it?
Delilah is very comfortable with her sexuality and with the effect she has on men. How do sexual relationships drive the action of the book? How is Delilah’s sexual relationship with Kit different from that with Ryder? How does Dodo’s experience with sex change her plans?
Africa is as much a character in the book as any of the people. How does Africa itself play a role in the story?
Ryder makes tremendous sacrifices to keep Delilah in Africa. Was he right to do so?
What is Delilah and Ryder’s potential for a happy ending?
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ISBN: 9781460311905
Copyright © 2013 by Deanna Raybourn
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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