Gabriel's Rapture (43 page)

I am indebted to the late Dorothy L. Sayers, the late Charles Williams, Mark Musa, my friend Katherine Picton and The Dante Society of America for their expertise on Dante Alighieri’s
The Divine Comedy
, which informs my work. In this novel, I’ve used the Dante Society’s conventions of capitalization for places such as Hell and Paradise.

I’ve been inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s artwork and the incomparable space that is the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The cities of Toronto, Florence, and Cambridge lent their ambience, along with the borough of Selinsgrove.

I’ve found several electronic archives to be quite helpful, especially the Digital Dante Project of Columbia University, Danteworlds by the University of Texas at Austin, and the World of Dante by the University of Virginia. I’ve consulted the Internet Archive site for its version of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s translation of
La Vita Nuova
along with the original Italian, which is cited in this book. I’ve also cited Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s translation of
The Divine Comedy
. The text from Abelard’s letter to Héloise was taken from an anonymous translation dated from 1901.

I am grateful to Jennifer, who read the first draft of this story and offered constructive criticism at every subsequent stage. This book would not exist without her encouragement and friendship. I am grateful also to Nina for her creative input and wisdom. Kris read and offered insightful suggestions on the manuscript during the revision process.

Thanks are due to the fine staff of Omnific, especially Elizabeth, Lynette, CJ, Kim, Coreen, Micha and Enn. It has been a pleasure working with you.

I would also like to thank those who read a previous version of my story and offered criticisms, suggestions and support, especially the Muses, Tori, Elizabeth de Vos, Elena, Marinella, and Erika.

Finally, I would like to thank my readers and my family. Your continued support is inestimable.

-SR

Lent 2012

Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence. As an author, Sylvain has been trying to increase awareness about various charities. You can find out more about these organizations on Twitter: @sylvainreynard

Contemporary Romance

Boycotts & Barflies
by Victoria Michaels

Passion Fish
by Alison Oburia and Jessica McQuinn

Three Daves
by Nicki Elson

Stitches and Scars
by Elizabeth A. Vincent

Trust in Advertising
by Victoria Michaels

Take the Cake
by Sandra Wright

Indivisible
by Jessica McQuinn

Pieces of Us
by Hannah Downing

Gabriel’s Inferno
and
Gabriel’s Rapture
by Sylvain Reynard

The Way That You Play It
by BJ Thornton

Small Town Girl
by Linda Cunningham

Poughkeepsie
by Debra Anastastia

The Redhead Series: The Unidentified Redhead
and
The Redhead Revealed
by Alice Clayton

Historical and Vintage Romance

Burning Embers
by Hannah Fielding

Romantic Suspense

Whirlwind
by Robin DeJarnett

The CONduct Series: With Good Behavior
and
Bad Behavior
by Jennifer Lane

Paranormal Romance

The Light Series: Seers of Light
and
Whisper of Light
by Jennifer DeLucy

The Hanaford Park Series: Eve of Samhain
and
Pleasures Untold
by Lisa Sanchez

Immortal Awakening
by KC Randall

Crushed Seraphim
by Debra Anastasia

The Guardian’s Wild Child
by Feather Stone

Grave Refrain
by Sarah M. Glover

Young Adult

Shades of Atlantis
by Carol Oates

Breaking Point
by Jess Bowen

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit
by Susan Kaye Quinn

Embrace
by Cherie Colyer

Destiny’s Fire
by Trisha Wolfe

Streamline
by Jennifer Lane

Erotic Romance

Becoming sage
by Kasi Alexander

Anthologies

A Valentine Anthology
including short stories by Alice Clayton, Jennifer DeLucy, Nicki Elson, Jessica McQuinn, Victoria Michaels, and Alison Oburia

Summer Lovin’ Anthology: Summer Breeze
including short stories by Hannah Downing, Nicki Elson, Sarah M. Glover, Jennifer Lane, Killian McRae, Carol Oates, and Susan Kaye Quinn

Summer Lovin’ Anthology: Heat Wave
including short stories by Kasi Alexander, Debra Anastasia, Robin DeJarnett, Jessica McQuinn, Lisa Sanchez, and BJ Thornton