True Fires (26 page)

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the following individuals who generously allowed their memories, experiences, and expertise to fuel a writer’s fires:

Gail Morris of the Lake County Historical Society; Jim Reeves of the American Brahman Breeders Association; Virginia Mitchell of the
Seminole Tribune, Voice of the Unconquered;
Willy Martinez, former “Bolita man”; Madeline McClure, current editor of the
Mount Dora Topic;
and a handful of old-timers who gave me their stories but deferred public acknowledgment.

Thanks are also due to my agent, Lane Zachary, an endless source of sound advice and well-timed “atta-girls”; to my editor, Kate Miciak, who, early on, promised to be my safety net and, with patience and good humor, never fails; and to Bantam’s first-rate managing editor Anna Forgione, flanked by copyeditor Robin Foster, and designer Glen Edelstein. It was my pleasure to work with each of you.

To Cris Weatherby, Tricia Rowe, Julie Clark, and Joe Bear, who read the final draft: Your helpful comments both broadened my perspective and narrowed my focus onto overlooked details. To Joanne Martinez, best and most perceptive friend, who soldiered through many different versions of the manuscript: Your openhanded praise and accurate insights, especially into Lila and Ruth, were invaluable, every time. Finally, to my husband, Paul: You saw what this story could be in the earliest draft. Thanks beyond words for your unwavering faith in it, and in me.

About the Author

SUSAN CAROL MCCARTHY was born and raised in central Florida. Her first novel,
Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands,
received, among others, the Chautauqua South Fiction Award. She lives in California and is at work on her third novel.

Visit the author’s website at
www.SusanCarolMcCarthy.com
.

Also by Susan Carol McCarthy

LAY THAT TRUMPET IN OUR HANDS

TRUE FIRES
A Bantam Book

Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to Mid-Florida Publications, for permission to use excerpts from the
Mount Dora Topic.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2003070885

Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

www.bantamdell.com

www.randomhouse.com

eISBN: 978-0-307-41867-8

v3.0