Zeke Bartholomew (17 page)

Even though books are written alone, they are never published alone. So Zeke and I have a lot of people to thank for making this book come to life.

First I have to thank my agent, Joe Veltre, who championed the idea for Zeke's adventures before I'd written a single word on the page. If Zeke ever decides to write his own books, Joe is the guy he should approach. And if Joe has any sense, he'll turn Zeke down. I don't want him stealing my spotlight.

The team at Sourcebooks has been incredible every step of the way, and I owe them thanks for their vision, expertise, and exquisite fashion sense. Massive thanks go to Todd Stocke, Kelly Barrales-Saylor, Aubrey Poole, and Dominique Raccah. I bow down to my fantastic and patient editor, Rebecca Frazer, as well as my copyeditors, Kristin Zelazko and Jill Hughes. I also owe Daniel Ehrenhaft tremendous gratitude for bringing Zeke to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. If Zeke had any musical talent, he'd definitely audition for Tiger Beat. But he doesn't, so that's a moot point.

My family, as always, has given me the love and support every growing boy needs, and I can't thank them enough. I'd like to thank Wilson, my dog, even though he tried his hardest to delay the writing of this book. You try writing a thousand words a day with a small, furry dog constantly trying to climb up into your lap.

I'm a book lover deep down to my core, and my thanks go out to all booksellers and librarians who have expressed enthusiasm for Zeke. You are the gatekeepers to the best stories ever created.

Most of all, I want to thank all the kids (and adults!) who read Zeke's adventures. I wrote this book because it was the kind of story that enraptured me as a child. I hope my joy and love of adventure shines through on these pages. It's all of you who made me want to create Zeke, and I hope you enjoy many more of his adventures for years to come.

Jason Pinter is the author of five thriller novels with 1.5 million copies in print in many languages, nearly all of which he cannot understand. His first novel,
The
Mark
, was optioned to be a major motion picture, but Steven Spielberg has stopped returning his calls. He has also been nominated for numerous awards—and lost every one. He tells people that it is an honor just to be nominated, but silently wishes he could have won just one of them. He lives in New York City with his dog, Wilson, who constantly has to dig him out from under a pile of books. This is Jason's first book for young readers. You can learn more at www.jasonpinter.com, email him at [email protected], or follow his every random thought on Twitter at twitter.com/jasonpinter.