Time to say Thank You...

 Acknowledgements

 

Foster ...and other stories has been in and out of the proverbial drawer for several years. Many times, I threatened to leave it there, an artifact for my grandchildren to discover. The fact you are reading this is due to the support and encouragement of several collaborators.

Billie Kelpin read the opening chapters when they were new and very raw, offering nuanced and insightful suggestions that colored everything to follow... Lee Milton and Don Brunelle read later versions and provided much needed encouragement... Tom Campbell, a go-to guy through several of my books, stepped up once again with valuable feedback and support... I thought the work was finished until Cassandra Rendon read the manuscript. Her in-depth review and excellent suggestions sent me into a major rewrite… If Foster is a “good read,” I have all those trusted readers to thank.

Officer Jon DeLiema of the Huntington Beach Police Department served as my firearms consultant, though he probably didn’t realize it at the time... Diana Huang created the cover design and was a joy to work with. This is the third cover she’s done for me, and this one required extreme patience… Billie Kelpin (yes, her again!) shared her experience and expertise in formatting the edition you are reading.

I included seven short stories in this volume, all published during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic. They are here simply because they need a home on the shelf. There is no assurance they will have brothers and sisters to fill out a volume of their own. If you enjoyed just three of the seven, it means I batted .429. I’ll take that any day.

Finally, a huge thanks to all you faithful readers. I hope you found yourself somewhere in these pages.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHL43MRH/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc

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