Additional Thanks

Writing the dedication to The Red Balloon was not an easy task. I kicked around quite a few different versions before finally settling on the one in the published novel. Part of my problem is that each time I would think that I was done, I would remember someone else who should be thanked, and I had decided long ago that I did not want to be one of those people who had an entire page devoted to thanking people inside the actual book. So I narrowed the list down to four people who were instrumental in the editing of the book and the decision to publish it.

There are, of course, a lot more than those four people who needed to be thanked, so here is the rest of that list. This list does not include the afore-mentioned four people, because my message to them is in the book (which you can buy here, of course) and I did not want to ruin the surprise. Their conspicuous absence in the following list probably makes it clear who gets thanked on paper, but I have a feeling they already knew they were in there to start with…

First and foremost, thanks to Noel Dietrich. Not only did she provide the photograph used on the cover (a photograph that I decided I wanted for the cover the moment I saw it), she also proved invaluable in helping me market the thing. Every good idea relating to the marketing of this book – this blog, the Facebook page, the Myspace page, the press release, the half-sheet fliers, Google books – came from her. If it was up to me, there probably would have been a mass email or two and a few bulletins on Myspace, so to say that I lucked out here is an understatement.

Thanks is also due to my marketing team of Alison and Beth, who did their best to spread the word about the novel electronically and by passing out fliers.

Extra thanks goes out to Matt B, who supplied me with my first beer many years back and indirectly influenced the writing of this novel. Let me state for the record, however, that although Matt shares the same first name with Matt Canagan, that they are nothing alike; the real-world Matt would never be a fan of professional wrestling.

Oh, and he has also never, to the best of my knowledge, drunk so much that he blacked out and then decided to run from the police.

I would also like to express my appreciation to Crystal and Astra, who provided me with quite a bit of support over the years, not just in terms of my writing but in helping me grow as a person. Without Astra, I would still think of children as an abstract concept instead of something more and more people my age are having, and without Crystal, my eyes would be much more closed to the ways of the world than they already are.

I would also like to credit Miss Bridges, my third grade teacher. I have never known what her first name was, even if she should be a Miss or a Mrs., but it was in third grade that I realized I wanted to be a writer, and it was her class that helped me realize this. It was in third grade that I wrote my first “stories” and although they were short, nonsensical, and poorly illustrated, everyone has got to start somewhere.

Finally, this novel wouldn’t be possible without either of my parents or my brother. They shaped my lives in more ways than I could count, and I am thankful for all the love and support I have received from them over the years. Also, to Rob: I am not a monkey.