Brian Freeman - The Night Bird

Getting a book in your hands requires a lot of work from many talented people.

It’s been a privilege to work with the entire team at Thomas & Mercer on The Night Bird . Jacque Ben-Zekry did an amazing job leading the project, from the earliest editorial concepts through all the design and marketing plans. Charlotte Herscher provided great insights on editorial issues. Kjersti Egerdahl and Alan Turkus were instrumental in bringing the book to Thomas & Mercer. I’m grateful to all of them for all their faith, support, and effort on my behalf — and to the whole Thomas & Mercer staff for getting behind this book.

My agent, Deborah Schneider, makes all of this possible on the business side, along with her terrific team — Cathy, Victoria, and Penelope.

When I finish the first draft of a novel, I get feedback from advance readers before the book goes to my publishers. My wife, Marcia, is the best (and toughest) editor an author could hope for. A big thanks to her and to Ann Sullivan for their helpful and thoughtful feedback on the draft of The Night Bird .

Of course, Marcia is not only my first editor, but more importantly, she has been my best friend and partner for more than three decades. She gets the first two words in every book, and she always will.

On a sad note, I lost my dad while I was in the midst of writing The Night Bird . For ninety years, he had the secret of life figured out: smile and laugh often, cherish your spouse, turn strangers into friends, and devote yourself to the things that make you happy and proud. He may not be with me now, but I’m still learning from him every day. I miss you, Dad.