Writing doesn’t take place in a vacuum, and there are a number of people I owe a debt of gratitude:

To my wife Rachel - thank you for keeping us safe and secure, for getting up every morning and trudging off to work so I could stay home and immerse myself in a realm of fantasy . . .

To my parents Al and Maxine - for all the time you spent showering our kookaloos with attention while I was busy at the keyboard - thank you . . .

And to the kookaloos themselves, our boys Brian and Hayden - I know, it’s time to shut the computer and play . . .

There’s also the bit about writing that not everyone’s familiar with - the process of coercing your friends and family into reading and re-reading hundreds of pages.  For providing much needed criticism and not stringing me up whenever I announced a new revision . . .

Thanks again to Rachel, Al, and Maxine . . . and to Chris and Andrea, Rosie and Dianna, Charlie, Harvey, and Fred . . .

Then there are those who were obliged in no manner but chose to help anyway:

To Rubin Pfeffer - in taking me under wing and helping me navigate the unfamiliar waters of the publishing industry, your generosity has been truly remarkable. Thank you for your time, your support, and the diligent efforts you’ve made on my behalf.

To Greg Klamt - your depiction of Yggdrasil is the perfect invitation to my world. Much thanks for letting me use it. (please visit www.gregklamt.com.to see more of this artist’s fabulous work)

To Steve Palmer at www.76Design.com for the open source Flip Book he adapted from the earlier work of Macc at www.iparigrafika.hu

Finally, to Fred, Chris, and Lou - you guys are the lifeblood, and without you, Alvidan never would have been conceived.

All right, enough of the mushy stuff.  Everybody back to work . . .

 Recreation of the Gods