Dedication
I'd like to dedicate this, my first novel, to Mitzy and Dame Pennington. You two are calico ladies of the utmost refinement and integrity, and it is my honor to be your home-partner.
Mitzy ... oh, Mitzy. Your confidence, your willingness to stand up for yourself, your feline grace---you have taught me so much. Without you, I'd have never had the courage to write the story of noble vampire cats benignly guiding civilization’s advancement throughout the ages.
In this book, the character of Marie Curie is directly inspired by your tenacity and problem solving. Do you remember when you learned to open the dryer door and crawl inside? All on your own? I think the real Madame Curie would have been proud of that sort of ingenuity. I know I am.
And, Dame Pennington. You are my rock. Without you, I would have succumbed to that accursed scourge---the dreaded writer's block---years ago.
Often, I would hit an invisible wall when no words came, and the blank screen loomed before me, a glowing monolith. During those times, you'd simply purr, stretch your limbs, and lie down on the keyboard. As if to say, "Type on, kind artist! Marshal your strength to craft word and legend. Yours is a gift destined to be shared with a world of vampire cat aficionados."
And, thusly inspired, I would push forward, eager in my new resolve. The entire chapter on the House of Medici and its cat vampire, Felixorenza di Silvestri, was written in one day on a keyboard newly-warmed and sprinkled with soft sheddings.
I thank you, my tabby muses. I thank you with all my heart. It is only under your watchful guidance that I was able to fashion an epic "tale" out what might have been a simple “yarn.”
Oh, also, I guess I should thank my husband Lloyd for staying out of the way.
Yours in partnership,
Elizabeth Anne Winstead-Cohen
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