Empire Rising

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks are due to those who helped me write and publish this novel:

First and foremost, to my editor, Keith Kahla, for his exceptional insight and fantastic recommendations on how to make Empire Rising better. To others at St. Martin’s Press — Hannah Braaten and Justin Velella — who helped me in numerous ways while I wrote and revised Empire Rising. And finally, thanks again to Sally Richardson and George Witte for making this book possible.

To those who helped me get the details in Empire Rising right: to U.S. Navy captains and former SSN and SSGN commanding officers Steve Harrison and Murray Gero for reviewing the submarine chapters and helping me with the SSGN scenes, to Navy Captain and former commander of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic — Craig “Spot” Yager for assisting with the air combat scenarios, to Commander Rob Kurz for the aircraft carrier chapters, Commander Mike Wheeldreyer for the cruiser scenes, former Navy SEALs Matt Maasdam and Brandon Webb for the SEAL scenes, and to Lieutenant Colonel Billy Dubose and Major Joshua Roberts for imparting a basic understanding of Marine Expeditionary Force operations. Thanks also to Lisa Brackmann and Cindy Pon for helping with the scenes in China and the nuances of naming Chinese characters.

To my writer friends in Purgatory and The Pit, thank you for your support on this long journey and for your inspiration while writing Empire Rising.

And finally, to the men and women who have served in our armed services. My heart and thoughts will always be with you.

I hope you enjoy Empire Rising!