MJ-12: Shadows

Acknowledgments

First, I would like to thank everyone who bought and enjoyed the first book in this series, MJ-12: Inception, as well as my other work. I get to make stuff up, write it down, and sell it because of you, and I am eternally grateful for it. So many reviewers, fans, and fellow authors have contributed to the success of this series, and all my work, and it’s getting difficult after five novels to list you all out. But I remain thankful for everyone who has ever given me a leg up, a space to write, a kind word, and a stiff drink. I will work hard to pay it back, forward, and sideways whenever possible.

I’d like to thank the folks at Borderlands Books in San Francisco for having me over to help launch the first book in this series. If you like science fiction and fantasy, I strongly urge you to visit them, either in person if you can, or online. The folks at both Phoenix Comicon and Dragon Con in Atlanta also helped immensely in getting the word out on this series, and if you find yourself looking for great cons to go to, I recommend them wholeheartedly.

A special shout-out to the real Christina Vanoverbeke, winner of a prize I sponsored in the raffle benefitting Kids Need to Read at 2016’s Phoenix Comicon. The prize was to have a character in this book named after her — and to give that character a noteworthy death. I can only hope that being unceremoniously shot by a historical villain, and then having a nuclear weapon dropped on her corpse, has sufficed in fulfilling my end of the bargain.

As always, editor Cory Allyn at Night Shade Books has done incredible work in making this book better — and calming this writer’s nerves. And my thanks to Jason Katzman and Brianna Scharfenberg at NSB for all their support as well. Richard Shealy remains the best copyeditor in the business; he’s a big part of why this book makes actual sense.

My agent, Sara Megibow, has been a firm believer in my work, and any alleged talent I may possess, for six years now. She is a most excellent advocate and a lovely person, and I wouldn’t be here without her.

Finally, my wife Kate and daughter Anna needed a little extra patience with me as I wrote this one, and I am especially grateful to them for dealing with a particularly harried version of myself. They continue to make everything in life better. I love you both.

Michael J. Martinez

2017