All the Devil's Creatures (42 page)

I received invaluable guidance in crafting this, my first novel, through Southern Methodist University’s Creative Writing Program. I am particularly grateful to Suzanne Frank and Daniel J. Hale; they have gone beyond their teaching duties to offer good counsel and support over the past three years. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the many wonderful writers I met through the program who offered critiques of portions of this book, including Jenny Timberlake Bellamy, Larry Gustafson, Rebecca Elkins, Kevin Thomason, Anne Miano, Angie Nichols, Eric Maloy, and Dinu Popa.

Others also were kind enough to read various early drafts. They didn’t have to do it; it wasn’t necessarily fun to do it. But it was extremely helpful to me. So thank you: Irene Lee, Ellen Miller, Edith Koke Thomas, Joan Thomas, and Aaron Taylor.

Finally, this book never would have come together without Koke, my muse and cheerleader. And of course Aubrey, my greatest inspiration.

It’s been a fascinating journey, and it’s only just begun.

Copyright © 2012 J.D. Barnett

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the authors.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events, locals or organizations is entirely coincidental.