Pasadena (14 page)

A
book has many midwives and
Pasadena
is no exception. Many thanks: To Rahna Reiko Rizzuto—the first person to read what I thought was my “perfect” fifty-page draft and tell me that it could be more. To the amazing Evie Lindbloom, whose librarian superpowers helped me understand the details behind Maggie's demise. To Kirby Kim, my agent, who saw beauty in the book and championed it. To my editor, Shauna Rossano, who stuck by the story even while starting her new family. To Katherine Perkins, who rode shotgun while Shauna was creating a masterpiece of her own. To Danielle Calotta, who gave the book its amazing cover, one that captures the smudged glamour of Southern California perfectly. To the soul of Raymond Chandler and all of the great noir
storytellers of film and page who drew shadows out of sunshine and studied the darker side of the human condition. To Hedgebrook writing retreat for giving me shelter while I breathed more life into those first fifty pages. To the beautiful city of Pasadena for being an inspiration. And especially to my husband, Kelvin. This book is for him. Without his love of noir, I would have never attempted it in the first place.

Thank you, one and all.

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