Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution (28 page)

The Society of the Cincinnati was formed in 1783 by the aforementioned Henry Knox, and included officers of the Continental Army and the French army and navy. George Washington was the society’s first president general. Originally a society of noble soldiers, who passed on their membership to their firstborn sons, these days it’s an educational nonprofit organization. Their museum is located at Anderson House in Washington, D.C. The traveling exhibit that lands at MCNY is wholly a creation of the author.

Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 was indeed to fight Hessian mercenaries who held Trenton for the British. While the public story that he wished to achieve a victory after the demoralizing retreat from New York that is in the history books is accurate, it was also a full moon that night (it’s how Washington and his troops were able to see to cross the treacherous river), and we all know how important moon phases are to witches. Lieutenant Colonel Johann Rall was indeed the commandant of the Hessians in Trenton, and anecdotally, he was given a note saying that Washington was approaching, which he then shoved in his pocket unread; some say he was eating dinner, some say he was playing chess, few say he was summoning the demon Abaddon to
infuse its power into a woman named Serilda. The note was, however, found on his body after he was shot—that it was Washington who shot him is an indulgence of the author.

Abaddon is a name that has been associated with one of the angels present at the apocalypse and with a demon of fire, so that connection to Serilda, who burns her victims, is a stronger connection than the language of the Romany, especially since the name derives from the term “to destroy.”

Martha Washington’s mother and brother did both die in 1785, though the exact causes are lost to history. And there really and truly was an annular eclipse on 4 August 1785, which was followed by a new moon on the fifth.

The Ticonderoga Police Department really does use the rank of “investigator” rather than “detective,” which is actually kind of cool. The portrayal of the fort is also accurate, and yes, there really is a sewage plant in the same shape as, though a much smaller size than, the fort. The locals have a nickname for it that’s not appropriate for a family novel. The Liberty Monument is indeed at the intersection of Wicker and Montcalm, and it’s quite nifty. (Right alongside it is the Hancock House, a replica of the Beacon Hill mansion of Thomas Hancock, uncle of John Hancock.)

The Tappan Zee Bridge’s history as related by Abbie is an accurate, if abbreviated, summary of the span’s origins, and construction has begun on a new
bridge just north of the current one, which links Tarrytown and Nyack. The replacement bridge is scheduled to open in 2018. A proposal is under consideration to name the new bridge after the great folk singer Pete Seeger, who died in early 2014.

There was a blood moon on 8 October 2013, which is likely when the
Sleepy Hollow
episode “Blood Moon” took place. The first half-moon of January 2014 was eight half-moons after that date.

Google Maps will tell you to take Interstate 87 to drive from Sleepy Hollow to the northwest section of the Bronx, but locals are more likely to take the Saw Mill River Parkway for two reasons: there’s a toll on 87 (only seventy-five cents, but still), and the Saw Mill is a prettier drive. Yes, there are a few traffic lights on the latter, but it’s worth it for the more pleasant scenery. (In terms of time, the two are pretty much the same.)

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettsheim was a writer, physician, theologian, astrologer, soldier, and more, who published several books on the occult in the sixteenth century. He is credited with popularizing the notion of a pentagram as a symbol of magic in Renaissance Europe, and there are people in modern times who still use Agrippa pentagrams to ward off black magic (including Sheriff Corbin).

There was indeed a fire in the Grandpoole region of Oxford on 25 April 1671, which started in a workhouse belonging to a shoe smith, and also
destroyed several tan houses, malt houses, and stables, as well as about seventeen different homes—including, apparently, that of one of the professors under whom Crane’s grandfather studied.

Finally,
Children of the Revolution
takes place between the first-season
Sleepy Hollow
episodes “The Golem” (which took place shortly before Christmas) and “The Vessel” (which took place after the new year). The reader is asked to assume that, after taking her around the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
chapter 2
, Irving took Macey to the adjoining Central Park, where Irving had his fateful encounter with the possessed vendor in “The Golem.” The business he had to take care of in New York City in addition to guarding the Independence Cross in the Museum of the City of New York in
chapter 8
was to request that the vendor and other folks in the park be questioned, as they were in “The Vessel.”

Primary thanks must go to Meagan Stacey, my delightful editor, who was the one who came to me with the notion of doing a
Sleepy Hollow
novel (which I accepted heartily), and who guided this book through to its published state. Secondary thanks also to Meagan’s fabulous assistant Kim Silverton, my superb agent Lucienne Diver, the book’s excellent publicist Lauren Kuhn, and the fine folks at Fox who provided excellent feedback at the outline and manuscript stage.

Huge thanks to my dear friend Carol Provoncha, who gave me a lovely tour of the reconstructed Fort Ticonderoga, and who was a valuable resource for the scenes taking place at the fort and its environs.

Special thanks to the actors who have given form and substance to the characters portrayed herein: Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, Katia Winter, Lyndie Greenwood, Neil Jackson, Jill Marie Jones, Amandla Stenberg, John Cho, Michael Roark, Victor Garber, the great Clancy Brown, and the mighty Orlando Jones. Also thanks to Alex Kurtzman, Roberto
Orci, Phillip Iscove, and Len Wiseman, who created this wonderful show, and the many writers who have guided it with them, notably Melissa Blake, Mark Goffman, Damian Kindler, Jose Molina, and Heather V. Regnier.

More thanks to friends and family who were incredibly supportive: Wrenn Simms, Tina Randleman, Dale Mazur, Neal Levin, Laura Anne Gilman, Meg Nuge, and especially GraceAnne Andreassi DeCandido (aka The Mom). And, of course, the pets: Scooter, Kaylee, and Louie, as well as the late great Belle and Sterling.

Keith R. A. DeCandido
has now, with this novel, written in twenty-five different licensed universes. He doubts it’s a record, but it makes for a great line to drop at cocktail parties, which he’ll start doing as soon as someone invites him to one. His other tie-in fiction includes books, comics, short fiction, role-playing games, and more based on other TV shows (
Star Trek
,
Leverage
,
Doctor Who
,
Supernatural
), movies (
Cars
,
Kung Fu Panda
,
Resident Evil
,
Serenity
), games (World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, StarCraft, BattleTech), and comic books (
Spider-Man
,
X-Men
,
Hulk
,
Silver Surfer
). In 2009, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, so he never needs to achieve anything ever again. Keith also has several works he keeps the copyright on, including the series of fantasy police procedurals that started with
Dragon Precinct
and includes
Unicorn Precinct, Goblin Precinct, Gryphon Precinct, Mermaid Precinct
, and
Tales from Dragon Precinct;
various and sundry urban fantasy
short stories set in Key West, Florida, many of which were collected in
Ragnarok and Roll: Tales of Cassie Zukav, Weirdness Magnet;
and the novels
SCPD: The Case of the Claw
and
Guilt in Innocence: A Tale of the Scattered Earth
. His other recent work includes
Star Trek: The Klingon Art of War;
an adventure in the
Firefly
role-playing game Echoes of War; an essay in
New Worlds and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics;
the short story collection
Without a License: The Fantastic Worlds of Keith R. A. DeCandido
; and short stories in the anthologies
Stargate: Far Horizons, V-Wars
volumes 1 and 3,
Bad-Ass Faeries: It’s Elemental, With Great Power
, and
Out of Tune
. His twice-weekly rewatch of
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
can be found on
Tor.com
; he did a similar rewatch of
The Next Generation
for the site from 2011 to 2013. When he isn’t writing, Keith is also a freelance editor for clients both corporate and personal, the percussionist for the parody band Boogie Knights, a second-degree black belt in karate, a prolific podcaster (The Chronic Rift, HG World, Gypsy Cove, The Dome, and his own Dead Kitchen Radio), and a devoted follower of the New York Yankees. He lives in the Bronx with assorted humans and animals. Find out less at his cheerfully retro website at
DeCandido.net
, which is the gateway to his various bits of online and social media presence, thus simplifying the tasks of cyberstalkers everywhere.

In
Sleepy Hollow
, a supernatural twist on Washington Irving’s classic short story, Ichabod Crane has been pulled two-and-a-half centuries through time to find that he and detective Abbie Mills are humanity’s last hope in the war against evil. Passionate, intelligent, and wryly funny, Crane has always used journals to collect thoughts and documents that may prove useful later.
The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane
offers an unprecedented look at the battle also raging inside his fascinating mind. Filled with detail about past conflicts and vanquished monsters, as well as clues about those he and Abbie have yet to face, this journal is not just the ultimate repository for fans but the key to Sleepy Hollow’s future—and the world’s.

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD
.

www.fox.com/sleepy-hollow