The Book of Duels (26 page)

My unwavering thanks . . .

To my people, for giving me stories to tell;

To Milkweed, for all of your support;

To my FSU family, for shepherding me so well;

To Baldwin Wallace University, for my colleagues and students;

To my Colonel, for leading the charge—hie!

To Doug Cox and Eric Lee, for beer on the patio of LJ’s and the birth of this gun;

To Frank Giampietro, for the long, unflinching eye;

To Ben Barnhart, for giving this book room to run;

To Scott Gage, for tales of brothering;

To Chris Tusa, for older-brothering me;

To Kent Wascom, for younger-brothering me;

To the Drive-By Truckers for providing the soundtrack;

To Jaume, for getting all of this, years from now;

And to Megan, always to Megan, for everything, everything, everything, everything.

And to all of those I have ignorantly neglected on this page:

You know who you are and how much you mean to me. If you don’t, come by and see me soon, and I’ll tell you all about it.

Cheers!

Michael Garriga comes from a long line of Creole outlaws and storytellers. He has worked as a shrimp picker, a bartender, and a soundman in a blues bar. He now teaches writing at Baldwin Wallace University, in Berea, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and two sons. His work has appeared in various journals and magazines.
The Book of Duels
is his first collection of fiction.

Interior design by Connie Kuhnz

Typeset in Mrs Eaves

by BookMobile Design and Digital Publisher Services