No one ever truly writes a book alone. Along the way there are several people who in some way or another are instrumental in the delivery of the final product. If it were not for these heroes who sit silently on the sidelines giving you encouragement or fellow artists who help to inspire you to reach your final destination, none of this would be possible. For you, I am truly grateful. Firstly is my wife Ashton, who tirelessly read, read, and re-read the same chapters over and over again. Without your undying devotion this book would still be just notes in a journal. To my wonderfully talented cover artist Julija Lichman, you have given my book its first breath of life with your amazing talent thank you so much for taking on this project, because of you Julija, Zoë is now immortal. Paige Comrie, meeting you was a breath of fresh air. Your willingness to jump in and collaborate gave me an insight that went way beyond my expectations. Your generosity took character creation to a whole new level for me. To my editor Annie Rapaport Hunt, your skill and objectiveness always helped to keep me on track and deliver a beautifully polished rich tapestry of written word. Thank you also to graphic artist Jeannifer Marciella Soeganda, your artwork of "Amanda" takes the reader away from the very beginning. Katelyn Hernandez, the initiative you showed from the beginning convinced me you were exactly the right artist for this project. A special thank you to Frank and Stacey Hernandez for your amazing support of the project and allowing Ashlyn to also be a part of it. You have made Ashley and I feel like family. To Carmen & Dan for being so generous and allowing me to use Casa De Carmen for the photo shoot! Love you Ma!
Finally I would be remiss if I did not thank Joanna Landingham. Jo, you were always the first to cheer and rally others to this book. In a way you have taken the torch from your father to carry on where he left off with me. He always kept encouraging me to finish. He would say, "It's already written, it just has to pass through your fingertips." He loved knowing he was reading it before anyone else was. He was my first audience, and my driving force behind finishing it. He was and always will be in my heart. I love him and miss him dearly and because of him I am a better artist today. Thank you~ All of you!
Thomas Amo ~January 5, 2011