Acknowledgements
I would like to gratefully acknowledge my seventeen-year-old daughter Lindsay for the invaluable technical assistance she provided during the development of this book. Despite her youth, I turned to Lindsay—relied heavily on her, unfairly so probably–for any and all advice I needed on software and computer-related issues, and she invariably responded to the challenge with aplomb. Furthermore, Lindsay was my sole technical interface with the publisher I chose to work with and provided assistance whenever I requested same in that highly specialized area.
Lastly, I assigned Lindsay the chore of designing the front and back covers for this book—not an easy endeavor, mind you, considering the dearth and quality of photographs she had available with which to work. In conjunction with that relative obstacle, I further tasked Lindsay with faithfully reproducing in two dimensions the nebulous vision I carried around in the back of my mind of what the covers “should look like” when complete. Suffice it to say I am immoderately happy and suitably impressed with the final results Lindsay was able to conjure from so little.
Quite simply, I am inordinately proud of the book you are now holding in your hands, despite—paradoxically, I know–the overwhelmingly sad and depressing subject of mental illness this tome seeks to objectively address, coupled with the welter of largely unsavory and grotesque memories featuring my brother Fran that this untamed monster by necessity kept alive and regularly dredging up in my mind on each occasion I sat down in front of a keyboard to toil on its unpruned narrative. Having said that, this tale of heroes and demons would never have remotely approached the final product I long envisioned without Lindsay’s diligent technical collaboration.
I would additionally like to acknowledge my wife Carla and my two remaining daughters, Samantha (Sam) and Raven, for their moral support, encouragement, and patience while I obdurately grappled with this short, innately tragic opus until it finally resembled a workable manuscript. Although Yours Truly’s relationship with “casual” writing may sometimes approach an obsessive level, my immediate family—including those three dearly beloved individuals along with the aforementioned Lindsay—has never been anything other than fully supportive and encouraging of my habit. I would therefore like to avail myself of this prime opportunity to thank each of my immediate family members for their countless indulgences and sacrifices which allow me to aggressively pursue my undisputed favorite pastime.
Frederick J. Blahnik
March 13th, 2010
Fred's Soapbox 