by Tom McNeal
He tries to smile. In spite of his wretched state, he tries to smile.
“I love you, too,” he says, and it is upon these whispered words, as upon a magical carpet from some ancient tale, that I have traveled on.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express his gratitude to the National Endowment for the Arts for its support during the writing of this book; to Jack Zipes and, especially, Maria Tatar for their extensive and illuminating research in the field of fairy tales; to Mimi Sidwell, Christine Stotz, and Françoise Bui for their expert assistance with the Swedish, German, and French translation; to Jacki Rhoton for her demonstration of at least one female’s invincibility in the art of Indian leg wrestling; to Sam and Hank McNeal for odd notions that found their way into the book; to Dana Reinhardt, Allison Wortche, and Jeremy Medina for their critical assistance; to George Nicholson, Joan Slattery, and Nancy Hinkel for their belief in the book and their assistance in bringing it to print; and, as always, to Laura McNeal, for everything, first page to last.
About the Author
Tom McNeal has written several young adult novels with his wife, National Book Award finalist Laura McNeal: Crooked, Zipped, Crushed, and The Decoding of Lana Morris. He has also written two critically acclaimed adult novels, To Be Sung Underwater, named one of the five best novels of the year by USA Today, and Goodnight, Nebraska, winner of the California Book Award. He lives near San Diego with his wife and two sons. To learn more about Tom, as well as his books with Laura, please visit mcnealbooks.com.
