I am thankful that my little brother, Shane Chamblee, knows things that I do not and is generous with his time and his computer skills. I owe him (although I think all the times I dressed up and played Rambo in the backyard ought to count for something).
My sister in life, Beth Spencer Cummings, fills my well with creative energy, guides me with her wisdom, and shares the pain and joy of writing and life like only a soul-sister can.
My husband, Greg, read the novel first, last, and dozens of times in between. He could probably recite it at this point. That kind of tireless reader is invaluable to a writer, but it was another gift he gave me that I cherish most—a safe harbor. He held the chaos of life at bay so I could write. He let me try out crazy ideas and write bad sentences without judgment. He refused to let me give in to self-doubt or to berate myself with mommy-guilt. He is my safe harbor.
And the mommy-guilt was all self-inflicted. The kids never complained (well, not about the writing at least). Instead, they started writing their own stories and novels. They inspired me and reminded me that the journey should be fun. They kept me dreaming. They still do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANA CHAMBLEE CARPENTER is the award-winning author of short fiction that has appeared in The Arkansas Review, Jersey Devil Press, and Maypop. Bohemian Gospel, her debut novel, won Killer Nashville’s 2014 Claymore Award. She teaches creative writing and American literature at a university in Nashville, TN, where she lives with her husband and two children.
BOHEMIAN GOSPEL
Pegasus Books LLC
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Copyright © 2015 Dana Chamblee Carpenter
First Pegasus Books edition November 2015
Interior design by Maria Fernandez
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
ISBN: 978-1-60598-901-3 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-60598-902-0 (e-book)
Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company
Bohemian Gospel Page 33
