Dawit kissed her lips lightly. “Since humans first walked here, fear has chased behind us,” he said. “And yet …”
“We survive,” Jessica said. The longer she lived, the more she understood the concept.
A deeply buried tremor woke in Jessica’s bones, a reminder of how close they had come, so close. She saw the blood and marble in her last dying place. Jessica could never sanction the plague of infertility, but the new Cleansing was not the horror that Michel’s would have been.
Fana had sacrificed herself to change it. Her child had done that. Their child.
What mother since Mary had been so proud?
Jessica searched for Fana in the landscape again, hungry for any pieces she could find.
“There!” She sat up, supporting herself on her elbows, and Dawit looked.
In a flicker between the far-off shrubs, Fana sped through the dancing shadows like a sunbird, striving for the speed of light.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When My Soul to Keep was published in 1997, I never could have imagined how the story of Dawit, Jessica, and Fana would continue to live and find new readers so many years later. First, I want to acknowledge the readers, booksellers, and editors who have brought my childhood writing dream to life.
At Atria Books, thanks to longtime editor Malaika Adero for her feedback and sisterhood; publisher Judith Curr; assistant editor Todd Hunter; and publicity manager Yona Deshommes. Thanks to my longtime agent, John Hawkins of John Hawkins & Associates. On the film side, thanks to my manager, Michael Prevett of The Gotham Group, and to the warriors who have fought to bring My Soul to Keep to the screen over the years: Blair Underwood; Frank Underwood, Jr.; Nia Hill and D’Angela Steed of Strange Fruit Films; Rick Famuyiwa; Tim Reid; and Zola Mashariki at Fox Searchlight. We all wear our battle scars.
Many thanks to the busy writers and readers who provided valuable feedback during the writing of this novel: Steven Barnes, Darryl Miller, Terence Taylor, Ernessa T. Carter, Anika Noni Rose, Ivan Roman, Nnedi Okorafor, Monica A. Coleman, Steve Perry, Dawit Worku, and Dr. Lee Pachter. I wasn’t always able to use your advice, but thank you so much for your time, comments, and care.
Many thanks and best wishes to Mitchell Kaplan at Books & Books in Miami; Blanche Richardson at Marcus Books in Oakland; and James Fugate and Tom Hamilton of EsoWon Books in Los Angeles. Your stores always feel like home.
Thanks to my oldest friends, who keep me sane and help me remember: Andres Enriquez, Luchina Fisher, Olympia Duhart, Sharmila Roy, Craig Shemin, and Kathryn Larrabee.
And last, thanks to my family, my world: Mom, Dad, Johnita, Lydia, Muncko and Carol, Uncle Walter, Aunt Rita, and Aunt Priscilla. Special thanks to Muncko’s son Brian Tabada, killed in combat in Afghanistan on February 27, 2011, for his sacrifice and his seeking heart.
To my husband, Steven Barnes, whose voice is loudest of all in my head when I am writing, the true prince I was searching for. To my stepdaughter, Nicki Barnes, who has followed her acting dreams and made me more proud than I can say.
And to my son, Jason Due-Barnes, who makes me laugh, dances with me, and is already one of the world’s great young men.
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