Acknowledgments

While there’s only one name on the cover of this book, a plethora of people contributed to both its writing and production. In this section, I’d like to thank everyone who has encouraged me, contributed, and put up with me for the past year.

First, and most important, I’d like to thank my girlfriend, Becky. Your continual support and encouragement means the world to me and has kept me going through such a busy time. You’ve taken the brunt of my stress and pressure and I’m eternally grateful. I love you always.

I’d also like to thank my whole family for their support—in particular, my parents, Jan and Bob, for putting up with my ranting and supplying me with coffee when holed up working on my visits back home. To my sister, Amanda, thanks for your always upbeat chats, and to Kathy and Jon, thanks for all the words of encouragement.

On a professional level, I’d like to thank Manning for giving me this opportunity. Brian Sawyer “discovered” me and encouraged me to submit a proposal for what eventually became this book. Dan Maharry initiated the project as my development editor and helped craft the approach for the book and its target audience. Those first few months and rewrites were hard work, but the book is better for it. Dan passed the baton to Marina Michaels, who served as development editor for the remainder of the book. With a keen eye and daunting efficiency, Marina was instrumental in getting this book to the finish line.