When starting out on this process, I was extremely naive as to how much work it would require. It took me longer to write than I thought, and would have taken an awful lot longer were it not for the support of several people. The quality of the content would also not be anywhere near as high without their help.
Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to thank you, my husband, Zand. From the outset of this project, you understood what this book meant to me and did everything you could to give me time and space to write it. For a whole year, you’ve put up with me working late into the night, given up weekends, and allowed me to shirk my domestic duties in favor of writing. I love you.
I thank you, Marina Michaels, my development editor at Manning—without you, this book would read more like the ramblings of an idiot than a coherent textbook. Early on in the writing process, you beat out my bad habits and made me a better writer and a better teacher. Thank you also for our long, late-night discussions about the difference between American cookies and British biscuits. Thank you, my technical development editor, Doug Warren—your insights as a prototype reader made the content much more approachable. Thank you, my technical proofreader, Kostas Passadis—you checked my code and theory, and told me when I was being stupid. I owe the technical accuracy of the book to you.