Doorman Wanted By Glenn R. Miller - 47

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

H ow many people does it take to write a book? A family, a village, a city, a metropolitan community. I would like to first thank Minneapolis’s Loft Literary Center. Without the guidance of the many wonderful teachers I studied under and the talented classmates who sat beside me, this book would not have been completed. In particular, I would like to thank instructors Lori Lake, who sounded the starting gun, and Peter Geye, who was there at the finish line.

Thank you to the fine folks at Koehler Books: to acquisitions editor Greg Fields, who read the manuscript and said the most thrilling words a writer can hope for, “Do you have time to talk?” To editor Becky Hilliker, who provided kind, experienced guidance throughout the editing process; to Lauren Sheldon, Danielle Koehler, and Christine Kettner, for their wonderful design sense; and to publisher John Koehler, who provided generous hours of help, insight, and guidance from beginning to end. Thank you, also, to Andrea Kiliany Thatcher and Kellie Rendina at Smith Publicity for their tireless work and enthusiasm around Doorman -related efforts.

Thank you to my beta readers, who read not just sections of the book, but the whole damn thing. It takes a lot of fortitude and generosity of spirit to read a 340-page Kinko’s copy, and so, dear friends, I thank you. Dylan Hicks, one of my earliest readers who provided insightful feedback and careful editing; Colin Hamilton, who, after many thwarted requests to read the manuscript, said, “Attach the damn thing to an email and hit Send . Now!”; Judge T. J. Conley who, at perhaps my lowest moment in the process said to me, “I think this is really good;” and Caroline Hale-Coldwell, who provided a critical editing eye and some greatly appreciated positive feedback. Many thanks, also, to readers Chuck Coldwell, Joanna Glover, Lisa Lange, Liz McGillivary, and Jim Peterson.

Thanks to those individuals and organizations who helped me gain a deeper understanding of certain elements within this book, including Minneapolis’s Plymouth Congregational Church and their focus and dedication to homeless populations within the community; and to Dan Peterson, a former doorman who allowed me to quietly sit in the corner of his lobby to observe interactions between him and his building residents.

Thank you, also, to the supportive friends and family who asked often about the progress of this book and, in so doing, encouraged me to continue on: Philip Bither and Kathleen Gavin, Angie Conley, Laura Davis and Eric Roberts, Missy Staples Thompson and Gar Hargens, Beth Schoeppler and Todd Pearson, Roger Hale and Nor Hall, Nina Hale, Leslie Hale and Tom Camp, Tom and Marcia Wood, Iris and Jay Kiedrowski, and Dawn and Brian Hoy. Thanks to Liz Petrangelo and Mike Lundeby, both of whom spent hours helping me wrestle with website-related matters; Rachel Fulkerson, who generously answered many questions about marketing issues; and Marly Russoff, who shared numerous insights into the mechanics of the publishing industry. And thank you to the He-Man Book Lovers Club—a group of fellers I’ve been getting together with once a month for the last twenty years ostensibly to discuss books and literature, but with numerous segues into family, careers, and life: Joe Bollettieri, Canadian Neil Crocker, Finlay Donesky, Folk Singer Neal Hagberg, John Reimringer, Daniel Slager, Rob Vischer, and Andy Wahl.

Oh, how I wish Mom and Dad were still amongst us to see their son’s name on the spine of a book. It was from both of them that I developed my deep love of reading, varied though it may be. Mom encouraged me to read any and all novels, comic books, Mad magazines, and the backs of cereal boxes. Dad did the same, although with a stronger bent toward history and biographies. To this day, I always have two books going at the same time—one novel, one history book. My Goodreads thread looks wildly disparate. Book recommendation algorithms aren’t sure what to make of me.

And, of course, my alpha and omega—my “Dedicated to . . .” and my “In acknowledgment . . .” Jocey Hale. You, dear reader, are holding this book in your hands only because of her belief and insistence in this project. She read every page several times, as well as every version. And when, after numerous agent rejections, I said, “I’m done!” she only replied, “Fine. Sleep well, get back to it tomorrow.” We should all have a Jocey Hale in our lives. I’m fortunate enough to have the Jocey Hale.

And speaking of alphas, a heap of love and thanks to the two sons we begat—Roger and Teddy. They put up with numerous dinner-table conversations and musings around plot points, character development, theme reinforcements, and the importance of resiliency. I can’t think of two finer sequels.