Fomorians are still occasionally sighted in the loughs of Galway. There were too many bodies of water for the exorcists to find and kill them all.
Johannes Gutenberg, in 1448, invented a system involving movable metal type and a new design of printing press that together could mass-produce inexpensive books. A single press using this system could print thirty-six hundred pages per workday on cheap paper (rather than expensive vellum). The resulting flood of books and pamphlets broke down the Vatican’s control over literacy, and with it their ability to reshape history as they wished also faded, though they continued attempting to do so for centuries.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MAGIC IS REAL! There is no other explanation for how I ended up with the talented and passionate team who brought this book to completion and to market.
Long before The Last Days of Magic was a novel, when it was still just an idea and a few rudimentary chapters, Adrienne Brodeur believed in what it could be. Over the years her guidance, editorial acumen, and friendship kept me writing. This book would not be in your hands without her support. I am indebted to Tim Ryan and the rest of her family for their willingness to sacrifice time with her as she worked on this project.
What inspired Carole DeSanti, vice president and executive editor at Viking Penguin, to chase down and capture the original manuscript is hard to fathom. I am fortunate to have her as an editor and grateful for all the times she locked me in various (admittedly nice) rooms, refusing to let me compromise on any chapter, paragraph, or word. My thanks go as well to Christopher Russell for his timely input and all the heavy lifting required to get this book out into the world. For their hard work and enthusiasm, my gratitude goes out to the rest of the Viking Penguin team including: Brian Tart, Andrea Schulz, Kate Stark, Carolyn Coleburn, Lydia Hirt, Lindsay Prevette, Allison Carney, Angie Messina, Tory Klose, Maureen Sugden, Francesca Belanger, and their colleagues in publicity, marketing, sales, and production.
Stephanie Cabot is a literary agent extraordinaire whose insights were as invaluable in polishing the manuscript as they were about the marketplace. My thanks go to the entire Gernert Company team, including Ellen Goodson, Anna Worrall, Rebecca Gardner, Seth Fishman, and Flora Hackett, who have facilitated everything from social media to marketing to foreign rights.
The programs and staff of Aspen Words, the literary arm of the Aspen Institute, served as midwives to this novel. Special thanks to Maurice LaMee, Jamie Kravitz, Caroline Tory, and Renee Prince.
My deep appreciation goes to those uniquely generous people who took the time to read and comment on a manuscript that I thought was finished but they knew was not: Lisa Kessler and Jenna Johnson. For their bravery, my thanks to even earlier readers: Tom and Bridget Tomlinson, Kathy Naumann, Barbara Bends, Jonathan Young, Mary and Larry Tompkins (my loving parents), and Cherie Tucker.
In Ireland, Deirdre Wadding shared a treasure trove of information on Irish faeries and magic. Dr. Andy Halpin, with the National Museum of Ireland, was quick to turn around valuable answers to my befuddled questions.
Victoria Haveman and John Beatty let me encamp in the corner of their inspirational café, Victoria’s Espresso, in Aspen, Colorado, where most of this book was written. Without their caffeine and pastries, the Gods only know if I would have ever actually finished. I also have a special fondness for Café Du Marché on Rue Cler, in Paris, where for a week I sat and scratched out the original outline.
For his wonderful personal support, both while I was writing and long before, I will always be grateful to my dear friend Rick McCord.
This novel is dedicated to my wife, Dr. Serena Koenig; she knows why.
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