The Dog Who Was There
Page 17
I am so thankful to some of the early readers of this book whose faith in it made all the difference. Especially to my sister Karyn Gutierrez and to Nancy Blum whose handwritten note about this book has a special place on my shelf, as she and her husband Eddie have a special place in my heart. I am eternally grateful for Brian Shuff—and to his family whose cabin in Flagstaff is where the book began and a place of very happy memories. And I am thankful to playwright Beth Henley for her comments on the book and her irreplaceable friendship.
Other readers I wish to thank are Steve Rodriguez, my intrepid manager; Thom Ash, my first proofreader; publisher Greg Pierce of ACTA, a true mentor; and Nick Poehls, who is one of the smartest people I know.
I am indebted to my family for their interest in this work and their love for the “family eccentric” who wrote it. My parents are very devout, so their faith in this project meant the world. I am thankful to be one of six siblings who are all ardently supportive of each other, and I give special thanks to my sister Kathy for being both an official and unofficial coach throughout this process.
One of the secrets to being a writer is you have to have talented fiends. Marilyn Stasio has taught me more about writing than anyone I know. She is like a walking university—if universities smoked and said funny things. My years of discussing our mutual creative projects with Michael Goorjian makes me think of the Callimachus line: “How often you and I had tired the sun with talking and sent him down the sky.” And a champagne toast to Diane Benedict, with whom I once picnicked at Anton Chekhov’s country house, and who has been a friend for all my working life.
There are a handful of special people at my university who mean a great deal to me. Judy Scalin, Joanne Connolly, Jason Sheppard, and Lane Bove are the very best of what it means to be an educator. And I am so thankful for April Rocha and Christopher Kelly, students in my first years of teaching who have become lifelong friends.
In closing, I want to give a special and, perhaps, unexpected thanks to the place where I first learned the sacred story at the heart of this book. I had no idea my early years at Our Lady of Good Counsel Grammar School in Washington Township, New Jersey, meant as much as they did until I wrote this book.
Finally, I wish to thank my dog Nelly who has been by my side through many years of work and life. (Nelly, I think one reason I wrote this book is to keep your light lit forever.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ron Marasco’s first book Notes to an Actor, was named by the American Library Association an Outstanding Book of 2008. He cowrote the book About Grief: Insights, Setbacks, Grace Notes, Taboos, which has been translated into multiple languages. His most recent work is Shakespeare: Portals to Prayer and he is currently writing a book about Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Ron has acted extensively on TV in everything from Lost to West Wing to Entourage and has done recurring roles on Freaks and Greeks and Major Crimes. He appeared opposite screen legend Kirk Douglas in the movie Illusion for which he cowrote the screenplay. He has a PhD in Theatre History from UCLA and is a Professor at Loyola Marymount University.