No Mercy
Page 30
Author’s Note
Reed Markham’s mother, Camilla, was Latina and native to Puerto Rico. Some readers may be curious why Reed’s genetic analysis does not mention anything about “Latino” DNA or refer to any Latin American countries in the results. The reason is that “Latino” is a racial construct, like “white,” or “black,” and so one would not see “Latino” DNA listed as part of the analysis.
Reed’s analysis identifies his ancestry as European, Asian, African, and Native American. Due to human migration patterns, essentially everyone currently living in the Americas is some variety of European, Asian, African, and/ or Native American ancestry. Reed’s mixture of all of these is what one might expect for someone who identifies as biracial with one parent of Latina heritage and one parent of Caucasian heritage.
Acknowledgements
When you write about sexual violence, sometimes those words resonate with survivors, and they come forward to say “Me, too.” Thank you to all the women who have bravely shared their stories with me. I see you and you are beautiful.
There is one name on the cover of this book but a small army of people standing behind it. Many thanks to my astute and essential editor, Daniela Rapp, for invaluable feedback and advice. I’m grateful as well to my agent, Jill Marsal, for wise counsel and support.
I would be nowhere without #TeamBump, the badass beta squad who helps me get the words on the page. You guys make the work fun and push me to be better. Thank you, Katie Bradley, Stacie Brooks, Ethan Cusick, Rayshell Reddick Daniels, Jason Grenier, Suzanne Holliday, Shannon Howl, Robbie McGraw, Michelle Kiefer, Rebecca Gullotti LeBlanc, Melanie Rose, Jill Svihovec, Dawn Volkart, Amanda Wilde, and Paula Woolman.
I write around the edges of a crazy busy life, and every precious hour counts. I am fortunate to have not one but two sets of nearby grandparents who help me find the time: Brian and Stephanie Schaffhausen, and Larry and Cherry Rooney. Love you all.
The source of all my writing starts at home, with the two people who complete me: my husband and fellow book enthusiast, Garrett, who has a storyteller’s soul and an engineer’s mind, and our beloved daughter, Eleanor, who has somehow managed to survive having a published author for a mother without getting mobbed for autographs in the elementary school hallways.
About the Author
Joanna Schaffhausen is a scientific editor who previously worked as an editorial producer for ABC News, where she advised and wrote for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America and 20/20. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter. The Vanishing Season is her first novel.
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