A Feast for Dragons

cats.
    www.georgerrmartin.com
    ----
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    The last one was a bitch. This one was three bitches and a
bastard. Once again, my thanks to my long-suffering editors and publishers: to
Jane Johnson and Joy Chamberlain at Voyager, and Scott Shannon, Nita Taublib,
and Anne Groell from Bantam. Their understanding, good humor, and sage advice
helped through the tough bits, and I will never cease to be grateful for their
patience.
    Thanks as well to my equally patient and endlessly
supportive agents, Chris Lotts, Vince Gerardis, the fabulous Kay McCauley, and
the late Ralph Vicinanza. Ralph, I wish you were here to share this day.
    And thanks to Stephen Boucher, the wandering Aussie who
helps keep my computer greased and humming whenever he drops by Santa Fe for a
breakfast burrito (Xmas) and a side of jalapeño bacon.
    Back here on the home front, thanks are also due to my dear
friends Melinda Snodgrass and Daniel Abraham for their encouragement and
support, to my webmaster Pati Nagle for maintaining my corner of the Internet,
and to the amazing Raya Golden for the meals, the art, the unfailing good cheer
that helped to brighten even the darkest days around Terrapin Station. Even if
she did try to steal my cat.
    As long as it has taken me to dance this dance, it would
surely have taken twice as long without the assistance of my faithful (and
acerbic) minion and sometime traveling companion Ty Franck, who tends to my
computer when Stephen’s not around, keeps the ravening virtual mobs from my
virtual doorstep, runs my errands, does my filing, makes the coffee, walks the
walk, and charges ten thousand dollars to change a light bulb—all while writing
his own kick-ass books on Wednesdays.
    Last, but far from my least, all my love and gratitude to my
wife, Parris, who has danced every step of this beside me. Love ya, Phipps.
    George R. R. MartinMay 13, 2011         
    ----