The Mystery of Paradise Island would not exist if not for a number of individuals, whose support I am fortunate and grateful to have. My thanks to the following:
- To my parents, to whom the book is dedicated, who have given me lifelong love and encouragement. "You can do anything you put your mind to," so they taught me, and it has made all the difference.
- To my brother Jake, conspirator and confidant for many months as I wrestled through this project in secret. His advice and encouragement, along with our lengthy, rambly conversations, kept me going.
- To the whole of my family, never far from my mind as I wrote. Surprising you all with the final product was the promise of a reward that kept me going.
- To my proofreaders, Darleen, Jake, Dave, Carrie, and Heather, for the generous gift of their time and their patience with a work in progress. I cannot overstate how much better their collective feedback made the final product.
- To Goosey and NessaChan, who taught me about makeup. Any remaining technical errors in the book are mine, not theirs.
- To the Rinkies, particularly those participants of the Ultimate Bot Tournaments. Without such a warm and enthusiastic audience, I'd never have had the story to tell.
- To the unknown subjects of the random photographs that inspired the characters of the story. In addition to my thanks, you also have my apologies for what I did to many of you.
- And to my wife, Darleen, who lost ten months of my time to a text editor and a dream world. Without your unwavering support and love, never mind that the book wouldn't be what it is: I wouldn't be what I am.