To the heavy hitters in this business, I am eternally in your debt for taking a chance on a washed-up fighter pilot trying to become an author. Mark Greaney, I am so fortunate I was able to give you a glimpse into my former life, but I am even more thankful for your continued friendship. Jack Carr, thank you for your early words of advice that gave me the encouragement I needed to persevere and become a published author. Brad Taylor, thank you for showing me how to transition from a military career to one in publishing. Each of you will always be the standard I hold myself to.
To my “big brothers” in this business, thank you for never shying away from including me as part of your group. Don Bentley, Simon Gervais, Chris Hauty, Josh Hood, David McCloskey, Taylor Moore, and Connor Sullivan, I can never repay you for what you have done to keep me sane during this process. You are all extremely gifted writers, and I will forever be thankful for your mentorship. I hope I make you proud.
Steve Urszenyi, you were a lifesaver as I navigated the querying minefields, and you continued to offer sage counsel during the revision and submission process. You have a bright future ahead of you, my friend, and I look forward to watching your career take off. Eric Bishop, your journey to publication embodies the tenacious mindset required to succeed in this business, and I can’t wait to see where it takes you. Rip Rawlings, your passion for this genre is only surpassed by your passion for doing the right thing, and your work in Ukraine speaks volumes about your character. I am proud to call you a friend. James Brooks, thank you for always lending an ear or offering words of encouragement when they’re needed most. I can’t wait to return the favor!
To my International Thriller Writers family, most importantly my critique group, thank you for providing your invaluable feedback on this and other projects. Traci Abramson, Dave Elliott, Ann Feinstein, Brian Godden, Millie Hast, Don Saracen, and Steve Stratton, I am humbled to be part of such a talented group of writers, and I can’t wait to share our future projects with each other.
To Mike Houtz, Chris Albanese, and Sean Cameron, extremely talented writers in their own right and hosts of The Crew Reviews podcast, thank you for providing endless hours of entertainment and encouragement. To David Temple, you might be the new kid on the block, but your pedigree has made The Thriller Zone one of my favorite podcasts. Whether or not you know it, your shows gave me the motivation I needed to continue chasing my dream. Keep putting out content, and I’ll keep tuning in!
To Stuart Ashenbrenner, Ankit Dhirasaria, Kashif Hussain, Derek Luedtke, Chris Miller, Steve Netter, Todd Wilkins, and the team behind Best Thriller Books, your reviews and coverage of the genre are among the very best, but your support of its authors is second-to-none. I have only met a few of you in person, but I am thankful to have had such staunch advocates of my work in my corner from the beginning.
To my amazingly talented super-agent, John Talbot, I am thankful for your patience and guidance as you helped hone this manuscript and find a home for it. To Andrew Watts, Cate Streissguth, Randall Klein, Kate Schomaker, and the unsung heroes behind Severn River Publishing, thank you for recognizing the potential and helping to mold this story into a finished product I am incredibly proud of. None of this would be possible without you.
Lastly, to you, my readers. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for taking a chance on a debut author and giving up your most precious commodity to spend time with Colt and Punky. I hope you found new friends between these pages and look forward to seeing them again. I know I look forward to delivering them to you.
I’m out.
Farley
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jack Stewart grew up in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy before serving twenty-three years as a fighter pilot. During that time, he flew combat missions from three different aircraft carriers and deployed to Afghanistan as a member of an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party. His last deployment was with a joint special operations counter-terrorism task force in Africa.
Jack is a graduate of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and holds a Master of Science in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego. He is an airline pilot and has appeared as a military and commercial aviation expert on international cable news. He lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and three children.