*** my deepest thanks to : ben tanzer , nick ostdick , jason fisk , paul lamble and mel bosworth , writer-brothers in arms ; richard grayson , christine sneed , kirby gann , andrew ervin , frank jump , shelley wright and dan curley , friends and mentors who helped me realize there is much more to life than crunching numbers ; john kenyon , for his helpful take on early guided by voices ; pablo d'stair , who took a chance on a humble story that nagged me incessantly for more than seven years ; my parents , dorothy and john anderson , who taught me to keep my options open and never settle ; anyone anywhere who has ever fed my hunger for literature ; and , most important of all , my wife julie and daughter maddie , who are my very best reasons for living .