As I wrote this book, so much has happened. Through the course of about 10 months, many people have been instrumental in making this happen, either directly or indirectly. I owe my success to all of you.

I'd like to thank my boss at Trilithic, Karalee Slayton. I appreciate all the encouragement, understanding, and help you've given me along the way. And I have just one more thing to say, shhhhhhhhht!

I'd like to thank Marybeth Fulmer, my colleague and friend. Thanks for always being willing to listen and help.

I want to thank again, Jim Minatel from Wiley, for giving me the opportunity to write for Wrox again. Thanks for listening to all my wild ideas, and for being willing to take the risks on all the new things we've done with this book.

A great big thanks to Brian MacDonald, my development editor. I appreciate your patience and understanding, and you've been truly great to work with. This book owes much to your meticulous attention to every detail.

I'd also like to thank my tech editor, Alexei Gorkov. Your incredible attention to detail has been a tremendous asset on this project.

I want to thank my friends and family, who have been very supportive through some very difficult times: my aunt, Brenda; my uncle, Johnny; my cousins, Amanda, Kimberly, and Amy. Be strong, but don't be afraid to talk about your son, your brother, and my cousin, Ryan. Let's always keep in mind the good times, and the good things that happened, and not dwell on the bad. We can't change what happened, but we can keep his memory alive. Here's to you. Here's to me...

I want to thank Richelle Brown. You are a truly awesomely good friend. As we enter the year of our Paul, 5AP, I'm very proud of all of your accomplishments as of late. Egg-cellent! Keep your nose up. Let's find another Paul McCartney show so we can reset the Paul clock.

Thanks to my parents, John and Tammy. Thanks for your help and support. I love you.

And finally, I want to thank my best friend, Lisa Ratliff. I'm very sorry that I haven't been there for you. I should have been. There are so many things that I should have said and done, but didn't. I regret that we grew apart. Thanks for listening and thanks for understanding. Despite our ups and downs, you should know that I will always be here for you, and I will always love you. Snotface.