One of the many pieces of information found at the front of a book is the dedication. Along with things like the ISBN number, disclaimer, publishing details and so on, this Front Matter, as it's called, typically occupies the first few pages of any book you'll open. Reserving a page all for itself is the dedication, where the author will dedicate their work - typically to someone that either supported or inspired them.

As I neared the date of publication, I needed to ensure that I had all my Front Matter set up and ready to go, so I wanted to make sure I had an appropriate dedication. It goes without saying that I had a great deal of support from my wife, Sandy, as well as from various friends. An inspiration hit me just recently, which changed the course of my decision for what to make the subject of my book's dedication, for which Sandy gave me full support.

I call it an inspiration but it was really more like an epiphany. In Forestium: The Mirror Never Lies, Joshua discovers he had a sister that died at birth. I remember when I first wrote this but I don't believe it dawned on me at the time. Perhaps it was an unconscious thing. You see I, too, had a sister that died shortly after her birth. Her name was Patricia (my Mother's middle name), although she is affectionately known as Patsy.

Patsy wasn't openly talked about very much when I was growing up. I remember it always made my Dad feel uncomfortable - often to the point of tears - and this in turn made me feel very sad each time it was discussed. Although I'm blessed with a large family, I often wonder what Patsy would have been like. She would have been very close to me in age. I think we would have been very close and good friends, and I can think of no better subject of my first novel's dedication.