AS YOU READ Point Last Seen, you undoubtedly noticed the loving care I used in creating Gothic. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. My grandmother and great-aunts, powerful women who were huge influences on me, were born and raised in Ben Lomond in the Santa Cruz mountains, and as a family we traveled and camped all around central California. As my aunt Sadie once told The Husband, “As long as a wheel’s going to turn, we’re going to go.”

The first time my mother and I drove the scenic Pacific Coast Highway into the heart of Big Sur, we were captivated by its frothing waves crashing against rocky cliffs, wide stunning views and mystical forests that whisper and roar in the ocean breeze. A visit to San Simeon—Hearst’s Castle—cemented my sense that here, in this place of wealth and wildness, anything was possible. There was and is an otherworldly ambiance to Big Sur, a sense that this ancient area is immune to civilization. For the most part, it remains untouched.

Naturally when I looked for a glorious, isolated spot to place a small, quirky, totally fictional town with a totally fictional legend, I thought of Big Sur. Being in Gothic gives me great pleasure; I hope you enjoyed your time there and will join me for further Gothic adventures.

Thank you to my editor, Michele Bidelspach, executive editor, HQN and Graydon House, who joyfully joined me on this trip and daily gives me her valued guidance. My thanks to Craig Swinwood, CEO of Harlequin and HarperCollins Canada; Loriana Sacilotto, executive vice president and publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing; Margaret O’Neill Marbury, vice president, Harlequin Trade Publishing; and Susan Swinwood, HQN editorial director. It’s a pleasure to be publishing with this talented, dedicated team.