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Chapters (61)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PART ONE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. PART TWO
  23. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  24. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  25. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  26. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  46. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  49. PART THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  56. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  57. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY
  59. EPILOGUE
  60. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  61. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Writing is a solitary pursuit, or so goes the familiar refrain. But for myself, the opposite proved true—in writing The Short Drop, I discovered that it was I who had been the solitary pursuit. I am surrounded by brilliant and loving people: family and friends—it took writing a novel for me to grasp fully how fortunate I am. It is to my shame that I am so late in learning that lesson, but I am grateful that in most cases it was not learned too late. I must begin with Mike Tyner, who provided the grist for Gibson Vaughn and who made me look considerably smarter than, in fact, I am; I continue to be amazed and alarmed at the breadth of your knowledge. Eric Schwerin and Gerald Smith gave me shelter from the storm that first difficult year; I am sorry I was not better company, but in retrospect that appears, selfishly, to have been for the best. Steve Feldhaus, who has always set the highest bar, was an irreplaceable conspirator; it would be a far different book without your peerless clarity. David and Linda Gibson opened their home at Blue Run Farm with boundless hospitality when I needed to get out of the city; the best pages of this book were written there. Lori Feathers made the introduction of a lifetime in David Hale Smith, who has already proven to be a home run of a man and an agent; it was the lunch that changed my life. Alan Turkus of Thomas & Mercer—your belief in The Short Drop made this next chapter in my life possible; I am deeply grateful for your guidance and passion. The brilliant Ed Stackler taught me invaluable lessons about editing while also making the process feel like working with an old friend. And to the readers who lent me a gentle shoulder on which to bang my head against stubborn characters and tangled plot points—Nathan Hughes, Karen Hooper, Allie Heiman, Christine Lopez, Brian Orzechowski, Giovanna Baffico, Tom Hughes, Michelle Mutert, David Kongstvedt, Drew Hughes, Daisy Weill, Ali FitzSimmons, Kit Manougian, Rennie O’Connor, Vanessa Brimner—your generosity astounds me. Lastly, I must thank my parents—I began with a cliché, and so I think I will end with one: this book would not exist without your love, support, and wisdom. This is not a figurative platitude but an honest and literal truth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2015 Serena Kefayeh/Creative-Ideation.com

Matthew FitzSimmons was born in Illinois and grew up in London, England. He now lives in Washington, DC, where he taught English literature and theater at a private high school for over a decade. The Short Drop is his first novel.

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