Acknowledgements, etc:
The Real Author Speaks...
Before we get into the usual list of credits at the end of this volume, a
few notes about what you have just read.
First of all, Who Killed Kennedy is a work of fiction. It is written
in the style of a non-fiction conspiracy investigation book, but it is fiction,
based upon the real facts of JFK's assassination and the fictional world of the
long-running television series Doctor Who.
Secondly, I have tried to respect continuity while reconciling it with the
events of real history that occurred during the time stream I have plotted. If
you disagree with what I've done, then we disagree. I hope to have given
readers a different perspective on the televised Doctor Who stories with
which we are all, perhaps, too familiar. If you watch The Mind of Evil
carefully, you might even spot James Stevens!
Thirdly, the matter of UNIT dating. It is impossible to join all the dots
and come up with an equivalent to the Warren Commission's 'magic bullet' theory
which satisfies all the inconsistencies of dates mentioned in broadcast
episodes of Doctor Who. Forget it, it can't be done - God knows enough
people have tried. So I've taken the best counsel I can and set the stories
around the time they were broadcast.
To claim this book as all my own work would be not so much a lie, as a
falsehood of Elvis-like proportions, complete with sequin jumpsuit, big
sideburns and a hankering for thrills, pills and hamburgers. So, eyes down for
the obligatory long list of name dropping and debt settling...
Everyone at Virgin Publishing, for a start. It seems ironic that they
tolerated my endless awful ideas cheerfully and finally commissioned me to
write a novel filled from cover to cover with old monsters, old villains, and
enough continuity to bloat a hot air balloon. Special mentions go to Rebecca
for belief beyond patience and vice versa; Rebecca and Peter for the title and
about half the plot; the erotic stylings of Kerri, the memory of Andy and the
reality of Simon; and the woman on reception with the freckles [Tracey (Ed)]
who sees me visit so often she probably thinks I'm on the staff at Virgin
Publishing.
Everyone at the NZDWFC, for enthusiasm and encouragement - especially Paul
for support, Jon for continuity, and Felicity for critiques.
Everyone at the Tavern, especially Alan and Percy for video tapes.
Editors and contributors to Doctor Who Magazine past and present,
especially John Freeman: splendid fellows, all of them.
Endless other Doctor Who authors deserve a mention for their
contributions, especially Andrew for the pre-credit sequence; Lance for the
chronology, even if we do disagree wildly on UNIT dating; Kate for toleration
at 04:00 Sydney time; Paul, Gareth and Andy for helpful hints; David for life
after the invasion; Craig for Ashley Chapel; and the elusive Gary for the young
man with the lisp and his blond friend with the tan.
Research is addictive and John F. Kennedy is the inspiration for thousands
of volumes, so I now have a very full bookshelf. Special debt must be
acknowledged to The Killing of a President by Robert J. Groden; JFK
for Beginners by Errol Selkirk; The Day Kennedy was Shot by Jim Bishop
(no relation); President Kennedy: Profile of Power by Richard Reeves;
and Kennedy by Theodore C. Sorensen. (Special thanks to Aldo Fioravanti
for hunting around the bookstores of Washington DC to find the Sorenson book.)
Also The Last Brother: The Rise and Fall of Teddy Kennedy by Joe
McGinniss for information about Chappaquiddick.
Inspirations for and influences upon this book are almost innumerable, but a
few crucial catalysts must be named: Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross for their
seminal comics mini-series Marvels; authors of conspiracy theory books
and investigative journalism tomes everywhere, but particularly David Yallop
for To the Ends of the Earth: The Hunt for the Jackal; and all the
writers, directors, cast and crew of the dozens of Doctor Who television
serials referenced, rewritten and remixed within. Without their work, this
would not, could not exist.
Respect is due especially to Barry Letts for scaring the hell out of a small
boy in New Zealand in the 1970s and Terrance Dicks, who almost single-handedly
got a generation of television children to read books. The authors of the New
and Missing Adventures of today are, almost without exception, the readers of
Target Books in years gone by.
DEDICATION
To Robert McKee, whose story structure course lifted the scales from my eyes.
And to Alison, just because.
EBOOK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A massive thank you to Paul Scoones and Alden Bates for making this online
eBook of Who Killed Kennedy happen. The copy editing proved a much
bigger job than anyone expected and this whole endeavour has been a labour of
love for all involved. Particular thanks are due to Paul for his patience in
gently nudging me every Tuesday to hurry up and deliver the next chunk of
comments.
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