title: Why I Write: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction
author: Will Blythe
description: "By turns cantankerous and dreamy, and an inspiration to writers and readers alike -- a living monument to the vitality and value of the writing life". -- KIRKUS REVIEWS
zlib_text: For Blythe…
  
    
  
  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  
  A debt of gratitude to Emily Bestler, Jason Kaufman, Ben Kaplan, and everyone
  at Pocket Books for their belief in this project.
  
  To my friend and agent, Jake Elwell, for his enthusiasm and unflagging effort.
  
  To the legendary George Wieser, for convincing me to write novels.
  
  To my dear friend Irv Sittler, for facilitating my audience with the Pope,
  secreting me into parts of Vatican City few ever see, and making my time in
  Rome unforgettable.
  
  To one of the most ingenious and gifted artists alive, John Langdon, who rose
  brilliantly to my impossible challenge and created the ambigrams for this
  novel.
  
  To Stan Planton, head librarian, Ohio University-Chillicothe, for being my
  number one source of information on countless topics.
  
  To Sylvia Cavazzini, for her gracious tour through the secret Passetto.
  
  And to the best parents a kid could hope for, Dick and Connie Brown… for
  everything.
  
  Thanks also to CERN, Henry Beckett, Brett Trotter, the Pontifical Ac