America’s Last Emperor: Forward
Before we begin…
This is a work of fiction. While most of the characters and names in this novel are based on real people, there are a few that are completely made up. There are situations that are changed to increase drama, and some that are completely ignored because they are boring.
Major research on this book was helped along by the following sources:
Herbert Asbury’s Book, THE BARBARY COAST. https://www.amazon.com/Barbary-Coast-Informal-Francisco-Underworld/dp/1560254084
Finally, the following people need to be acknowledged: Catherine Connor (my first reader), David Gallagher of OpenSFHistory (my favorite SF historian), Soul Pak (inspiration), Lillie Hitchcock Coit for her park at the top of the hill behind our apartment, and of course, Emperor Norton.
I post to my Patreon as soon as I finish writing a draft, but the chapters are published once a week on Patreon until all 30 are published. I’m releasing the first three completely free on Medium, but Chapter 4 onward will be behind Medium’s Paywall.
If you would like to read ahead on my rough drafts, the latest drafts are always on my Patreon Page at https://www.patreon.com/tjcrowley/. You can read it before anyone else for $1.
In the meantime, here is CHAPTER ONE.
