Freddy Negrete - Smile Now, Cry Later

First and foremost I thank God for saving my life when I was so close to death, and for guiding me to a new life in sobriety. And I thank my son, Isaiah Negrete, who is my inspiration and the driving force in my life that gives me hope and strength.

I thank Mark Mahoney, a dear friend and colleague, who saw me at my worst and who insisted that I work at his shop when I got out of prison. As my addiction struggle continued, he encouraged me, believed in me, and even paved the way for me to enter the Beit TShuvah rehabilitation program. Id also like to thank Rabbi Mark and Harriet Horowitz for providing me with a strong foundation for a new life.

I thank my good friend Carley ONeill for introducing me to an incredible man, my coauthor and very close friend, Steve Jones. I dont have the words to express the gratitude I have for this man. He believed that my story should be told, he realized things about my life that I didnt realize myself, and with great skill and talent he worked tirelessly and continually, to make this dream a reality.

In the four years of working on this book, we realized (and were told many times) that our book was not the right fit. Our effort to find an agent took some time, but then, like an angel from heaven, came Stephany Evans of FinePrint Literary Management, who was genuinely excited to represent us. We struggled to find the right publisher and we often heard those familiar wordsnot a good fitbut then, like a second blessing, came Dan Simon, Veronica Liu, Ruth Weiner, and all the great people at Seven Stories Press. Thank you very, very much for making this project real.

A special thanks to my good friend Jack Rudy, who got me into the tattoo business and taught me a great many things. And to Ed Hardy for thinking outside the box and taking me, a cholo gangster, into his fold and mentoring me, teaching me how to become a professional tattoo artist. Id also like to thank Taylor Hackford and Fred Blau for helping me expand my career out into the movie industry. And to Luis Rodriguez for being a great friend, supporting this project, and writing the foreword to my book.

Id like to thank Kate Hellenbrand for the lifelong friendship and the great pics, as well as Danny Trejo and Dave Navarro for the kind words and continued support. And finally I want to give a shout-out to all my coworkers: Boo Boo Negrete, Dr. Woo, Louie Perez, East, Danny Romo, Max Hanson, Asa Crow, Rick Walters, Bob Tyrell, Wes Brown, Cody Mac, Whitman Bedwell, and my apprentice Jake Olivia. And a special shout-out to Jeremy Hanna of Sullen Clothing for his support and help with all my endeavors. Id also like to thank Eric Schwartz for all his support and, last but not least, a special thanks to Jesse Silva for the great cover photo.

FREDDY NEGRETE

In March 2010, I was on a visit to Los Angeles, and through a mutual acquaintance, I was invited to hear Freddy Negrete speak. Freddys story immediately struck me as fascinating, shocking, heartbreaking, inspiring, and powerful. I felt this was a story that needed to be told, although coauthoring a book was not on my agenda at the time. But then again, sometimes you dont find stories, stories find you. I suggested to Freddy that we write a book togetherand so began our close working relationship and friendship.

Id like to thank Freddy for putting his faith in me as a writer and for giving me a shot at helping to introduce his incredible story to the world.

It was through Freddy that I was introduced to best-selling author and Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez, whose support for this project has been enthusiastic and generous from the get-go. Thank you, Luis.

Almost every creative project has its birth pangs, and Id like to thank our indefatigable agent, Stephany Evans at FinePrint Literary Management, for staying the course with us through our ups and downs, and for finding a home for Smile Now, Cry Later at Seven Stories Press. Id also like to thank Veronica Liu for championing the project and for being a great editor on Smile Now, Cry Later. Thank you to Dan Simon and the rest of the team at Seven Stories Press for believing in, and committing to, this project, and to Carley ONeill for introducing me to Freddy.

Id also like to thank all the friends who have supported me during the writing of this book, especially J. P. Smith for his mentorship, and Caleb Williams for his valuable feedback.

And finally, last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Sigrid, for her unwavering support of, and sound feedback on, my writing endeavors over the years, and my son, Lukas, for his words of support.