[WriterDoug]

My prologue takes place after the main story, but it also begins the actual ending of the novel (to create another form of that nice loop that Anthony G.W. mentioned.)

I did not honestly do this to give my readers a headache. I borrowed from a real event in history that was strikingly similar to my own imaginary story, and I used it as a segue to show that history often (regrettably) repeats itself. A character from the main story serves as the vehicle for taking the reader into the past by relating the two incidents and hopefully making mine almost seem like it could have really happened. I should say that is a big goal for me, since the book is literary, historical fiction (or in simpler terms, something that is proving a tad difficult to sell though agents are telling me the story and writing have real promise.)

cheers,
WD