Many people helped with the production of this book, starting with those patient Copper River Record readers who waded through my columns the first time around, some of whom actually asked to see the opinionated things in print again. I want to thank Chantelle Pence, Kari Odden, and Kevin Duff for patiently combing through the manuscript files to identify obtuse language and questionable logic, not to mention wayward grammar and punctuation. In all cases, their suggestions made the book better and more fun. Any awkward moments that escaped their collective gaze are all mine. An additional thank you goes to Kari, a talented graphic artist, for the book cover.
Chantelle Pence, Don Rearden, and Matt and Judith Lorenz graciously offered “blurbs” that would recommend the book to readers. Thanks to Jeremy Pataky and the 49Writers group for encouraging good writing of all kinds around the state. Thanks to the local book club and Senior Scribblers members who keep our community torch lit for writing, publishing and reading. Thank you to Althea Hughes for inspiring all local writers. A thank you to the production experts at Book Baby for making the adventure almost easy.