The Amanda Doucette series has taken this Montreal-born Ottawa resident all across this vast country, from the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland to the Pacific Rim of Vancouver Island. Wreck Bay found me far from my familiar turf and trying to acquire a lifetime’s experience in the eighteen months it took to write the book. I read multiple books, combed the internet for information, photos, videos, and podcasts, and picked the brains of my West Coast friends, both old and new. I am grateful to all the people who shared their insights about everything from the Wild Side Trail on Flores Island to the history of the logging protests and the Vietnam War.
Since I came of age in the sixties, I have many memories of the counterculture and the utopian dreams of the communes, as well as the horrors of the Vietnam War. Researching this book was also a fascinating trip into my past.
But a book does not feel complete until I have visited the locations and walked in the steps of my characters. During my West Coast stay, I took two kayaking trips, a bear-watching tour, a whale-watching boat tour, and a seaplane excursion, as well as numerous rainforest hikes and beach strolls. Along the way I talked to everyone from tour guides, wait staff, B&B hosts, and park officials to the people at adjacent tables in restaurants. Thanks for all the fascinating tidbits. As well, a special thanks to my Vancouver Island friends who welcomed me and provided an insider’s perspective, especially Veronica Shelford, Louise Crossgrove, and Kathie Janzen Wagner.
Many people help to bring a book from its rough beginnings to the polished product that hits the bookstores. As usual, my very dear friends and long-time critiquing group, the Ladies Killing Circle, got first crack at it, so a huge thank-you to Mary Jane Maffini, Linda Wiken, and Sue Pike for your incisive eye. A huge thanks also to my friend and gentle editor, Allister Thompson, whose understated but astute comments always make the book better, and to Laura Boyle and her design team at Dundurn for the perfect cover. I am forever grateful to Dundurn Press for championing Canadian writers and stories and for continuing to believe in me. Thanks especially to Kirk Howard for his vision, and to Kwame Scott Fraser, Kathryn Lane, Jenny McWha, Erin Pinksen, Heather Wood, Alyssa Boyden, Kendra Martin, and Maria Zuppardi, as well as all those working behind the scenes.
And lastly, thank you, readers, for making this crazy journey worthwhile.