ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks are due to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and to the Brenda Strathern Writing Prize for financial assistance in completing this book. Prairie Fire published an earlier version of “Jake” and CBC Anthology produced a Rebee story for CBC Radio. Thank you to the editors.

With much gratitude to everyone at NeWest Press, especially Andrew Wilmot, designer Natalie Olsen, and my wise and gentle editor, Anne Nothof. My heartfelt thanks goes to Rosemary Nixon, Aritha van Herk, Nicole Markotic , Annabel Lyon and Eunice Scarfe for their inspiration and early encouragement. Special thanks to my writing buddies, Kari Strutt, Heather Ellwood, Michael Davie, Lisa Willemse, and Cathy Jewison, for keeping me at my desk. I owe so much to my parents, Irma and Louis, my dearest sisters, Judy and Brenda, and my forever friends, Brenda and Pat.

Deepest love and gratitude to Breanna and Megan, whose tender love fills me, to Craig, for being family in all good ways, and to Jim, for being what matters most.