Acknowledgements

Fearless Warriors is a collection of twelve stories which have their origins in many different places, and with many different inspirations. Sometimes the stories began with one simple image or concept etched in my consciousness; other times the whole tale came completely from my subconscious. Storytelling, in my opinion, should always be a mysterious process, otherwise, there goes much of the fun. If we know where the stories come from, then the journey to where they end might seem a little less magical.

However, there are many people who are directly and indirectly responsible for inspiring these humble little yarns and credit should be given where it is definitely due. My special thanks to the following: David Johnson, Julia Taylor, Larry Lewis, Danielle Kappele, Dan David, various members of my family, and Dawn T. Maracle (who’s a story in herself).

And my heartiest and most sincere thank you to all the little girls who draw horses on their walls, the boys struggling to avoid the ditches of society, the ark builders with dreams, the people who don’t exist but really do, and the true fearless warriors of the world. Someday I hope to be one.

Ch’meegwetch.