A book like this cannot be completed without help from other people who remember more (and more accurately) than I do. First, I’d like to thank my mum for never, ever being like the mother in this story (even when she learned of the snake’s nest in the garden). My dad remained calm under stress and always answered my questions, and my brother, Bruce, always knew how to have fun. Their combined memories helped me shape this book.
The unflagging support of the Wildwood writers, most particularly Laurie Elmquist, who is unflinching in telling me the truth about my writing, is most certainly the reason I’m still a writer today. I shudder to think what this book would have looked like without the guidance of Sarah Harvey, my editor at Orca. And lastly, for their ability to love me even when I’m deep in a story, I thank my husband, Michael Pardy, and my son, Rowan Jones-Pardy. Where would I be in life without the two of you?