As this is the end of Riley’s story (for now) I’ve got a few more people to thank than usual. But of all of them, you’re the most important. Thanks for hanging out with me. Let’s do this again sometime.
Thanks to Dr Joanne Duma, who talked to me about post-traumatic stress disorder, and to the great Professor Owen Brian Toon (University of Colorado Boulder), for his insight on what the world would look like after a nuclear war. Dr Barnaby Osborne (University of New South Wales) also had a hand in this, as he usually does.
Mandy Johnson from Yukon Horsepacking Adventures took me out into the backcountry, and showed me the terrain. She told me about old man’s beard, spruce sap, lowbrush cranberries, and how not to piss off a bear. Just stop and let it go about its business, apparently.
Then there are the wolves. In real life, they almost never attack humans. While it’s reasonable to believe that a large, very hungry pack would be aggressive enough to attack Riley, it’s extremely unlikely in today’s climate. Even with the damage we’re doing to our environment, wolf populations remain pretty stable. Cameron Feaster at the International Wolf Center (wolf.org) answered all my questions, and if you’re looking for info, he and his organisation are an excellent place to start.
Errors, as always, are all mine.
To my friends: George Kelly, Chris Ellis, Rayne Taylor, Dane Taylor, Ida Horwitz, Ryan Beyer (Welcome to the party, mate!), Werner Schutz and Taryn Arentsen Schutz. These guys are my quality control, and this book wouldn’t exist without them. I owe them more than I can say.
To the day-one bloggers, reviewers and fans. There are too many of you to mention, but you’re just as responsible for this mess as I am. I hope you’re happy. I also hope that you stay happy, and that you give other authors as much love as you’ve given me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
To Ed Wilson (agent) and Anna Jackson (editor). Every book needs a champion, but every trilogy needs at least two. Ed helped give it a home, Anna helped make it awesome. I couldn’t have asked for two more competent, intelligent, warm and generous people to look after my work. You guys are awesome.
To my Orbit Books crew: Gemma Conley-Smith, Felice Howden, Joanna Kramer, Clara Diaz, James Long, Ellen Wright and Devi Pillai. One of my proudest achievements is that I get to work with a team as talented and smart as yours. An extra thank you to Tim Holman, who met my insane proposals for publicity stunts with bemused indulgence and good humour.
Big up to Nico Taylor, who designed the covers for all three Outer Earth books. Thanks for having my back, dude.
To Richard Collins for his copy edit. Nice one.
Family: Mom, Dad, Cat, James, Bettina, Trisha. Boffards, Simpsons, Kranzes and Wilsons, close and extended. Also to Emily, the newest Boffard on the scene. Hi! You might not believe it, but your mom and dad (Charles and Ali) are extremely cool. Be nice to them.
And to my wife Nicole. I love you, babe. Also, it’s your turn to make the coffee.