Although writing is a solitary job, a book is the combined effort of many people. Thanks to the Red Door Family Shelter in Toronto for the volunteer job at one of its facilities. Although the characters and situations in this book are a work of fiction, my experiences there helped make this story more authentic. Thanks to my early readers, who offered astute feedback on the work in progress: Pat Bourke, Anne Laurel Carter, Paige Krossing, Tess Krossing, Patricia McCowan, Mahtab Narsimhan, Cheryl Rainfield, Karen Rankin, Rilla Ross, Erin Thomas and Andrew Tolson. Thanks to Harry Endrulat of The Rights Factory and Sarah Harvey of Orca Book Publishers for believing in the manuscript, and thanks to the Orca team for helping to produce this book. Finally, thanks to my family, who supports my writing in so many ways.