I am lucky to have generous and curious friends who encouraged me greatly from the most vulnerable beginning when I had only a few pages; you listened, you laughed, you loved Annie, you cheered us both on.
To JoAnne Bennison for your frequent and spontaneous laughter, your time to hear me read out loud and consider every paragraph and word in this book. To Ben Low, Kim Lyon, Mary Pinniger, Gary Gronlund, Dolores Houghton and Lis Dixon, for the suppers we shared with friends who eagerly awaited the next installation of the adventures of Annie. To my avid-reader fan, Aggie Sanders, your generous comments from across the continent made me feel I had a best seller from the first few chapters. To Anne Simonet for weighing in on Annie’s behalf when disputed words and phrases rang true for you. To John McDougall Goulet for the Prologue. To Sally Simpson, Lolly de Jonge, and Jeannine Fitzsimmons for your generosity, support, and encouragement.
To Rosa Reid, George Payerle, Tracy Stefanucci and Shelley Harrison Rae, for editing support and encouragement. To readers and early reviewers, Sydney Avey, D. Lynn Chapman, Linda Szabados, Lis Dixon, and Lance Mason, for generously agreeing to read my book and to give me honest feedback. To Erin Niumata, for sharing your spontaneous gut-response to Annie—when I finally put the book into the world, you were my first test.
To Jaz Halloran, for your professional input on the question of book design. To my sister Mary; you’ve been an inspiration to me since I was a child; thank you for your “I love you” just before you hang up the phone, for sharing this story, for being alongside.
To Elizabeth Turnbull for your voice over the miles, your diplomacy and excellent suggestions that only served to strengthen this work.