I owe a great debt of gratitude to my editor, Susan Renouf, for her care and enthusiastic support of the book, and to all those at ECW Press for their work on it.
I’m immensely grateful to Kathleen Winter, who ushered me through the writing of this novel with her encouragement, and her rich and profound feedback. I would also like to thank Helen Humphreys, my perennial mentor who helped shape the final draft and continues to inspire my work.
Terry Mulloy took on his assigned role as research assistant for this project with his usual eagerness and dedication, sharing his own knowledge of gardening and sourcing the book With Mr Middleton in Your Garden by C.H. Middleton, a renowned gardener, broadcaster, and writer in Britain during the 1930s. This book remains a treasured gift from Terry. I will miss our conversations, his advice, and his everlasting love and support.
Huge thanks to Caroline Ball for her close reading and fact-checking on the manuscript, and to Val Ball for her role as consultant on life in England during the time.
Thanks to Sheila Cameron, Stacey Cameron, Marsha Cameron, Ann Mulloy, Margie Matlack, Pegi McKay, Susan Fish, Kristen Mathies, Erin Bow, Nan Forler, Kim Knowles, Anna Trinca, and Julie Friesen for their support in the writing of this book. I would also like to thank Susan Scott for her boundless wisdom and her feedback on an early draft.
Thanks to Emily Bednarz for her work on my website and Sarah Marsh for the poster of female pilots from the 1930s that sat next to my desk, providing inspiration throughout the process.
I would also like to thank Nick Roche for the virtual tour of his garden in springtime, supplying me with pictures and names of flora and fauna.
In the early days of research for the book I visited the Air Transport Museum and Archive in Maidenhead, a gem of a place that offered the necessary details that brought those intrepid flyers to life, particularly the Ferry Pilots Notes, a pocket-sized flipbook of instructions for each aircraft. During this visit I tried and failed to land a plane successfully on the flight simulator, further strengthening my respect for those pilots.
A day of fly fishing at Meon Springs with Andy Wiggins turned into a lesson about chalk rivers and the art of fly fishing and inspired a section of the book on the subject. I am grateful to Andy for his gift of storytelling and for his wealth of knowledge that he shared that day.
I would like to thank Julian Bell, curator at the Weald & Downland Living Museum in West Sussex, England, for providing me with background information on Esther Maud Udal, an eccentric whose living arrangements inspired those of Audrey, as she herself lived in a Victorian Reading caravan for several decades on the grounds of a farm near Rye. Bell also provided information on the equally fascinating Buffy Everington, whose own experience during war provided further inspiration for Audrey. While out driving with her husband, Buffy spotted Miss Udal’s caravan, and after knocking at the door and explaining that she’d like to buy it, was told by the now elderly woman that she could have it, as she would soon be moving to a care home, but only on the condition that she keep all the contents intact with her personal memorabilia. The caravan remained in the Everington family for years, a backyard playhouse and curiosity. I would also like to thank Guy Viney at the Weald and Downland Living Museum for the personal tour of the reading caravan that now remains onsite at the museum.
In my research for the book I discovered the work of Stella Browne, a Canadian-born activist in the field of reproductive rights who lived in England and who, during the 1930s, played a major role in advocating for the right to abortion, giving lectures and becoming a founding member of the Abortion Law Reform Association. Her biography The Life and Times of Stella Browne by Lesley A. Hall provided insight into her work and her highly progressive ideology, as she advocated for a woman’s right to enjoy a sexual life without the burden of pregnancy.
The spark for this book began many years ago when I read Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell, a comprehensive exploration of the life and work of the women who became part of the Air Transport Auxiliary, flying a range of planes across England with no radio or navigational equipment. Their bravery was unfathomable, their story remarkable in itself. It wasn’t until attending the Women’s March of 2017 when I saw posters demanding reproductive rights for women that I was able to see how I could write about these pilots through the lens of early feminism and activism on birth control.
With the exception of Stella Browne, the characters in the book are entirely fictional, as are the main locations. Although I aimed for accuracy when referring to historical events, I took some liberty with the dates with regards to the genesis of the Air Transport Auxiliary—officially formed in September 1939—moving the start date forward by some months to fit the structure of the novel.
I am immensely grateful for the funding received from the Waterloo Regional Arts Fund and from the Canada Council for the Arts that supported the writing of the novel.
Finally, thanks to Darren, and to Esme. Your exceptional support and encouragement fuelled the writing of this book. I couldn’t have done it without you.