I wrote this story mostly in solitude while listening to music through my headphones to shut out any distractions. That does not mean I wrote this story in a vacuum. Many people have contributed to this story in one way or another, some of them in many ways, some of them unknowingly. This is where I get to (finally!) thank them.
At the end of the book, I’ve listed a handful of authors and their works that have influenced my writing in numerous ways.
First, my Beta Readers who sacrificed time and energy reading early manuscripts and offering valuable feedback: Randy Harris, Ken Knowlton, Matthew and Lisa Brouillet, Shawn Lorion (yes, he is my brother), and Rebecca Lorion (my wife). Thanks, guys. I owe you! Still up for the Ale House? It’s on me!
Shawn: What a life it’s been so far, eh bro? Look where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, and where we are now. I only wish we lived closer so our beautiful families could enjoy each other a lot more often. Good thing we have eternity.
Randy: A truer friend I’ve never had. Our times together, though not as frequent as we’d both like, always feel so comfortable, so easy, so…right. Like it couldn’t be any other way. Know what I mean? Yeah, I know you do.
Uncle Ken and Aunt Betty: There was a time, back in the day, when your home was like a home-away-from-home for me, even though I lived only five minutes away. Thanks for sharing everything—your books, your music, your pool, your house, and, most importantly, your lives. You have greatly enriched my life, not only as my uncle and aunt, but as my friends.
Roger and Wendy: Thanks for letting me marry your daughter, for putting up with us living next to you all these years, and for tea time with Grammy and climbing on Pépère’s lap.
My in-laws: Christina, Nikki (where’s my book??), Jen (yes, I even included you in the acknowledgments), Lisa, Matt, Sean, and Glen. You guys are tremendous. Thanks for humoring and supporting me in this crazy, ludicrous idea of writing a book.
Gary Swanson at Pioneer Valley Web Design: Fantastic work on the website, Gary! It looks great, and you’ve shown a boat-load of patience toward me and my limited knowledge of the inner workings of building and maintaining a professional website. Thanks a million!
My family: Rebecca, I love you. We did it! Kyle, Seth, Sydney, Kaeden, Roman, Judah, and Micah, there’s a scene in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire where Daniel (played by Robin Williams) is fighting for joint custody of his children. He pleads his case before the judge, stating that he’s addicted to his children. Ditto for me. I can’t imagine what it would have been like the past five or so years if I’d had a regular nine-to-five job, how much of your lives I would’ve missed. I am blessed in so many ways having you all in my life. I love you!!!
Joe: Thanks for bringing us ice fishing, hunting, and all the other outdoorsy things we did as a family. I may not have been too much into it at the time, but the experience sure came in handy in writing this story. Oh, and thanks for bringing the grandkids to the fishing derbies. Now, we need to get ‘em on the ice!
And last, but certainly not least, Mom: I think I owe, among so many other things, my love of reading to you. Remember when the Gardner Library was in that building on Connors Street, before it moved to the supermarket building? You would bring me and Shawn there, usually returning books late if I remember correctly. I remember getting Dr. Suess and Sesame Street (there’s a monster at the end of this book!) and Richard Scary books. That must have been when it all started, my love affair with books, so for that Mom, I am eternally grateful. But more than that, you have been the singular constant in my life. For that, thank you just does not seem like enough, but it’s all I’ve got for now. So…thank you, and I love you.