by Lori Shenher
To Lindsay Kines for your discretion, your friendship, and your standing offer of partnering with me in our two-man private detective agency. I might just be ready.
To Leanne Dospital, Lynn Barr and Catriona Strang for never forgetting. To Tom Stamatakis and Barry Shaw for taking on the fight for my full pension.
To Douglas Gibson, Doug Pepper, Michael Levine, Damon Vignale, Miho Yamamoto, and Chris Haddock for affirming that I did, indeed, have a story to tell. To so many writers over these years for teaching me the art of the memoir and the value in sharing pain. I dove into this genre to learn and surfaced thirsting for more.
Much gratitude to my Greystone publisher, Rob Sanders, and to Colleen MacMillan of Annick Press for your support and kindness through the tough years and for leading me to Greystone. Thanks to everyone on the fantastic Greystone team for your patience and generosity in bringing this book to press and preparing me to face the music.
And finally, to my brilliant editor Nancy Flight. Your guidance, patience, and kindness have made this process far less painful than I feared. Thank you for your gentle yet persistent nudges toward making this book far better than I might have been content to let it be.
LS
Copyright © 2015 by Lori Shenher
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
Greystone Books Ltd.
www.greystonebooks.com
Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada
ISBN 978-1-77164-093-0 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-77164-094-7 (epub)
Editing by Nancy Flight
Copy editing by Shirarose Wilensky
Proofreading by Stefania Alexandru
Cover design by Peter Cocking
Cover photograph © Colin Knowles
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.