And much gratitude to the special children I’ve worked with, who, like Ari, survive and thrive in the face of many challenges. And to the teachers, coaches, grandparents, step-parents, aunts, uncles . . . all who help them on their journey. All of you are the heroes woven throughout these pages. Most notably you, Cheryl Hermer.
This book celebrates creativity for its power to turn energy, both positive and negative, into something beautiful. Thank you to all who support the creative process. To my wonderful agent at Westwood Creative Artists, Hilary McMahon. Every encouragement from you is a gift. To the amazing team at ECW Press, especially Michael Homes, whose kindness and insight makes editing a pleasure. Thank you, Crissy Calhoun, Shannon Parr, Jessica Albert, Susannah Ames, Claire Pokorchak, Jen Albert, and Michel Vrana, for believing in this book.
Some remarkable foster parents are found in Cracked Pots, and their wisdom and caring are a mirror to Ruth Walker. Thank you for fostering my writing, and that of so many others.
I am grateful to the Ontario Arts Council for supporting me and my imaginary friends. And to the Writer’s Community of Durham Region and my talented WIP group: Sylvia Chiang, Sandra Clarke, Karen Cole, Patrick Meade, and Anne MacLachlin. You make me a better writer. Cracked Pots belongs to all of us.
Most of all this book is about community. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that we need one another and together we are stronger.
Without a doubt, the best part of this writing journey has been connecting with readers. Thank you to every reader I’ve met along the way, with special thanks to my beta readers, Cindy Guest Taylor and Jan Hawkins Patterson. The only things exceeding your love of reading are your generosity and crack editorial skills.
To Elyse Walters, reader and reviewer extraordinaire: you give countless writers the best gift they could ever receive—encouraging words. Thank you.
And to Linda Sherman-Nurick and every independent bookstore who give cracked pots, of all kinds, a home. You are the heart of our community.
During the writing of Cracked Pots, my real life became stranger than fiction, rendering me a spectacularly cracked pot. Thank you to my precious friends, Linda Lowery and Mary Sue O’Connor, for being the “Jasper” in my head and the gold filling my cracks. And to my “nurse mates”: Janet Vendrig, Lori Martin, Lori Pinkerton, Lynne Hamilton-Rushak, and Pam Frisby—pandemic heroes. Without your support I would have lost the plot.
And finally, to you, Kathleen Boyle Hatcher. You were—and are—a treasure in this dark world. Your astonishing light will remain in every story I write.
About the Author
Throughout an eclectic career in community health, Heather Tucker gathered stories, now used as threads for spinning award-winning yarns. Her highly acclaimed debut novel, The Clay Girl, was a finalist for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and the Atlantic Book Award. Heather lives in Ajax, Ontario.
Copyright
Copyright © Heather Tucker, 2021
Published by ECW Press
665 Gerrard Street East
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4M 1Y2
416-694-3348 / [email protected]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without the prior written permission of the copyright owners and ECW Press. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Editor for the press: Michael Holmes / a misFit book
Cover design: Michel Vrana
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Cracked pots : a novel / Heather Tucker.
Names: Tucker, Heather, 1954- author.
Description: “A misFit book”.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210210389
Canadiana (ebook) 20210210397
ISBN 978-1-77041-599-7 (softcover)
ISBN 978-1-77305-812-2 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-77305-813-9 (PDF)
ISBN 978-1-77305-814-6 (Kindle)
Classification: LCC PS8639.U324 C73 2021 | DDC C813/.6—dc23
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. This book is funded in part by the Government of Canada. Ce livre est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), an agency of the Government of Ontario, which last year funded 1,965 individual artists and 1,152 organizations in 197 communities across Ontario for a total of $51.9 million. We also acknowledge the support of the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit, and through Ontario Creates.
This book is also available as a Global Certified Accessible™ (GCA) ebook. ECW Press’s ebooks are screen reader friendly and are built to meet the needs of those who are unable to read standard print due to blindness, low vision, dyslexia, or a physical disability.
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