Claire pulled back, held him at arm’s length, smiled, and looked into his eyes. “You need to know that I’m not home a lot. I hope that’s okay.”
Daniel nodded. He relished the last fading seconds of intimacy before responding. “Of course it is. I have to pick up my life where I left it, too.”
He squeezed her hands. “So what’s next?”
“Time for a vacation. A quiet one.”
“Can you get some time off? The dean owes me a few favours. He’ll cover my courses for the next term.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been ordered to take two months off. The Kingston’s in dry dock and needs extensive repairs. I have to go back soon to check up on them. Any ideas?”
Daniel paused a moment before saying, “Ever been to New Zealand?”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THIS BOOK WOULD never have appeared in your hands without the help of many friends and supporters.
The Banff Centre gave me my first taste of what being a writer is about. The Quebec Writers’ Federation opened the door into the world of writing, and their workshops were critical in developing my writing ability. The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia introduced me to the Sunday Seaport Writers’ Group. (Thanks to Rosemary Drisdelle, Sheila Morrison, Judith Scrimger, Jodi Reid, Bretton Loney, Susan Drain, Dave Johnson, and Valerie Spencer for guidance and encouragement.) Howard Shrier in Toronto showed me a more technical understanding of thriller writing.
I am also indebted for the support and inspiration from James O’Brien, Camilla Holmvall, David Westwood, Natalia Boroczow, Doreen Redmond, Barry Morshead, Cyrus John, Anna Kim, Alex Bitektine, Melanie Robinson, Andrew Papadopoulos, Peter Patomella, Rubina Qureshi, Mike Sullivan, Russell Smith, Claudia Hubbes, and Oliver Slupecki.
Mike Mandryk, Anouk Zabal, Tom Kozlowski, and Haidi Albertsson were friendly readers brave enough to read early drafts.
My wife, Teresa, daughter, Catherine, brother-in-law, David, and my family in Guelph provided never-ending support.
Valerie Compton, Alex Schofield delivered awesome editing. Licia Canton has been a wonderful editor and mentor. And the dynamic Dundurn team — Kathryn, Rachel, Dominic, Laura, Stephanie, Jenny, and Elham — was always enthusiastic and supportive. I want to thank them all for taking a chance with me. It has been a wonderful experience. Any errors are mine alone.
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