My husband, who had grown up close to a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (bcatp) base outside of Moose Jaw, accompanied me as I toured and took photos at the old site, copied data from the Archives in Moose Jaw and visited the Western Development Museum, where Kate Johnson helped immensely. The hangars and museum in Edmonton and the planes in the Wetaskiwin museum inspired me. Denny May, Wop May’s son, read the
manuscript to check out technical details. Peter Woodbury, our son the pilot in Yellowknife, checked the flying scenes for me. I relied heavily on all these relatives and friends to keep my novel as historically and technically accurate as possible. Any errors are mine and I apologize.
I understand W. O. Mitchell used “Repete” as a nickname for a character in one of his early works. I liked it and I’m sure W.O. wouldn’t mind that I used it too. He was a great writer. Imitation is the sincerest form of gratitude.
A grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts enabled me to go to Saskatchewan and do the research and then to stay home and work on this novel.
Finally, thanks go to the staff at Coteau Books for their continued interest in my work. Their editing, design and layout make this book a better book.
Mary Woodbury is the best-selling author of the young adult title The Ghost in the Machine, the Polly McDoodle Mystery Series, and Jess and the Runaway Grandpa, a finalist in the Silver Birch Young Readers Choice Award, and a Canadian Children’s Book Centre “Outstanding Title of the Year”. Other titles include A Gift for Johnny Know-It-All, Brad’s Universe, and Where in the World is Jenny Parker? as well as adult collections of short stories and poetry.
Originally from Ontario, Mary lived in Newfoundland, New York and Italy before moving to Edmonton in the late 1970s.
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