Читать книгу Real Hauntings 5-Book Bundle - Mark Leslie - Страница 57

As always, when it comes to thanking everybody who helped me with a book, there are always so many people along the way who I’m more likely to accidentally leave out than remember to include. My biggest fear at this point is doing just that. Because regardless of how minor it might have felt to the person who was assisting me, it is always so greatly appreciated, likely far more than the person lending the hand might ever know.

I would first like to thank folks from the following locations: the Bytown Museum, especially Sandy Trueman and Grant Vogl; staff from the Fairmont Château Laurier; and staff and guides from the HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel.

I owe a great deal of thanks to all of the wonderful people at Haunted Walks Inc. in Ottawa, especially Jim Dean, creative director, for providing photos of the amazing walks that inspired me to research, write, and share historical ghost stories, and to Glen Shackleton, founder, not just for the walks but the books he has written.

Matthew Didier, founder and director of the Ontario Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society, was also very gracious with his time, resources, and permissions, and I am truly grateful for his assistance and support.

Thanks to Joel A. Sutherland for writing the foreword for this book. Joel is not only a talented writer and a wonderful person (not to mention a librarian, one of my favourite types of people — but then again, aren’t all book people amazing?), but he’s also proof that writers look out for and are supportive of one another. You’d be doing yourself a favour to check out his books. In a similar fashion, I owe thanks to John Robert Colombo, who not only also wrote a foreword for my previous book, but also mentored me in the collecting of haunted stories, provided advice and encouragement along the way, and inspired me with his own writing. Dundurn has published a good number of John’s books, several of which are referenced in this book, and they are also worth seeking out.

As always, the team at Dundurn is amazing to work with. Thank you to Beth, Karen, James, Margaret, Jaclyn, and Sheila for all of the ongoing support throughout the year. And a huge shout out to Kathryn Lane and Jennifer McKnight for their editorial insights and helping me take a decent submitted manuscript and crafting it into something I can be truly proud of.

And finally, a special thank you to Liz Anderson, my partner, not just in this life journey, but in the many fun adventures we share along the way. Her assistance, encouragement, support, and inspiration throughout the process of putting this book together are appreciated more than I could ever express. I especially want to thank her for holding my hand, having my back, and ensuring that none of the ghosts got me while we were researching some of the haunted locales.