Agency

Acknowledgements

Land Acknowledgement for Toronto

We acknowledge the land we are on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Story Acknowledgement

I am moved by Indigenous knowledge and unsettled by the collision of European and Indigenous history that is this country, my home city of Toronto and my own family history. It's my intention that themes in this novel have honoured those traditions rather than appropriated them.

As unlikely as some of the more technical, legal dramas suffered by the characters in this book may seem, many true stories inspired this novel. The first inkling of this story began for me when I came across an article in the Globe and Mail (Oct 21, 2018) titled "A MYSTERIOUS SKULL BECOMES AN ONTARIO HOMEOWNER'S HEADACHE." It was being passed around on Facebook and the story struck me as both darkly humorous and wildly unfair.

In deciding what/who exactly would be buried in Berry and Berenice's backyard, my research led me to another account on the BabyPoint Heritage site which details the discovery of a Seneca woman's remains during a home renovation in Baby Point, Ontario. She was found with a comb made of moose antler and a copper pot. Her remains and her belongings were ceremonially reburied by the Indigenous Community there.

Personal Acknowledgement

I need to thank the Wattpad Stars Program for the support and recognition that inspired me to keep plugging away on this.

But most, I want to say how grateful I am for my family. My mother, who calls me her clever girl. My husband Andrew, who reads everything I write and says he loves it even when we both know it still needs some serious editing. And my kids, who sometimes can't watch tv because 'Mummy's writing.'

It's been a looong year.