Lure (12 page)

Afterword

The Thornhill Village Public Library at 10 Colborne Street in Markham, Ontario, is a real place. Originally built as a home in 1851, many people believe the building to be haunted. Most of the supernatural occurrences listed in this book are documented incidents that have been reported by both staff and visitors of the library over the past several decades.

The story connecting these supernatural events, however, is completely a product of my imagination, as are the characters you have met in this book.

If you are in the Toronto area and are interested in learning more, you can visit the library (which is a designated historic building), as well as the impressive heritage garden surrounding the property.

It's a great place to read, reflect, and become inspired.

Acknowledgements

This story came to life in the late summer of 2009 with a flash of inspiration and a feverish four weeks of non-stop writing. But the words circling through my head would never have turned into a book without the incredible support of some very wonderful people.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Jonah and Dahlia for giving up their mom to the muse and putting up with the distracted, forgetful lady who took her place for four weeks.

Forever love to Jordy, for picking up all the pieces and faithfully holding things together while I retreated from the world to write. I couldn't do any of this without you.

Love and thanks to Shirley Pape, whose wisdom and advice is a treasure I am finally old enough to fully appreciate.

Thanks to my legion of trusted readers; Gordon Pape, Kim, Kendra, and Michael Pape-Green, Sharon Jones, and Shayna Avinoam for their honesty and insights.

Sincere thanks to Kathy Pless for giving me the “ghost tour” and Diane Macklin for granting me access to the off-limits section of the Thornhill Village Library.

Thanks to Adam Birrell and James Broughton, who easily answered all of the trickiest historical questions and opened the doors to the Thornhill Archives for me.

Huge thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for their generous support through the Writers' Reserve Program.

And, as always, I'd like to thank Margaret Hart and the amazingly hard-working team at Dundurn Press, especially Kirk Howard, Michael Carroll, Shannon Whibbs, Margaret Bryant, Karen McMullin, Ashleigh Gardner, Jennifer Scott, and Courtney Horner for their endless enthusiasm and continued support.