Pleasantly Dead (18 page)

Many people have inspired and encouraged me over the years:

My parents, Allison and Madeleine. They were great oral storytellers.

My grandmother, Carrie Forsythe Alguire, who always had something going on in her parlour.

My grandmother, Sadie Wiltse Neddo, who always had her nose in a book.

My sister, Bev, my best critic.

My sister, Carrie, the artist.

My cousin, Jean Young, who showed me the wonder of the world. How many teenaged girls would wander the pastures, lifting rocks, so a five-year-old could pet a baby snake? (I stopped petting snakes when my sister Bev told me my mother cooked them up as liver. I wasn’t crazy about liver for a long time after that either.) My friend Rose DeShaw, a fine writer, unfailingly generous with her time and encouragement.

In closing, I would like to thank Karen Haughian, publisher of Signature Editions for taking on
Pleasantly Dead
, and my editor, Doug Whiteway, for his thorough yet gentle editing, and his tolerance of my computer foibles.

Judith Alguire’s other novels include
The Pumpkin Murders
, the second in the Rudley mysteries, as well as
All Out
and
Iced
, both of which explored the complex relationships of sportswomen on and off the playing field. Her short stories, articles and essays have also appeared in such publications as
The Malahat Review
and
Harrowsmith
, and she is a past member of the editorial board of the
Kingston Whig-Standard
. A graduate of Queen’s University, she currently works as a visiting nurse in the Kingston area.