Caretakers (Tyler Cunningham) (33 page)

Recipe for “Tyler Kibble”

6 cups almonds, raw

2 cups M&Ms, dark chocolate

2 cups dried fruit, blueberries and strawberries and mango pieces

2 cups jerky, chopped into small bites

1)
      
Mix everything in a large bowl, stirring vigorously from the bottom to fully blend ingredients.

2)
      
Measure single cup portions into ziplock baggies or vacuum-seal for longer storage.

3)
      
Three-four servings will suffice for a day.

Letters found in Robert Reineger’s desk

This is a sample of the letters found in Robert Reineger’s desk at Camp Juniper Bay, along with a few that Tyler got from the Edelman home in Delaware. The book club book used as the key is included at the top of the page in parentheses to help you decode the encrypted letters. If you don’t want to bother, you can go to my website for translations and other extra materials.

(
http://www.jamiesheffield.com/p/extras.html). The webpage also includes the text to the diary Tyler found when he went back to search the camp, for those who, like Tyler, pursue the truths that nobody needs to know.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing this book has been a daunting task, looming just over the horizon since I finished major work on “Here Be Monsters” last summer. Getting it done–planned, researched, written, read, edited, and fixed–without a crap-ton of help would have been impossible. I had the help of family and friends and complete strangers alike, in a hundred different ways; everything had to line up perfectly for it to come off, and thanks to the best support-network on the planet, it did. “Caretakers” is the product of a perfect storm of love and help and information and inspiration.

Trying to write a second book is scary. You wonder if your lifetime allotment of ideas and creativity was used up in the first one, and fret about measuring up to, without copying or forgetting, your prior work. I spent lots of time and energy and time reading and thinking and planning how to
swing for the fence with “Caretakers.” I feel that the story is a reasonable follow-up to “Here Be Monsters,” and that my writing has improved with time and practice and comfort/confidence; I hope that you agree, and enjoyed the book.

As with my first book, t
he folks at National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) provided me with an organizational framework that allowed me to write the first draft in a fabulous and hectic month (August 2013). Amazon’s self-publishing services, through CreateSpace and Kindle Desktop Publishing (KDP) provided me with not only the means to publish this book, but also an abundance of useful information and resources that made it much easier to do so.

The Adirondack Park continues to be both an inspiration for,
and a character in, this book. The natural beauty and empty space and peace that the Park, and especially the Tri-Lakes Region, provide a perfect setting for my life, and for Tyler’s.

The Adirondack great camp was another non-human character in this book, and I had help from lots of sources, throughout my life, and especially during the writing of “Caretakers.” I grew up spending my summers on Upper Saranac Lake, living in
my family’s great camp and exploring that world, as well as the bounty of the Adirondacks. Those summers were the seeds of the life I chose to live as an adult and I am grateful to my family, and to that place, for the introduction. During the planning stages of “Caretakers,” I consulted with my family, and numerous other sources from that time in my life, to help capture the feeling and flavor of that world. I also had help from the Adirondack Museum, in Blue Mountain Lake, and would like to thank them for their help, letting me explore their facilities and collections, and talking with me about the great camps and the museum. The help was invaluable.

The Tri-Lakes Humane Society (TLHS) is a massive force for good in the Adirondack Park, and an inspiration to me
as a writer and a human being. The Tri-Lakes Animal Shelter (TLAS) in my books is loosely based on the TLHS … everything good about it is true, the illegal activities were entirely made up. We’ve brought four dogs home from the TLHS to live with us, and all of them were instrumental in helping me write the book in one way or another.

The students that I have had the opportunity to work with, and learn from, over the years at Lake Placid Middle/High School have helped me to celebrate our differences, and explore some of the various ways that there are to see, and experience, the world.

Friends and family have inspired and supported me throughout the writing and editing process, and I can’t thank them enough. My parents (Jim and Jill Sheffield), sister (Sarah Sheffield), wonderful son (Ben), and wife (Gail Gibson Sheffield) all gave me the time and space and loving support that I needed to follow this dream, and their love gave me the courage to try, again. Rick Schott, Bryce Fortran, Derek Murawsky, Kevin Curdgel, and Stephen Carvalho have helped me expand my map of the world through their friendship while camping in all seasons. Countless other friends have also offered encouragement, especially Jonathan Webber and Gail Bennett Schott who have given me unending support and positive vibes during the writing and editing process.

Over this past year I have an incredible outpouring of support from readers of “Here Be Monsters
,” as well as “Mickey Slips,” and “Bound for Home” (the short novellas in the Tyler Cunningham series). It is one thing to put creative ideas on paper, a completely different thing to know those ideas are being read and accepted by people all over the world. It is that acceptance and encouragement that moved me from being someone who writes, to being a writer. That is what made “Caretakers” possible, thank you all for that.

A big shout out to the entire staff at SmartPig Publishing for their tireless efforts throughout the process
… thanks Gail and Randy! Randy Lewis joined the SmartPig team this fall as Copy Editor, and her work to polish the book is more appreciated than she can know.

While I couldn’t have done it without any of you, any errors or omissions are all mine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie Sheffield lives in the Adirondack Park
with his wife and son and two dogs, Miles and Puck. When he's not writing mysteries, he's probably camping or exploring the last great wilderness in the Northeast. He has been a Special Education Teacher in the Lake Placid Central School District for the last 15 years. Besides writing, Jamie loves cooking and reading and dogs and all manner of outdoor pursuits.

"Caretakers" is his second novel.

Follow the ongoing adventures of Tyler Cunningham

and read other works by the author.

Visit Jamie Sheffield’s website:

www.jamiesheffield.com