read a bit about the background here or watch my recent talk about the novel's genesis. this will all become easier to bear. your loving goal in this process is that you do this work for yourself, and in so doing you become more peaceful. this is also one of the most abundant wildlife viewing areas on salt spring island. up a narrow set of stairs is a room lined with bookshelves, one young man reads a science book; another reads a history book and a third is engrossed in a novel. it's not you i worry about, it's the other people. 