I enjoyed writing this fictional novel. My experiences in both Germany and South America helped me to write this. I have traveled up the Reo de la Plata from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Helmet died. I know a thing or two about fishing boats and flying. That thing about sleeping in an oil-smelling railroad shack-I did that too. I was a yeoman in the US Navy and a merchant seaman, where I worked in the saloon pantry. So I know a little there too. I have a daughter who plays the violin. She's good, but not as good as Margot. Margot's singing style was modeled after the great Nana Mouskouri, of whom I'm a great fan. About the adoption of little Angie, well, that was from my older sister, Carol, who has a daughter named Angie. Remember the twins' magic trick? My wife and I owned a magic shop for seven years, and we had a trick like that. In 1957 I was hitchhiking from Salt lake City, Utah to Sacramento, California. I was pickup by a doctor driving a 1955 SL300 Gull-Wing Mercedes-Benz. A lot of those places I named, I have been to: Lima, Peru; Paris, France; Rudesheim, Germany; Caracas, Venezuela; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Recife, Brazil; Amsterdam, Holland; Singapore; Malaysia; Andes Mountains, and Hong Kong. I put all of that in a blender, and what came out was this book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I know some of those names that I thought up could be delusional, but that's what made it fun. I hope no part of this book ever offends anyone.
