Behind the Smoke
by Marie E. Rickwood and Val Fenton

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Early in life Garth Winters admired the bravery of firefighters not dreaming one day he would become one. This novel covers the real world of this service industry as it was fifty years ago. It will show you how these men, living in close proximity, interacted while waiting for a call. You will witness the shocking pranks they played on one another to offset the emotional trauma they faced when returning from a fire or accident. It will take you down the road of Garth Winters and show you how he deals with many different personalities and conflicting situations he encounters. Finally, you will cheer for him when he meets the girl of his dreams and falls in love.

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Marie Rickwood’s most recent book, Behind the Smoke, successfully portrays the life of a firefighter in a Canadian prairie town. It reveals how initial antagonisms between characters changes when embroiled in a life threatening situation. The beauty of this book are the self-contained chapters allowing one to either read them in sequence or come back later to pick up another episode in the life of Firefighter Garth Winters. It is indeed, an interesting read. Trevor D Cradduck, Prof Emeritus Western University, London, Ontario

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Marie Rickwood began her writing career writing social columns for newspaper companies and corporate magazines. In 2013 she published Hornets in the Office which was based on her 30-years experience as an office administrator. She lives on Vancouver Island with her new husband and co-author, Val Fenton without whom, Behind the Smoke could never have been crafted. Marie enjoys the love of her family, her home, oil painting, cooking and dancing. Val Fenton, retired District Chief from the Edmonton Fire Department brings historical authenticity to this novel. His wealth of experiential incidents adds much humour to the pages of Behind The Smoke. Prior to joining the fire department, Val worked in the Yukon and Northern B.C. operating heavy equipment and driving truck. He also spent time hunting and fishing. During the interim with the fire department, Val raised pure-bread limousin cattle. Today he enjoys, golfing, curling and dancing. He is immensely proud of his children and grandchildren.

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Contributors

Author

Marie E. Rickwood

Author

Val Fenton