Chevon Gael, 45, Romance Writer met her common-law spouse, Gerald, 48, RCMP Officer, in March 1998
Bradford, Ont.

I was writing my second book, which featured an undercover police officer and guns. I didn't know who to ask, so I went to all kinds of chat rooms and posted questions like 'How would I go about buying a gun without it being traced?' 'How would I hire a hitman?' Gerald emailed saying he was a police officer, and really wanted to know why I'd posted this. We met at a Kelsey's. I brought out my tape recorder, and he said, "This is for real, isn't it?" I couldn't tell whether he had thought it was going to be casual, or whether I was serious about hiring a hitman. We had dinner, and he answered my questions. I figured that would be the end of it. I had just come out of a divorce -- I was still paying off the lawyers -- and didn't need another man. All I wanted was information. But he kept emailing me, asking when we'd go out again. I finally agreed to meet him again, and now it's everything I ever read or wrote about.