ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The best encouragement any writer can receive is to hear the words “you’re getting better.” So thank you, first and foremost, to my agent Euan Thorneycroft at A. M. Heath and to my indefatigable editor Ruth Tross at Mullholland. If I was adrift in the ocean in a small boat, I’d want them both there… just so we could go over the final manuscript one more time.

Once again a big thank you to Kerry Hood at Hodder, who continues to promote these books with gilt-edged zeal, and her assistant Rosie Stephen.

I am grateful too to others who helped improve the original manuscript. Thomas Abraham and Poulomi Chatterjee at Hachette India; Amber Burlinson, copy-editor, and Justine Taylor, in the role of proofreader.

I would also like to thank Ruth’s team at Mullholland, Naomi Berwin in marketing, Laura Oliver in production, Dom Gribben in audiobooks, and assistant editor Cicely Aspinall. In the U.S. thanks go to Devi Pillai (who will be missed as she moves on to pastures new), Ellen Wright, Laura Fitzgerald and Lindsey Hall, and also Jason Bartholomew at Hodder. Similar thanks go to Euan’s assistant Pippa McCarthy, and the others at A. M. Heath working tirelessly behind the scenes.

Another wonderful cover to add to those in the series—fast becoming artistic pieces in their own right—and kudos for this one goes to Sarah Christie and Anna Woodbine.

Lastly, much gratitude is due to Jonathan Kinnersley at The Agency and the great people at Cinestaan Films—Rohit Khattar, Deborah Sathe and Tessa Inkelaar—for agreeing a film option deal for book one in the series. And yes, I am ridiculously excited at the prospect of Chopra and Ganesha ending up on the silver screen. After all, no one is immune to the magic of Bollywood, not even fictional baby elephants and their creators.