Lapse was conceived at a time of high excitement at the prospect of a great sea journey. The first draft was completed before that journey began, but now I have both the book and the sea, and a lot of crew to thank along the way.
First to ship’s captain, Dean. Thank you, for making not just one but both of these odysseys possible. When you read that godawful second draft and excitedly declared it to be a masterpiece, it was all I needed to keep going. And thanks to your limitless technical knowledge, I’ve never had to research car models, car chases, tyre behaviour, driving fast, and other fun details like how to get over a tall fence without a ladder, or destroy a letter box. But most of all, thank you for your boundlessly creative and adventurous spirit and your long-suffering support throughout the entire undertaking.
Secondly, my most expert and unexpected mentor, award-winning writer Michael Collins. I can never thank you enough for your encouragement and your perceptive and forthright coaching. That you volunteered to review and comment on the entire third draft over the course of that pipe-freezing Indiana winter still leaves me speechless—it was an act of pure generosity and, quite simply, a priceless gift.
And next, to my astute, well-read neighbours: the Commodore-driving, Harley-chasing Donna, a (slightly) more mature version of Clementine Jones; and our very own storytelling, laughter-filled, bright-eyed man on the street, Vaughan. I awaited your responses with bated breath. When I saw your joy in the reading of it, my heart nearly burst. Thank you so much for taking the punt…could have been very awkward around the neighbourhood if the story was a dud.
To my agent, Gaby Naher, for so many things beyond the simple, joyous fact of believing in me and my writing, including your hard-headed industry experience, your unquestionable know-how and your ten-point list of brilliant ideas and insights on the manuscript. I count myself very lucky to have you at my side.
And finally, to the champion team at Text Publishing: thank you to each of you for your exuberant support, your confidence in my story, your hard work and, more generally, your commitment to Australian writing. Special thanks also to my painstaking and talented editor, Elizabeth Cowell, who not only helped me add extra polish and flow to the manuscript but also taught me so much about good writing.
I am immensely thankful to each of you. And to jump from sailing to footy—because now the damned thing’s finished, I’m allowed to mix a metaphor—each of you have played an absolutely essential part in coaching me, cheering me on and helping me to kick this almighty fifty-metre goal. C’arn the mighty Cats!