I feel like the luckiest person alive to work with the creative powerhouse at Embla Books! Thank you, Cara Chimirri, Anna Perkins, Emilie Marneur, Jane Snelgrove, Hannah Deuce, Danielle Clahar-Raymond, Katie Williams and Ellie Pilcher – for sharing your talents and making this so much fun!
And I must have double the luck to get to work with fabulous Katie Fulford – thank you for being such a terrific and inspiring advocate. You and the team at Bell Lomax Moreton are always amazing.
I love the collaboration of editing – thank you, Emily Thomas, for always being so thoughtful, and for making the process a total delight! And I appreciate the eagle eyes of Jane Snelgrove, Jenny Page and Robin Seavill to add the final polish.
Lisa Horton, thank you for yet another adorable, characterful cover creature!
It’s always a joy to hear how the audio team bring the book to life, with such immersive narration by the incredible Kristin Atherton. Thank you for the thought and care that goes into these productions.
I’m very grateful to Dr Jo Martyr for ongoing advice on Rav’s condition and how he would be doing – it’s so important to represent his progress accurately, and I appreciate your expertise!
And I’m indebted to the brilliant Brian Price for advice on how to poison someone with thallium – knowing how much to dose them with, what it will taste like in coffee, how quickly it can take effect and any potential complications are just so handy to know! All I can say is that everyone should have a poison expert on speed dial!
I’m sending much love and appreciation to Matt and Lauren, Jo and Rachel and Sabrina, as well as Nigel and Erin, Brenda, Julie, Alan, Bruce and Bob – and maybe raising a botanical Irish gin to you all (or, even better, with!). And, for this one, especially Esther and Mark.
Mum and Dad – thanks again for always managing to fit in reading a draft between a brutal schedule of coffee and cake tours, country walks, Ping Tea and hotel luncheons. I just don’t know how you do it!
Gorgeous Ian, thank you for being up for the adventure. If I can count on anyone to get straight off a plane and look at bog bodies, photograph moss species, attempt to climb Atlantic-buffeted cliffs and sample a vat of gin with – it’s you.
And I hope that this book has been as much fun to read as it has been to write.
To hear more about my books and promotions, sign up to my mailing list: