ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to the many people who generously gave their time and critical skills to improving my manuscript. Some read extracts, some read a whole draft, and a few — hands up, my heroic writing group — read endless extracts and successive drafts.

My readers include Peter Bishop and Helen Barnes-Bulley from Varuna, the Writers’ House; Gillian Barnett; Lyndel Caffrey; Jennie Drake; George Dunford; Anna Dusk; Alison Goodman; Jacinta Halloran; Matthew Hooper; Simmone Howell; Antoni Jach; Meredith Jelbart; Toni Jordan; Leah Kaminsky; Vivienne Kelly; Katherine Kizilos; Louise Manifold; Angelina Mirabito; Noni Morrissey; Rachel Power; Sally Rippin; Barbara Wels; and the late, great Louise Zaetta.

Thanks to my wonderful publisher and editor, Aviva Tuffield, and all the team at Scribe Publications.

Thanks to David and Christy Sullivan for their patience with author meltdowns, and to my book group friends for moral support.

And thanks to Joan Leslie for telling me inspiring stories about her days touring as Snow White with nine little people.