Writing a book is necessarily a lonely activity, but bringing it to publication requires help.
I would like to express my love and gratitude to Sonja Jonsberg, not only for being a brilliant niece, but also for helping me out with some important medical matters. Sonja has a BSc in Midwifery, but has spent most of her working life in Emergency Nursing in various locations including London, Sydney, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. She was also a Medical Advisor on the Australian television show All Saints. Sonja read Smoke and Mirrors and pointed out a good few places where I was either confused or downright wrong about the process of VAD and palliative care. All that is accurate in this book is down to her. All errors are absolutely mine alone. Naming the nurse in this book Sonja is inadequate payment for her hard work, but at the very least I hope it makes her smile.
My wife, Nita, is always the first to see my writing (and she is also the author of brilliant teachers’ notes for my novels). She is such a sympathetic reader but is also prepared to tell me straight when I go astray. My thanks and love go to her and my second reader, amazing author Scot Gardner, who is similarly committed to making my books the very best they can be.
Finally, I would like to thank the entire team at Allen & Unwin, but especially my editor, Kate Whitfield, for her patience, diplomacy and expertise throughout the whole process of bringing this book to life.