We’re three books into the four-book series now and certainly, for me, it’s not getting any easier! It is a lot of fun though, carrying a plot over several stories and characters. As ever, what you read in terms of characters and their actions is fictitious, but the books are wholly embedded in historical fact, which is why I must admit to manipulating the timeline on one important account in this story.
The British Arctic Air Route Expedition was real and the team did sail on Shackleton’s old ship, the Quest, but the expedition took place in 1930–31, not 1929–30. However, if you can imagine for a moment how difficult it is to find a way to bring a character back to St Kilda in the very depths of winter, without anyone else knowing . . . well, you can also imagine why I desperately needed to borrow their Gipsy Moth seaplanes and relative proximity in the Faroes and Iceland! But for that one year’s discrepancy, it was an absolutely perfect fit and, sometimes, writers have to exercise the ‘artistic licence’ that lies at our disposal, so long as we give full disclosure.
Real-life timings were much more fortuitous with Cecil Hatry, the disgraced businessman who really was jailed in January 1930 for his illegal manoeuvrings over the conglomerated steel endeavour.
Deep thanks are owed to my publisher, Gillian Green, for steering this book into its current shape. The first draft looked very different indeed – it didn’t run in chronological order but in back-and-forth sections, and several vital reveals were held back until the final scenes. Gillian had the vision to help me condition it into the fine beast now held in your hands. No mean feat. Everyone needs a stiff drink when my first draft lands in their in-tray!
To the Pan team, too: thank you for every effort you make on my behalf to ensure that my efforts don’t go unrewarded and instead find their way onto bookshelves up and down the land. I know there’s fierce competition out there and that every new account, promotion and sale is a triumph! In particular, I’d like to thank James Annal, art director extraordinaire, who has spent countless hours creating stunning covers and fashioning a strong brand image for the series – thank you, I’m so grateful, please don’t get your voodoo doll of me out of your drawer! And Lucy Hale, who has steered the concept for the series from the start and is its greatest champion, your confidence is infectious and gives me hope when I find myself standing in the shadows of doubt. Thank you.
To Amanda Preston, my agent and good friend, we’re the definition of teamwork. There is simply no question of doing my job without you. As a grown woman myself and a mother of three, I like to think I’m a fully functioning adult, but you somehow always know when I’m having a panic or feeling wobbly and you rally me back to competency! Never retire.
Finally, my gorgeous family. They’re used to this now and they know I’m more likely to be found in the study than in the kitchen, but they support me no matter what, and every effort I go to is for them. Writing is my passion, but they are my life – and what a life it is.