Do You Speak Chocolate? was inspired by friendship and powered by chocolate.
My most sincere thanks to:
Naomi Colthurst – for instantly liking the idea from the moment I pitched it to her and commissioning the book.
‘For instant happiness – just add chocolate.’
Georgia Murray (my editor) – for helping guide Jaz and Nadima through the perils and pitfalls of friendship, and the perils and pratfalls of narrative chaos.
‘Amidst the chaos, there is always chocolate.’
Talya Baker (the copy editor) – for stoically, no, heroically, correcting all my multiple mistakes.
‘Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate.’
Gaia Banks (my agent) – for never losing confidence in me, or the book, and for being thoroughly wonderful.
‘Never underestimate the power of chocolate.’
Kate Forrester (illustrator) – for a front cover that’s even more delicious than melted chocolate.
‘Chocolate and books are all you need.’
JW – for telling me to write the book in the first person, and TB – for reminding me to write the pictures.
‘Chocolate is like good advice: it makes everything better.’
My fabulous kids – for putting up with having a cranky, distracted writer for a mother and for not raiding my secret chocolate supply – even though they know where it is.
‘Life happens – chocolate helps.’
The two girls, who appeared in the BBC Schools documentary about friendship, and whose names I unfortunately don’t know – for inspiring the book, with their profound determination to become friends, despite not speaking a word of each other’s language, and proving that: ‘The language of friendship is not words but meanings.’ (Henry David Thoreau)
‘The language of friendship is chocolate.’
Finally, my mates – for being there for me, always. Girls, it would be impossible to thank you enough in one small acknowledgement – it would take a whole book. Which is why I’m dedicating this one to you.
‘There is nothing better than a friend – unless it’s a friend with chocolate.’ (Linda Grayson)