Dear Reader
My first thanks go to you all! Whether you’ve been with me since the beginning or this is your first Mrs H read, I’m so very grateful that you chose The Things I Should Have Told You. I love our chats on Facebook and Twitter. One of the nicest parts of this writing malarkey is the wonderful fun I have with you all, talking books! Know that every message of support, every review, every shout-out is cherished.
I hope you enjoyed the Guinness Family and their story about how they made their way home to each other. Over the years, like them, I’ve also boldly gone and travelled the world. I’ve backpacked around the Greek Islands, whale-watched in Fremantle Harbour in the Australian sunshine, flown around South Africa in a two-seater Cessna, survived an earthquake in the Philippines and snorkelled in the Caribbean seas whilst holding hands with my husband. I’ve wept in the Garden of Remembrance in Berlin and joyfully watched my children do the hot-dog dance with Mickey Mouse in Disney World. These travels have given me some of the best adventures of my life. And there’s no doubt that these experiences have helped to shape me into the woman I am today.
Like the Guinnesses, I want to teach my children that the world is both a big and a small place. That abject poverty can sit side by side with lavish wealth and kindness can be found in the most remote and unusual of places.
As a child, I was a book nerd, just like Evie. And like her, I was bullied too. So to all the Evies out there, young or old, remember that being different is kinda cool. Don’t let the bullies win, don’t change, you are perfect just as you are.
Thank you to Tracy Brennan, my fabulous agent, for all your hard work on my behalf and for your friendship. I’d also like to thank the amazing team at HarperCollins Ireland – Tony Purdue, Mary Byrne and Ann-Marie Dolan for welcoming me into your little family and taking such good care of me. We’ve had a lot of fun over this past year and I can’t wait to see what the next twelve months bring.
Thank you to everyone at HarperCollins UK who played a part to help bring The Things I Should Have Told You to life – Kimberley Young, Jaime Frost, Cait Davies, Elizabeth Dawson, Lucy Vanderbilt, Charlie Redmayne and so many more. Thank you to Heike Schüssler for the amazing cover art. Special thanks to Charlotte Ledger, friend and warrior queen, the first to see something in my writing, who made my dream a reality. And to Emily Ruston, my editor, for her wonderful suggestions that helped make the Guinness family sparkle, I will be forever grateful. You pushed me hard, but the story is so much better for it.
The life of an author could be solitary, but for me, I’m lucky to have a huge gang of writerly friends, who find ways to hold me up when I’m under pressure and who also make life a whole lot more fun. In no particular order, thank you to Claudia Carroll, my two mosquitos - Hazel Gaynor & Fionnuala Kearney, Alex Brown, Margaret Madden, Louise Hall, Ciara Murphy, Caroline Busher, Catherine Evans, Damian Byrne, Valerie Whitford, Biddymay Quigley, Sharon Thompson, Maria Nolan, Lynn Marie Hulsman, Cat Hogan, Cathy Keane, all at Wexford Literary Festival, the IWI’ers and the amazing supportive book blogger community, too many to mention. Thank you also to Elaine Crowley of TV3’s Midday show for letting me be part of your fantastic show, it’s always great fun.
Special thanks to Sophie Hedley, of ‘Reviewed the Book’, who has, for each of my books, done a Twitter daily countdown to publication day and to Melissa Puli, commissioning editor of ChickLit Club, all- round legend who came up with the genius Guinness surname for my family! I hope that you like that I named Luke’s sisters after you both.
My supportive family and friends, I love and thank you. Mam and Dad – Tina and Michael O’Grady; my siblings and their other halves – Fiona and Michael Gainfort, John and Fiona O’Grady, Michelle and Anthony Mernagh; my in-laws – Mrs Evelyn Harrington, Adrienne Harrington and George Whyte, Evelyn and Seamus Moher and Leah Harrington; nieces and nephews – Sheryl, Amy, Louis, Paddy and Matilda; aunt and uncle – Ann and Nigel Payne; and my person, Ann Murphy. Evie’s best friend is pretty special so I couldn’t think of a better name for her than yours, my best friend.
I’m going to reach out to my own ‘Wi-Fi’ now and thank my grandparents. (This will only make sense if you’ve read the book!) While they are not here any more, they kind of are, because they are part of the wonderful and wise Pops. Margaret and John O’Grady, John Farrelly and Corinne Syms taught me so much about family, love and life. I miss them and wish that they were still here with us all.
I’m lucky to have lots of friends who help keep me sane! The dinners, drinks, chats and laughs but also the support you give me with the children when I’m under pressure with a deadline are incredible. Catherine and Graham, Sarah and John, Rosaleen and Chris, Davnet and Kevin, Fiona and Philip (keep moving those books around P!), my childhood pals Maria, Siobhan and Elizabeth.
I know that if this were the Oscars, the music has started and it’s time for me to exit stage left. Nearly done, I promise! Huge thanks to Crossabeg Childcare Centre. Nate will join Amelia in school this September (sob!!!) and the H’s say goodbye to all at the centre. Every single member of staff there, past and present, took such good care of my children. Knowing that they were safe and loved made it easy for me to switch off and write. That has been a gift.
The last words must go to my H’s. As Pops said, all that matters is family. We know that’s true, right? Roger, Amelia, Nate and Eva, you are the loves of my life. As I always say, I couldn’t do this without you all, wouldn’t want to.
Thank you all for reading,
Carmel