There’s only one honour greater than working with children and that’s the honour of telling their stories. This is yet another that I simply had to write.
Many children have breathed life into the character of Alex. Although her pain and heartache reflect the challenges faced by many, I have purposefully changed details to ensure those I met during my years in child protection, who are still on my mind today, do not recognise their story within hers. Again I say thank you to the resilient, amazing, wonderful children who happen to find themselves within the welfare system whether fleetingly, or for longer than any child should be. Your courage inspires me. As I finish one story, another has already built in my mind ready to tumble out onto the page and be told.
Then there are the experts who so generously shared their knowledge and humour. Sergeant Susan Lock of the Special Crimes Investigations Branch, SA Police –an expert police officer and a good woman whose sparkling personality and dedication to the job could not help but make life easier for so many people. Similarly, Rose Price, well-known and respected psychologist who found time within her hectic schedule to educate me on what I needed to know about the Autism spectrum, particularly Asperger’s. Roger is as much Rose’s creation as mine. I hope I looked after him for you Rose. And Dr Michael Goldblatt, brilliant medical practitioner and wonderful human being who never wavers in responding with a smile to my mind-numbing medical questions. To Ryan Maguire and Helen Pappakonstantinou whose legal expertise provided the seed for Roger’s story and an escape from more than one tricky corner into which I wrote myself.
Thanks to the team at HarperCollins ANZ: Anna Valdinger, Mary Rennie, Michelle Payne and Gemene Heffernan-Smith plus so many more who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure authors and readers remain happy. To Dianne Blacklock, skilled editor with patience beyond belief, who transformed the manuscript for Things We Cannot See into this book of which I am very proud. And to my agent Sheila Drummond, thank you for being there, even when you’re supposed to be somewhere else.
And thank you from the bottom of my heart to my friends and family, especially my mother and proudest supporter, Shirley, and my sisters Carolyn and Julie. There are too many others to name individually –but you know who you are. You have helped me survive my technophobic struggles, have spread the word, judged my social media competitions, created opportunities, introduced me to people I need to meet, or given me fodder for my stories. I’m grateful to Skye, Sari and Willow, Leanne and Matthew; and Lauren, Mia and Flynn whose stories have helped create Seth’s character.
Finally, there are the men I love. My late Dad, Doug Rowe who taught me I could make anything happen if I stuck with it. My clever, sexy husband Jerome whose tolerance of my imperfections makes all the difference. And our brilliant much-loved son Ryan who is my greatest creation. To have one good man in your life is a blessing. I have three. I dedicate this book to them.