Acknowledgements

It takes a team to produce a book and I’m so deeply thankful to all the talented and supportive people on mine.

My sincere gratitude to everybody at Echo Publishing, particularly Angela Meyer for believing in this story and for her insightful structural suggestions; Kylie Mason, for her astute and sensitive editing, Sandy Cull for her visually striking and tonally perfect cover design and Shaun Jury for making all the letters look just right.

Thank you to my agent, Sheila Drummond, for taking on Ghost Girls and representing me. Big love to writer Angela Savage: without her encouragement and advice this book may still be a large, untidy file on my hard drive.

I had a supportive and perceptive team of early readers: Claire Berry, Carolyn Collins, Marcia Gardner, Lucy McCarthy, Di McElroy, Karen Reid, Charmaine Smith and Genevieve Wallace – thank you. Thanks to Mum and Marg for early writing time. Appreciation also to Elizabeth Schiavello Photography and Kelly Merritt for photos and friendship.

I am so thankful to have grown up in a family where the joys of reading, writing and creativity were valued and nurtured. I read books in trees and saw the ‘spookies’ and talked to an imaginary friend named Nat. Thanks Mum, Dad and John for encouraging and supporting my wild imagination.

To He Wen Bin (Winnie), my dearest friend, thank you for your love, stories, feedback, translation skills and eye for detail. Despite the distance, we are connected.

To Eugene, your endless support, patience and love beats through me every day. Thank you for your unceasing optimism and your own beautifully creative energy – it inspires me.

To Florence and Rocco, I love you.