I have been a published writer for twelve years now, and this is my thirteenth book. I would like to reassure any new or budding novelists out there that it gets easier, but that would be a lie. Every book starts with an empty page, and what follows is a journey of late nights, revisions, self-doubt, confusion, and eventually the final words are typed. For their tolerance, I am grateful to my family, for living with the absences, the distractions, the frustrations.
Writing ‘The End’ isn’t the end though, because then the guidance of others helps to bring some light into the shadows. Keshini Naidoo and Lindsey Mooney from Hera have both been wonderful in their support for my work, along with my amazing agent, Sonia Land at Sheil Land Associates. Sonia has been there throughout my writing career, and I couldn’t have done it without her.
As for the editing work, Keshini Naidoo has been her usual wonderful self, someone I worked with in the very beginning and I am very happy that we have somehow looped back to each other.
The main thank you is to anyone who has read any of my books. Before I was published, I just wanted the dream of someone, somewhere reading a book that I had written. If you’re reading this, you are one of those people. Without you, none of this would have had any point.