Aside from writing, my career has revolved around clinical psychology. I have had the privilege of working with many young people to support their mental health and I haven’t forgotten any one of them. Although my characters are fictional, I drew inspiration for their strengths from the people I worked with: Saffron’s fiery spirit, Ashiya’s unwavering confidence, and Indie’s incredible resilience. Young people are so much stronger than society will ever give them credit for. So thank you to every single young person I have ever worked with. You are the reason I wrote this book. Thank you for continually inspiring me.
After establishing my initial ideas, I then needed to develop my story. If it wasn’t for the long road-trips between Manchester and Edinburgh with my little brother, I wouldn’t have had the space to talk through my ideas and find new ways to improve them. So thank you for being the first person to hear all of my plot twists and for motivating me to keep writing.
It then took me a while to organise my story into one coherent plot. Every chance I had free from working I was writing. So thank you to my partner for always giving me the space to write, even in our tiny one-bedroom flat. You have been my biggest fan as well as my harshest critic. Thank you for telling me how annoying you thought Saffron was; I hope she still annoys you. Also, I wanted to thank you for supporting me over the last few months in particular. I know these have been the toughest months of your life. Yet even in the face of unimaginable grief, your lively spirit has never faltered. Your positive outlook and unrelenting humour will never stop amazing me. Thank you for being exactly who you are. Your mum would be so proud.
Once I finished writing the final version of this book, my fourteen-year-old sister was the first one to read it. You loved the story and you encouraged me to publish it, promising you’d get all your friends to read it. So thank you for enjoying my book and inspiring me to release it into the world. I hope your friends enjoy it too.
Thank you to my editor, Angela Brown, for then perfecting my writing and noticing all the small details I could never catch.
Thank you to my friends for cheering me on as I went through the long, arduous process of getting my book published. You listened to all my ideas, you reassured my doubts, and you were as excited about the book as I was. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your endless support.
And thank you to my readers for joining me on this journey. I hope I can take you on many more.