Big thanks as always to the fabulous HarperImpulse team, especially to the lovely Charlotte Ledger and Emily Ruston, you make team HI a very special place to be.
Thanks to my agent, Amanda Preston, for your advice and support, and your enthusiasm for my country vet and the village of Langtry Meadows.
As always I’m extremely grateful to everybody who has helped ensure that I’ve got all my facts straight – your support is invaluable and I really appreciate the time you spend answering my many questions. Special thanks to solicitor Philippa Sanderson for advice on all things legal.
Also, thanks to Carol Siwek who let me steal the wonderful name Piper for my cockapoo puppy, and to cockapoo owners Abigail Wrigley and Kelly Disley for advice and help. (Look out for more puppy adventures in Book 3.) I hold you all partly responsible for the new addition to our household – Harry the cockapoo. He’s currently disrupting my writing schedule and eating my shoes!
I also need to thank the lovely Sian-Elin Flint-Freel for suggesting the perfect pet for Maisie - a guinea pig! And my wonderful friend Sarah Morgan - who is always supportive, and makes the most amazing blackberry crumble.
These acknowledgments wouldn’t be complete without a mention of all my wonderful writing buddies (you know who you are), and the fabulous bloggers and reviewers. Special mention and hugs to fabulous authors Cressida McLaughlin, Mandy Baggot, Jane Linfoot and Christie Barlow for all your support and positive words and thoughts – they make a huge difference!
Massive thanks to Joanne Robertson (My Chestnut Reading Tree), Kaisha Holloway (The Writing Garnet), Alison Drew (Ali the Dragon Slayer), Shona Lawrence (Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom), Lucie Poole (Not Left on the Shelf), Laura Bambrey, Kelly (Love Books Group), Agi (On my Bookshelf) and Rachel Gilbey (Rachel’s Random Reads) who helped me introduce Langtry Meadows to the world, and are always incredibly supportive. Please do check out their blogs, these ladies are amazing!
I also want to thank Tracy Fenton, Helen Boyce and everybody else at TBC for all your incredible support. You’re fantastic!
And lastly, a big thank you to you, the reader – this story would be just words on a page if you weren’t there to enjoy it and bring the characters and places to life in a head other than my own!