PERFECT PREY WOULD not be a book without the amazing team of publishing professionals supporting me. The whole New Leaf team (Suzie, Sara, Joanna et al) plus the inimitable Jess Dallow have been in my corner since day one, and I couldn’t be more grateful. At HarperCollins, my editor, Emily Krump; cover designer, Gail Winston; and copyeditor, Christine Langone (you’re the unsung hero of the publishing process, and I apologize sincerely for my semi-colon-based issues) are the champs who brought this story to life. Thank you all for not realizing I am an imposter.
Countless eyes have been cast over this story at various stages of the drafting process. Huge shout-out to James Bateman, the real-life detective who provided infinite notes on this kind of investigation and how it would realistically unfold, and to Carly Ahmed and Al Ehm, who made sure my first-person portrayal of a POC was dealt with sensitively and accurately. I also drew on interviews with several anxiety sufferers when working on Carina’s mental health journey, so thank you to Sadishika, Becca, Danaella, and Maren for your candid answers to some pretty deep questions. When I started out with this manuscript, I wanted to make the plot and characters as authentic as possible, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this wouldn’t have been possible without these wonderful individuals. And a big writerly group hug to the NAC (the most incredible support system when publishing feels like an uphill battle), to Scarlett Cole, and to Rebecca McLaughlin, who started as my PitchWars mentee and soon became a valued critique partner (and awesome friend who sends me delicious American candy from across the pond). Thank you all for helping me feel like less of an imposter.
Then there’s the array of nutters who support me on a day-to-day basis, and do not shun me when I do things like accidentally throw the keys to my entire life in a street dumpster—my champagne-addled family (the Milnes, the Allens, the Paxtons, and, of course, the Stevens) and my extremely entertaining friends, including but not limited to Toria, Millie, Heather, and Lucy (a.k.a. the Coven), Nic, Hannah, Lauren, Amy, John (who I met on a real-life press trip to Serbia in 2014), Steve, Spike, and my ultimate favorite human, Louis. Thank you all for accepting the fact that I am an imposter and being (reasonably) nice to me anyway.