I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of both the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the University of Chichester in the development of this collection.
For their enthusiasm and expertise as I explored the short story form and worked towards a collection: Alison MacLeod, Stephanie Norgate and Andrew Cowan, and all the editors who have shown support for my work, especially Ra Page, Brendan Barrington, Nicholas Royle, Jacques Testard and Philip Langeskov.
Cathryn Summerhayes at WME.
Laura Macaulay, Karen Maine and Natasha Davis at Daunt Books.
Helen Simpson.
L. J. Mays, who introduced me to the short story.
Mahesh Rao.
My friends, fellow writers, and readers, for wisdom, perspective, humour and inspiration: you know who you are, and I am lucky, for you are many.
My family: with love and gratitude.
M. Roseveare: for everything. This book is for you.
The following stories have been previously published, although a number have since been revised: ‘The Lake Shore Limited’ in the Dublin Review, ‘The Shallows’ in Lighthouse, ‘Rehearsal Room’ in the White Review, ‘By the Canal’ in the Sunday Times Magazine, ‘The Inland Sea’ by Daunt Books. Some of the stories have been published in anthologies: ‘The Lake Shore Limited’ in Best British Short Stories 2015, edited by Nicholas Royle (Salt), ‘Blackout’ in What Lies Beneath: A Collection of Short Stories from the Kingston Writing School, selected by Bonnie Greer and Hilary Mantel (Kingston University Press), ‘The Ice Cream Song is Strange’ in Edgeways, the London Short Story Prize 2013 anthology, edited by Courttia Newland (Flight Press), ‘The Human Circadian Pacemaker’ in the BBC National Short Story Award 2011 anthology (Comma Press) and in the Bridport Prize 2010 anthology (Redcliffe Press Ltd), ‘By the Canal’ (excerpt) in Cheque Enclosed, the UEA Creative Writing Anthology 2007 (UEA). ‘The Human Circadian Pacemaker’ was broadcast on BBC Radio Four in September 2011.
