BEFORE I SET OUT on this extraordinary journey seven years ago, I thought novel writing was a solitary endeavor. And for the most part, it is. But like every great journey, it is punctuated by people who help the traveler on his way.

I credit my parents, Mary and Jim, for starting the whole thing—indulging an awkward child and providing a childhood that is still my main source of inspiration.

A massive thank-you to all the critters from CC, especially Suja, Eamon Ó Cléirigh (Cheeno), Blandcorp, and Chelly Wood. You taught me so many things and were with me every step of the way. There are little pieces of each of you in my book.

To Kathryn, a brilliant writer, and my number one crit buddy. Your advice and support played a huge part in getting this novel published, and for that I will always be grateful. There is a large part of you in this book.

Thank you to all the members (past and present) of the Scribblers Writing Group. You guys rock!

Conor Kostick’s writing course was also really helpful. I recommend it to all aspiring authors.

To all the writers, teachers, lecturers, editors, publishers, and agents I encountered over the years—thank you for inspiring me.

To my wonderful agent, Sallyanne Sweeney, thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and enthusiasm. But most of all, thank you for believing in me, and being in my corner.

A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Barry Cunningham of Chicken House, who spotted the potential in my wart-infested manuscript. Thank you for giving me and so many other debut authors a chance.

Thank you to my amazing editor, Rachel Leyshon, for killing off the warts in my manuscript and working your magic on it. You helped me write the book I always wished I’d written.

I am deeply appreciative of the efforts of everyone at Chicken House—Jazz Bartlett, Laura Myers, Elinor Bagenal, Rachel Hickman, Esther Waller, Sarah Wilson, and especially Kesia Lupo for your keen editorial eyes.

Thank you to the wonderful freelancers who worked on my book: to Claire Skuse for her work in the early stages, to Sarah Levison for the structural edit, to Miranda Baker for a brilliant copyedit, to Helen Jennings for the proofread, to Steve Wells for my cool cover, and to Laura Smythe for publicity.

Thanks to Ai Kiminomori for helping with the Japanese (at the last minute!).

The children’s literature community in Ireland is an amazing group of people. There are too many of you to mention, but you know who you are. Thank you for doing what you do.

Cheers to all my students, friends, and family for taking an interest in what I do.

If what they say is true—behind every great man is a great woman—then I must be truly great, because I have three! To Emma and Lara, thank you for NEVER disturbing me while I was on the computer, for never distracting me with puppet shows, dance routines, or teddy bear birthday parties! And, most important, to Carol—thank you for your constant support and encouragement and for making the time for me to write. I couldn’t have done this without you.