I want to thank the readers of Dominus, together with its novella companions Genesis and Exodus, for the extraordinary response their publication met last year. It was an absolute thrill for me to see Dominus climb through the charts in so many countries, to see its covers on the sides of buses and on trains throughout Europe, and to receive such a wonderful response from readers and reviewers. It was this reaction, above all else, that inspired me to push forward with the present book, and I can only hope that those of you who enjoyed the previous will enjoy this one as well.
To my friend, masterful literary agent and ever-willing lunch companion, Luigi Bonomi, my sincerest thanks, as ever. He, together with Alison, Dani and the rest of the crew at LBA Books, put such effort and enthusiasm into my work, and it is a joy to have them behind (and beside, and in front of) me in this wonderful literary world. There simply isn’t a better agent out there.
Emily Griffin has always been such a tremendous believer in my writing, and working with her at Headline was a genuine treat. I miss her now that she’s moved on to other roles, but am absolutely delighted to be surrounded by the enthusiastic likes of Frankie Edwards, Kitty Stogdon and the whole, energetic team at Headline in the UK. In the USA, my Quercus team continue to pour their hearts and souls into the amazing American editions of my books; and all the international editors, translators and publishers do jobs that simply amaze me. I am fortunate to be surrounded by as superlative a set of publishers as an author could hope to work with, and my thanks are due to them all, both for the great success of Dominus as well as the enthusiastic labours poured into this book and future projects.
As with the writing of Dominus, I had access to a collection of priests who provided extraordinary insider knowledge on both the operations of the Curia in Rome, as well as an induction into the extraordinary communities of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. All, as before, wish to remain anonymous, but my profound ‘surreptitious’ thanks to Fr A—, Fr I—, Fr J— and the young monk Br D— who became as much a friend as a resource.
Finally, to all the reviewers who take the time to transfer their enthusiasm for a good book into a review, whether in the national papers, on the radio, on blogs, on Goodreads or Amazon or elsewhere: thank you! You’re such an integral part of this beautiful, book-minded world, and as an author I am far from alone in being truly, deeply appreciative of the time you take on our behalf.
Here’s to what’s ahead!