Dear Friends
I really hope you enjoyed The Wish. It touches on several themes that I love to write about – multigenerational family life, triumph over adversity and finding the courage to try again. Everyone deserves a second chance! Whilst domestic dramas, particularly with a child in need, can be poignant at times, I do hope The Wish warmed your heart too and left you feeling uplifted.
My first thanks as always goes to all of you, my darling friends from around the world, who chat to me on my Facebook page and via my website. You’re all magnificent and your kindness and continued cheerleading spurs me on every day – writing books can get lonely sometimes, but having you all there is like a wonderful family — our special community — and that is something very precious to me indeed. I couldn’t do any of this without you. You mean the world to me and make it all worthwhile. Thank you so very much xxx
Special thanks and gratitude to my long-suffering agent, Tim Bates, for talking a lot of sense and always keeping me calm. Honestly, the man has the patience of a saint! An abundance of appreciation to my editor and dear friend, Kate Bradley, thank you for the laughs, love and unwavering support right from the start, back in the day. ‘All riiiiiiiise ….’ 
. Of course, none of the other stuff would happen without the wonderful team at HarperCollins, especially Kimberley Young, Lynne Drew, Charlotte Brabbin, Liz Dawson, Emilie Chambeyron (special thanks for sorting out the fabulous photoshoot) and Katy Blott. Special thanks to my copy editor Penny Isaac. As always, I couldn’t write at all without my beloved Northern Soul music to evoke the right emotions, so thank you for helping me to keep the faith and keep on keeping on. Immense thanks to my kind friends Caroline Smailes, Kimberley Chambers and Rachel Forbes, your patience when I catastrophise, is what also keeps me going xxx Aly Harrold for helping me find my voice and Niki Lawal for helping me find my dream. Ruth Mackay Langford for posting a picture on my Facebook page and sharing the details of her gorgeous Aga, aka Beryl the Peril. Katie Ferguson for winning my ‘Name a Character’ auction lot to raise funds for the CLIC Sargent charity supporting children and young people with cancer. Kaisha Holloway for kindly sending the gift to my cheeky Labradors.
To my husband Paul, aka Cheeks. See, your time at medical school and knowledge of bio chemistry has come in handy after all. Thank you for your endless patience in explaining how blood grouping works, how they are inherited and who can donate to who. Any mistakes are totally down to me for being clueless and quite uninterested in anything scientifical. Thanks to my dad, the gypsy boy, for always cheering me on.
To my darling daughter, QT, not only the bravest little girl I know, but also a budding author too, for writing the original Magic Unicorn story that features in this book as Holly’s story. I’m so proud of you every single day, my love.
Luck and love to you all,
Alex xxx