Acknowledgements

Taking those first few steps as a writer once you’ve managed to secure a publishing deal is not quite what you might expect – in fact, after the initial euphoria, it can be totally bewildering and sometimes bloody terrifying. I was lucky – joining Jo Fletcher Books as an author was like becoming part of a family. The other authors enthusiastically welcomed me into the fold and offered their encouragement and advice when at times I must have looked like a rabbit in the headlights. In no particular order I would like to thank Naomi Foyle, Stephanie Saulter, Tom Fletcher, David Towsey, Stephen Jones, Snorri Kristjansson and Sebastien de Castell.

Thanks for your support, guys.

The other members of the family and working behind the scenes at Team JFB are Sam Bradbury and Olivia Mead and I would like to say thank you to these ladies for looking after me on a day-to-day basis – not an easy task, I’m sure!

I would also like to thank my editor and partner-in-crime, the lovely Nicola Budd, who took every step of this exciting journey with me. It really was a joint effort.

Lastly, I would like to thank the amazing Jo Fletcher who, I’m quite sure, thinks of her authors and their creations as her children. Maybe it’s just me, but when presented with my draft manuscripts, Jo somehow has the knack of patiently asking questions that have my ideas spinning off into all sorts of unexpected directions making my stories all the richer and me, I hope, a better writer.

Thanks, Jo.