It’s fair to say that this book has given me many challenges, and the first was creating a world where I had to inflict a major disaster on a small community. I couldn’t bring myself to wish harm on a real place, and that’s why I decided to return to the fictional town of Sedgefield, somewhere in Cheshire, which has been used in some of my other books.
The disaster I describe isn’t based on a real-life event, but my writing has been influenced by such tragedies. The victims of the Grenfell Tower fire were never far from my thoughts, as were the victims of Hillsborough. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, and the loved ones left behind to fight for justice and mourn their loss.
When I started writing this story, I could never have imagined that I would be editing it in the middle of a pandemic, at a time when a trip to the theatre would be impossible and mass gatherings illegal. And while I never intended to put a date stamp on the events in my novel, I think we can all agree that it couldn’t have happened in 2020. I can only hope that, you, the reader, are enjoying better times and we are once again savouring the joy of doing the things we once took for granted.
What could have been another challenge for me was having my editor go on maternity leave during the editing process, and I was immensely relieved to have the benefit of Martha Ashby’s wise words and guidance on the first draft, literally days before she became a mum. A huge thank you to Kate Bradley, who had the unenviable task of taking me under her wing and has been the best surrogate editor I could wish for. Thank you also to Luigi Bonomi and Hannah Schofield from LBA Books for being the greatest champions of my work. I hope I’ve done enough to make you all proud.
Thank you as always to my family and friends for your love and support, especially to my daughter, Jess who couldn’t escape from my plot ramblings despite being halfway across the world – you are the kindest, most thoughtful and bravest person I know. A special mention also to the Low Brow Book Club, who invited me to give a talk on one of my books a few years ago, and haven’t been able to get rid of me since. Thank you to Catherine Ravens, Emma Prior and Helenor Watson for keeping our little group in check.
A very big thank you to my readers. It’s a privilege to have my books published and I couldn’t do it without you. I’d love to hear what you think of my latest novel, so please come find me on social media.
One final note. Soon after finishing this novel, a dear friend of mine died. I had known John Webster for twenty-five years, but it was only at his funeral that I discovered that when he was seventeen, he saved two children from a house fire. He never talked about it, but I should have guessed. He was a true gent, a best mate, and one of life’s unsung heroes.