ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Roisin Heycock, my fabulous editor, and everyone at Quercus. A really outstanding team. A huge thanks to Talya Baker for once again saving me from my own mistakes.

Thank you to Eugenie Furniss and Liane-Louise Smith at Furniss-Lawton for all their advice and hard work on my behalf. And Lucinda Prain and Rob Kraitt at Casarotto-Ramsay for guiding the other half of my working life for me.

Thank you to Zhiqiao Zheng, Priti Barua, Ingela Holland, Garret Cummings and Alexina Ashcroft for their translation skills.

Thanks also to Jason Cramer, whose drawings turned my camembert-fuelled dreams about goat doctors and elephant men into something tangible and kickstarted this book.

And a very special thanks to George Arton, my good friend who is still bemoaning the fact I forgot to name-check him in my last book even though I added his name for the paperback – though I don’t think he’s noticed that yet because I don’t think he’s actually read the book.

And last but by no means least, thank you to my amazing children, who make me very proud, Joseph, Grace and Gabriel, to the world’s greatest dog, Harper, our new addition, Dok the python, and to my beautiful, wonderful, patient wife, Lisa.