I always say that writing the acknowledgements is a nightmare for a person who is terrified of upsetting any of my dear friends, hence, this takes nearly as long as the book itself. But with less plot issues. But I love other people’s acknowledgements – don’t you? So ignore the higgledy-piggledy way this is done and let’s begin.
Firstly, thanks to my beloved readers, without whom I would undoubtedly not be writing acknowledgements on this, my nineteenth book. Nineteenth! Obviously, I started writing when I was twelve . . . Please keep talking to me: I love your emails and messages.
Thanks to my darling agent, Jonathan Lloyd, one of the kindest men I know. Thanks, too, to dear Lucia Walker, brilliant author Melissa Pimentel, Emma Bailey and all at Curtis Brown, who are a joy to work with. Thanks to my wonderful new family at Orion who are stars, all of them: huge thanks to David Shelley, Katie Espiner, Harriet Bourton, Clare Hey, Bethan Jones, Richard Kitson and Sarah Gravestock. Thanks to Elaine Egan for her hard work (I will bring an extra lamp to Liverpool next time!). In the spectacular marketing department, huge thanks to Sarah Benton, Lynsey Sutherland, Jen Breslin and Brittany Sankey.
No book would hit any shop without the sterling work of sales, so thank you so much to Andrew Taylor, Jo Carpenter, Mark Stay, Hannah Methuen, Lucy Tucker, Sneha Wharton, Viki Cheung, Sharon Willis and Jen Wilson. For always-exquisite art, thank you to Rabab Adams, Debbie Holmes, Nick May, Joanna Ridley and Lucie Stericker. In audio, huge thanks to Paul Stark and Amber Bates. I always feel I am the bane of the lives of all in production and design, so sorry! And thank you to Helen Ewing, Ruth Sharvell and Charlie Panayiotou.
In Ireland, enormous thank yous to the Orion team of Breda Purdue, Jim Binchy, Ruth Shern, Siobhan Tierney, Joanna Smyth and Bernard Hoban. Finally, I would have fallen into a puddle of high anxiety long ago were it not for the calm professionalism of my Irish publicist, Aileen Gaskin, and the wisdom of Terry Prone, both of The Communications Clinic. Huge thanks to Gillian Glynn O’Sullivan without whose expertise and friendship, this book would not have been finished.
Thanks to the wonderful publishers around the world who publish my books so beautifully, and make me so proud when I put them on the shelves in my study where I feel truly international, even if my languages extend to English, Irish, profane and schoolgirl French, but spoken with the accent of a would-be actress. Thank you, too, to the marvelous foreign language readers who write to me in my language and tell me such wonderful stories.
Thanks to all my dear friends at UNICEF Ireland who allow me to help in some way with the incredible work UNICEF does around the world, helping people in countries torn apart by war and famine, and who let me do a tiny bit to help mothers like myself who have to watch their beloved children die from illnesses like measles, malaria and tetanus, diseases which rarely kill in the western world.
Thank you to the generosity of Lorraine Butler and dear Xanah who donated generously to the Martin Fund so that Mary Butler could have a character named after her in this book. I hope she likes her go-getting and clever dermatologist! The Martin Fund was set up to help fund treatment for little Cathal and Ciaran Martin, small boys both diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, MLD (metachromatic leukodystrophy). I wish them well with all of my heart.
Thanks, too, to Fiona McPharland as both she and her husband donated generously to the Jack and Jill Foundation so that her name could be used in this book. Hope you like your straight-talking lawyer, Fiona. Finally, thanks to Jodie Nicholls and her husband Peter, who donated to UNICEF Australia so that Jodie’s name could be used in this book for her thirtieth birthday! I even got Peter in there too, darlings!
For research in this book, a huge thank you to the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and my amazingly brilliant advisor therein who asked not to be named, but who came up with a lovely plot twist! Thanks also to Nigel Swann, husband of about-to-be-mentioned Helen, who gave me a brilliant plot device. All mistakes (and I bent things to make the story work) are my own. I mean, all the mistakes . . .
I am lucky to have so many friends – real friends. I am blessed. Emma, you are my rock, too. The strongest, most courageous woman I know. Gai, we will go into practice together! Wise Women Inc.? Lyn, you are my star, too, unicorns of fire. Nothing can stop us. Patricia, you are there for all the great moments with a candle, like darling Aidan Storey, who is indeed angelic. LisaMarie and Shona, you are like part of our family. Kelly, you are my darling twinnie. Kindest, most generous woman on the planet. Marian, you are always there when I need you, strong, wise and a dear soul sister. Judy, you have a light shining around you. Helen, you are a star and a dear, always-there friend. Kate, the country is not the same with you in Perth! Thanks to gorgeous Andréa, who is so kind and such an exquisite craftswoman. Thanks also to Brenda, darling beauty with whom I share so much, and Marguerite, who is so wise. In fact, without my amazing team of women friends, including Libby, Caroline, Alice, Deirdre, Rita, Emer, Elaine, Santina, Annie, Catherine, Stephanie, Clodagh, I would be lost. Same goes for beautiful Alyson Stanley; my dear Eva Berg, an angel; Helen – we are the school play make-up queens but you are a professional, so a genius – Cindy and Teresa.
I have so many writer friends, some of them are already mentioned, but special thanks must go to the ones with whom I can giggle on email: Sheila O’Flanagan, Sinead Moriarty, Jennifer Ryan in Washington, Eleanor Brown, Stephanie Preissner, Claire Hennessey, Fanny Blake and Felicity Hayes-McCoy. I know I must be leaving people out as I’m a sieve-head of the highest order, but please forgive me.
Thanks to my beloved family, as always: Francis for always being a tower of strength, wisdom and humour. Thanks big bro. Thanks to Lucy for being kind and loving, and for being a sister of the soul as well as of the flesh. Thanks to Dave and Anne, who are always there being wonderful, strong and loving. Thanks to my darling nieces, of whom I am so proud: Laura, Naomi and Emer; thanks to Robert and Katie for being darlings and doing the London Marathon with Lucy and Dave; thanks to Matt, my godfather and a person of such wisdom and kindness that you helped me be the person I am today.
There is not enough I can say when it comes to thanks and love to John, Dylan and Murray: you three are my beating heart. And as for the Puplets – Dinky, Licky and Scamp – they are joy in small furry bundles of pure love, who have never been fed enough. Honestly.
Finally, this book is dedicated to my mother, Gay, who never stops encouraging me, who should have written her own books, who makes me laugh so. Thanks for everything and huge love, Mum.