To date I have written and published three titles in the Lottie Parker series, The Missing Ones, The Stolen Girls and most recently this book, The Lost Child. Writing each one has been a different experience for me, as I am learning all the time. And the main thing I have learned is that my books would not be out there and doing so well without a magnificent team behind me.

The most important part of that team is you, the reader. You have bought my books and read them, and The Lost Child is no exception. Your reviews instil in me a confidence to keep on writing. Thank you.

Thank you John Quinn and Martin McCabe for advising me on policing matters. They know I take liberties with this information in order to narrow timelines and help the story progress. I take full responsibility for the fiction!

For The Lost Child I had to discover a little about farming matters (even though my paternal grandparents were farmers). Thanks to Michael and Veronica Daly for the grand tour of their farm and for showing me the agitator. I had nightmares for a week.

All my books are published in audio format, so I want to thank Michele Moran for her magnificent narration, giving a voice to Lottie and my cast of characters. And thank you to Adam Helal, Audio Producer.

Bookouture is more than a just a publishing house. It’s like a family home, where everyone supports and advises. The hands-on approach makes my writing and editing a lot easier.

To Helen Jenner, my editor on The Lost Child, thank you for your insight into my writing and for guiding me in making the novel into an incredible writing experience. To everyone else from Bookouture who worked on The Lost Child, thank you. I must give a special shout-out to Kim Nash and Noelle Holten for their incredible media work and for organising blog tours. Your tremendous diligence (at all hours of the day and night) helps get my books noticed.

Thank you also to those who work directly on my books: Lauren Finger, Jen Hunt, Alex Crow, Jules McAdam, Kate Barker, Jane Selley and Tom Feltham.

One thing I’ve experienced since joining Bookouture is the tremendous support among fellow Bookouture authors. Thank you, guys!

Thank you to each and every blogger and reviewer who has read and reviewed The Missing Ones, The Stolen Girls and of course The Lost Child. I will continue to keep you busy!

My agent, Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau, is a font of knowledge on the book business and I value her advice. Ger’s engagement on my behalf with Bookouture, especially with Oliver Rhodes, Lydia Vassar-Smith, Peta Nightingale and Jenny Geras in negotiating new contracts, is something I couldn’t do without.

Early readers of first drafts are essential to me, and I wish to thank my sister Marie Brennan for taking the time to read my work. She is always on hand to sort out the nitty-gritty when I find myself in a black hole, and to fill me with confidence.

Escaping to write in remote places has become the norm for me. Jackie Walsh, you are amazing at firstly booking our trips and secondly saying, ‘Pack the laptop.’

Others in the writing circle who inspired and motivated me while writing The Lost Child are Niamh Brennan, Grainne Daly, Louise Phillips, Vanessa O’Loughlin, Ann O’Loughlin, Liz Nugent, Arlene Hunt and Carolann Copeland.

I rode a media roller coaster for a while; thanks to all the newspapers and radio and TV shows that featured me, with special thanks to the researchers and producers who ensured I remained calm. Massive thanks to everyone in local media.

A special thanks to Eoin McHugh, Redmond O’Regan, Eamonn Brennan, Teresa Doran and Margaret Coyle.

And a huge thank you Marty Mulligan for having me on The Word stage at Electric Picnic 2017. You are one awesome Mullingar man.

There is always a core of strong stalwarts at my back keeping me focused. My friends Antoinette and Jo, my brother Gerard and sisters Marie and Catherine, and Lily Gibney and family.

I have the most pride a mother could have in my three strong children, Aisling, Orla and Cathal, who suffered much in their young lives following the death of their dad, Aidan. They have proved time and again that he lives on in each of them. Aidan would be so proud of how his family is coping after a harrowing few years. And I’m sure he would spoil Daisy and Shay. He still guides and protects us. Always in my heart, dear Aidan.

Finally, I dedicate The Lost Child to my parents, Kathleen and William Ward. This book deals, at one level, with some dysfunctional families. But my own family life has two of the strongest, most hard-working and caring parents I could ask for. They are always by my side and have helped me through the dark days of my life, so I dedicate this book to them, true parents.