If you could be the Greek god/goddess of anything, what would you be?
I’d be the Goddess of Travel. I know it sounds dull, but hear me out. Seeing new places is my favourite way to spend time but I cannot stand long journeys. I get carsick, trains are expensive and airports are a special type of hell. Imagine being able to cut all of that out by, I dunno, teleporting or whatever? It would save time, money and boredom. I wish more than anything it could come true.
What were your favourite books growing up?
I loved teen diaries like The Princess Diaries, I Capture The Castle and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series made me and my friends weep with laughter. Despite being an avid reader, books by Malorie Blackman and Zadie Smith were the first time I read black British women in literature. And I loved vampire stories like Dracula and Blood Sinister, which was set in Highgate Cemetery – minutes from where I grew up.
If you could tell your teenage self anything, what would it be?
The world won’t end if someone dislikes you. When I was a teen (and well into my twenties, if I’m being honest), I couldn’t bear the thought of someone disliking me. It would stop me from speaking my mind, expressing my true thoughts and generally being myself. Now, I care a good deal less. It’s so liberating. Try it.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It’s easy to believe that books are a solo endeavour, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This story would be nothing but a few hundred words in a battered notebook if it weren’t for the people in my life supporting and uplifting at every turn. I’m very lucky.
Thank you to my dream of an agent, Leticia, and the rest of Team Pontas, for your guidance and publishing smarts. Thank you for welcoming me to the global Pontas family!
I’m certain that I lucked out with my editors. Eishar and Sophie, it means the world that you understood Helen from day one. Thank you for making the editing process a joy from start to finish. Scholastic is the perfect home for my story, and I’m so grateful to everyone there who has worked to make my dreams come true. Huge thanks to Paul and Liam for the beautiful and eye-popping cover of my dreams.
A HUGE thanks must go to Kerry and Write Like A Grrrl. Kerry, your incisive and loving critique made this book a reality. The course changed my life and introduced me to the kindest, smartest and most talented writer gang a grrrl could ask for. All of the thanks to Equal Writes (especially Charlotte, Elizabeth, Naina, Grace, Sara, Flo, Renginee, Sarah and Kitty) for pushing me to get on your level. You make me a better writer.
Nineteen Newbies! This whole author thing is much more fun with your rants, puns and GIFs. I pray our Twitter DMs never see the light of day.
Thank you to #TeamSocial: Laura, Caner, Sam and everyone else at FCB Inferno for accommodating my writing alongside my day job – it’s so, so appreciated.
Thank you to Mel and Nat for the tidal wave of support, and for bringing Black Girl’s Book Club into my life. With every event, I feel eternally grateful for the space you’ve created. You are the epitome of #BlackGirlMagic. Love and thanks to the many hilarious, smart and beautiful women I’ve met through BGBC. Thanks again to Tito for catching my best side.
Thank you to my family and friends, especially Beth, Nathan, Zaire, Antonia, Shakana, Zion, Christine, Max, Hannah, Adam, Marie Anne, Aiss, Robin and Howard. Extra special thanks to the women I’m lucky to call my aunties – Abigail, Sonia, Monica and Jackie – and my beloved grandparents.
Endless love and thanks to Michael, my sidekick for life. Thank you for everything, but especially for putting up with my 5.30 a.m. alarms.
Above all, thanks to Mum and Dad for bolstering my creative confidence since before I could write full sentences. Thank you for calling me a writer from childhood and treasuring every short story and poem. This book would never have happened without your unwavering belief in me.
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First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2019
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Text copyright © Alexandra Sheppard, 2019
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