by Jill Childs
But today, as I follow the two of you across the Piazza and into the cool of the Basilica, into the gentle hush of this ancient, echoing building undulating with arches and domes, the sculptures and mosaics crafted by fingers that long ago ceased to move, where so many have worshipped who no longer have tongues to pray, I look into the dance of light across the stone flags and see the shadows shift and, just for a moment, I feel that all too familiar hope that something of us all is truly eternal, and that one day, when your time does come, you will fly, twisting and weightless, through a great swirling funnel of light and I will be waiting for you, my love, my own sweet child, my eyes radiant and my arms stretched wide in welcome.
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A Letter from Jill
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Gracie’s Secret. If you enjoyed it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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I started writing this book when one of my twin girls – she was three at the time – started asking me tough questions. Will you die, Mummy? If you do, will you miss me? Will I ever see you again?
I always try to tell the girls the truth but in this case, I struggled. Yes, I will die – hopefully not for a long time. And what will become of me afterwards? Well, I’m really not sure. Not very reassuring answers for a small child.
But her questions also rekindled an idea I’d had years earlier. It was inspired by accounts of near-death experiences from young children. I found the stories fascinating. Sometimes children accurately described events taking place when they were clinically dead or described meeting people who’d long since died.
Was it possible they briefly visited another world, something like Heaven? Or did it all have a rational, medical explanation? I didn’t know what to think. And I wondered how I’d cope if one of my children woke from a coma with an equally extraordinary tale to tell.
And, like many parents, I was caught off guard by how utterly overwhelming my love was for my children. Yes, I would run into a burning building if they were inside. Or lift a truck so they could crawl free. I just would. So what else might a besotted mother be willing to do to protect or save her child? It was out of all this that Gracie’s Secret was born.
I hope you loved Gracie’s Secret. If you did, I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think and it makes such a difference in helping new readers discover my books for the first time.
I love hearing from my readers. Please do get in touch via Twitter or Goodreads.
All best wishes to you and yours,
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Jill Childs
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Kathryn Taussig, and all the team at Bookouture.
Thank you to my brilliant agent, Judith Murdoch: the best in the business.
And thank you, as always, to Nick and the rest of my family for all your love and support.
Published by Bookouture
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
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www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Jill Childs 2018
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ISBN: 978-1-78681-410-4
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Jill Childs has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
