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Through the Cloud, I am also so very fortunate to have met John Taylor, Rachael Dunlop and Debi Alper. Thank-you isn’t enough. John and Rachael, I love everything you write and I’m already camped out at the front of the queue for when you both get published. And Debi, my mentor, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without you. You are a truly wonderful, generous and talented human being.
To Harry Bingham and all at the Writers’ Workshop who have advised and encouraged me for the last twelve years, especially Nikki and Laura, and all those responsible for the fantastic York Festival of Writing, Julie Cohen and Andrew Wille for epiphany-inspiring workshops, and Debi Alper and Emma Darwin for their online self-edit course – the most influential and productive writing course I’ve ever done. Lightbulbs a-plenty!
To Stories for Homes (https://storiesforhomes.wordpress.com) and Claire King’s The Night Rainbow for appearing in my life at the right time and place to trigger the idea that brought Jesika to life. To Shelter (www.shelter.org.uk), the charity that Stories for Homes supports, for doing such important work advising and helping the 150 families that are made homeless every day, the 120,000 children who were living in temporary or unsuitable accommodation last Christmas, and all the other people affected by homelessness or bad housing. Jesika is my invention, but she represents many, many real-life children in similar or worse conditions. And to the NSPCC (www.nspcc.org.uk) for all the work they do in protecting children – ‘Private Pants’ is their campaign and I urge all parents to look it up and talk PANTS with their children.
To everyone who answered my endless questions, big and small, but especially Tors and Bill Busby for the photos and detailed medical/ambulance-related explanations and Tim McArdle (UKFostering) for explaining the realities of fostering. Any mistakes are my own.
To my agent, Jo Unwin, for being all-round brilliant, lovely, kind and inspiring, to Shelley Harris for introducing us, to Isabel Adomakoh Young for your insightful editing comments, and to Tor Udall for your kindness and for helping me to own The Fear when I was feeling overwhelmed.
To my editor, Susanna Wadeson, and to Lizzy Goudsmit, Kate Samano and everyone else at Transworld, for truly understanding and loving Jesika as much as I do. It has been so much fun working with you all.
And thank you to my family who have all cheered me on, especially Doug, Elspeth, Sam and Gary, and to Kate for allowing me to bore you with my stories when you needed something to read.
To Ros and Bill Berriman, for welcoming me unconditionally into your family, for your love and support, and for Martin. Words cannot express how much you are both missed.
To Mum, for filling the house with books and our heads with stories, for not minding too much when you caught us reading under the covers with torches after bedtime, for opening our minds, inspiring our ambitions, and for your financial resourcefulness, which meant we always had a safe roof over our heads, even through the tough times.
To Lucy, for over a decade of companionship on walks when the writing wasn’t flowing. Missing you so much. To our boys, Sam and Peter, for all the love, laughs and adventures. And to Martin, for always being there. You knew I could and you knew I would. Thanks for the push.
About the Author
Amanda Berriman was born in Germany and grew up in Edinburgh, reading books, playing music, writing stories and climbing hills. She works as a primary school teacher and lives on the edge of the Peak District with her husband, two children and dogs.
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First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Doubleday an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Amanda Berriman 2018
Amanda Berriman has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Extract from ‘When I Grow Up’ from Matilda the Musical by Tim Minchin, reproduced by kind permission.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473544840
ISBNs 9780857525314 (hb)
9780857525321 (tpb)
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