Freedom Swimmer

by Wai Chim

  Thanks to Tony and Barbara Towers for being my early readers and for turning around their thoughts so quickly. Also thanks to David Whitaker and the gorgeous members of my Spec Fic Writers Group – Kylie, Nat, Natasha, Ian, Mark and Catherine – for reading and feeding back on scenes and pages. Special appreciation goes to the Sydney Writers’ Room for being the perfect space to work from, and a shout out to Kay and Bogs for keeping me sane and entertained.

  And finally, all of my gratitude and kudos to the team at Allen & Unwin and beyond. Anna McFarlane for believing in me and seeing the potential of this book from the beginning; Brian Cook for your support; Jen Dougherty for your incredible handling of run on sentences and missing words; and the talented editorial and marketing team behind it all. (An extra special thank you to Peter Guo for the last minute details at the end!) Your extraordinary efforts have made this book what it is.

  About the Author

  Wai was born in New York City. Although her parents didn’t speak much English, Wai harboured a passion for books from a very young age, sneaking stories into bed to read well into the night.

  Wai graduated from Duke University with majors in Economics and English. After graduation Wai moved to Japan, where she spent over a year teaching English.

  She has lived in Australia for ten years, enjoying the sun and pursuing her passion for writing.

  Wai Chim is also the author of a junior fiction series called Chook Chook.