Acknowledgements
This novel is, and always was, a love letter to my impossible friend. To her, it is dedicated, and it’s her I thank first and foremost for letting me tell it, for surviving, for being the brave, brilliant, annoying, truly great person she is.
For background work on the character Scott, my thanks to Gillian Dove, and for further research into medication and the mental health system, thanks to Clare Griffin.
Thank you, each and every one of you who dedicated your time to read this novel. When I wrote the original manuscript almost six years ago, it failed to find a publisher and was destined for a drawer until Substack came along, and with it, all of you. It’s undergone some pretty heavy editing to bring it up to scratch; the practice of serialising demands this, and it’s undoubtedly a better novel for it. Much as it irks me, I sort of understand why no one wanted it back then, and why it works so much better now. The pressure to get that chapter out every Sunday, knowing I’m going to get real-time feedback, has been the kind of shot in the arm every literary junkie needs, and by joining me on this ride you’ve given me confidence to carry on. Now I know there are readers out there who love my work, and that is enough for any writer to keep going.
Lastly, as ever and always, thank you Andy for putting up with my antisocial hours, cheering me on, and being there.
Postscript note
I would dearly love to talk about this novel, and in normal circumstances, there’d be salons and literary festivals, interviews and events. But this is Substack and here we are. If you’ve questions you’d like to put to me about the novel, please add them in comments. I’ll gather them up and prerecord a video of answers.
Having said that, I’d love to do a live Q&A, so if there’s anyone out there who’d be up for hosting that, please let me know!
If you’re yet to dive in, here’s the front cover & title page. Links embedded to take you through chapter by chapter…..
A beautiful close. Perhaps you could ask me a question for This Writing Life--and we could discuss the novel, its structure, how you handled so many characters. An idea anyway--and we would make sure that we focused on the craft so that it fits with our mantra. And, for me, I simply love talking with you.
Congrats, Eleanor. Now that I know you have reached the end I must begin at the start :)