Pandora(114)

Thanks to Michael Fardell at the Historical Diving Society for his insight into shipwreck salvage during the early stages of my research, and to Kate Bagnall and Dunia Garcia-Ontiveros of the Society of Antiquaries for answering my many difficult questions regarding more particular Society procedures.

My early-snippet readers William Gallagher, Mike Jennings and the members of my Leamington Writers’ Group, who all helped me gauge whether to continue or not, as well as my superb betas Hayley Clarke, Heddwen Creaney, Sarah Penner and Carly Stevenson for their incredibly helpful comments on the first draft which helped me shape the second.

Thanks also to Elizabeth Macneal for being unfailingly patient and generous when I asked for advice, as well as Jonathan Davidson, Emma Boniwell and Olivia Chapman at Writing West Midlands for their continued encouragement and guidance.

To the judges of both the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and the Bath Novel Award for seeing the potential in Pandora – I feel so grateful for the support I received and without those accolades I have no doubt Dora and Edward’s story would have taken far longer to find the perfect home.

My wonderful agent Juliet Mushens, without whose unmitigated enthusiasm, sharp eye and professional verve, none of this would have even been possible. For everything you have done for me and for all you will do for me in the future you have my sincerest gratitude, and I shall continue to be overwhelmed by it all. How lucky I am to have you in my corner.

My equally wonderful editor Liz Foley, who often seemed to understand the nuances of the novel far better than I did and therefore made it far better than I could have done if left to my own devices. My thanks as well to Mikaela Pedlow and Mary Chamberlain for their eagle eyes, Suzanne Dean for designing the wonderful Georgian-styled interior artwork that suits the novel so beautifully, and the rest of the amazing team at Harvill Secker and Vintage for turning Pandora into a physical book with such a phenomenal marketing campaign behind it that surpassed everything I could have hoped for. Thank you also to Micaela Alcaino for creating such a stunning jacket. What a brilliant way to launch a debut into the world.

My deepest thanks go to Barry Lambe who encouraged me from the get-go and pushed me whenever I started to flag, and to Jean Grant, a truly lovely lady whose passion for antiquities partly inspired the idea, and who I am sad to say will never be able to read the novel I dedicated to her.

Richard, always.

And finally my mum Sally, who never (ever) failed to believe.