Something in the Water(106)

To Ross, thank you for leading by example and inspiring me to start along this road. Thank you for your energy, your knowledge, and your advice.

To my mum, my first reader, thank you for checking it wasn’t awful! Thank you for all your encouragement, for supporting my reading habit when I was younger, and for inspiring me to go for things.

Special thanks go to Camilla Wray, my wonderful agent. Thank you so much for replying to that first synopsis email I sent you, for reading the first three chapters, and then, the next day, the full manuscript. Thank you for all your brilliant thoughts, ideas, and guidance and being a strong cheerleader for Erin. I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to a whole new, exciting world.

To the brilliant Kate Miciak, my editor at Ballantine, thank you for reading the manuscript so quickly, thank you for your belief and your enthusiasm from our very first phone conversation and through the whole process. Thank you for your editing genius, your eagle eye, and your love of a good story—it’s an absolute pleasure working with you. Thank you for making this book its sparkling best.

To the excellent Anne Perry, my British editor, thank you for falling in love with this book and being such a complete joy to work with. I’m so happy SITW has such a fantastic UK home with Simon & Schuster.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to bring about the book you now hold in your hands! It has been a warm-sanded, sun-soaked dream working with you all.