State of Sorrow (Untitled #1)(125)

Thanks to Rosie Price and Miriam Tobin at RCW too.

Huge thanks to my trifecta of editors at Scholastic UK: Genevieve Herr, Jenny Glencross and Lauren Fortune. The world of Sorrow is so vast, and dense, and I wouldn’t have been able to navigate it without your guidance. Extra thanks to Pete Matthews, for once again having to deal with when I try to out-copyedit him (I’ve literally just submitted my copyedits, so I hope this massively public sucking-up takes the edge off a little…)

Playing the same old song for Jamie Gregory, in honour of ANOTHER exceptional cover. Five for five now. Thank you for always making my stories look beautiful.

Also thanks to Scholastic’s finest: Lorraine Keating, Penelope Daukes, Roisin O’Shea and Olivia Horrox, for all of your hard work on getting my words out there into the world. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes who works so hard too. Thanks to my lovely author friends for the wine and the chats and the cry-laughing: Sara Barnard; Holly Bourne, CJ Daugherty; Katie and Kevin Webber-Tsang; Samantha Shannon; Alwyn Hamilton; Kiran Millwood-Hargrave; Anna James; Rainbow Rowell; Catherine Doyle; Moira Fowley-Doyle; Dave Rudden; and all of Team: Prosecco and Secrets. And also Team: Floored; Non Pratt; Lisa Williamson; Tanya Byrne; and Eleanor Wood. And to my new pal, Anna Day. I’m so lucky to know you all.

Always super special thanks to my best bro, Emilie Lyons. She’s the Andy to my Paula, the Ricky Baker to my Uncle Hec.

Love to Sophie Reynolds; Lizzy Evans; Franziska Schmidt, and the whole Schmidt clan; Katja Rammer and the whole Rammer clan; Pam and Denis Lyons, and the Allports; Bevin Robinson; Hannah Dare; Neil Bird; Stine Stueland; Laura Hughes and Sara Scherbatsky; Asma Z; my brother Steven; Auntie Penny and family; Kelly; Tina and Craig; Billie; Auntie Cath, and Uncle Paul.

And thanks to you, if you’re reading this. I don’t know if this is the first book of mine you’ve read, but I sure hope it won’t be the last.