AcknowledgementsEvery book grows from the love and labour of many, and a first book especially so. My eternal gratitude goes to Michelle Lovi, who is that rare publisher who is not afraid to take a chance on stories that are different. Thank you also to Jen and Jessica from Odyssey for their insightful guidance.
For their skill and support my thanks go to Rosalind Price (formerly of Allen and Unwin), Claire Forster (formerly of Penguin), Tara Mokhtari, Jennifer Timms, Peter Clarke, Amanda McCombe and Alice Ungerer (my first experience of a wonderfully nurturing writers’ group and all fantastic writers in their own right), the Calliope muses, Wendy Dunn, Nerina Jones and Pauline Montagna (who helped me solve a tricky problem with the book that had been bugging me for years), and my beta-re
