The Secrets We Keep (30 page)

I'm very grateful to Alan Butland, Jude Evans, Emily Medland, and Susan Young, who have read every word of this book in all its incarnations and been both honest and encouraging, which is quite a difficult trick to pull off. Thanks too to early readers Anne Booth, Camille Johnson, Claire Marriott, Alison Morton, and Ned Tilbrook.

Claire Malcolm at New Writing North gave me the key to unlocking the story I really wanted to tell. Joy Tilbrook insisted that I put a dog in, and that was immensely helpful to the story too. (She also loaned her dog, Hope, to Blake.) Charles Armstrong came up with the original title (
Surrounded by Water
) fifteen years ago, when we were very drunk indeed. Thank you all.

Sharon Birch and Karl Weston talked to me about police and legal matters. Dr. Jane Stewart gave up an afternoon to talk fertility treatments and cystic fibrosis, and Dr. Becky Haines gave great insights into the life of a GP. Alison Morton told me about being a translator. Diane Mulholland answered my questions about being an Australian expat in the UK; Sara Lancaster, about what it's like to be an architect. Chris Schorah and Lyndsey-Jane Copeman talked genetics with me. Gemma Ravenscroft answered my first questions about cystic fibrosis with great patience and understanding. Michael Breeze, Peter Hepworth, Philippa Moore, and Jo Sullivan shared their experience of marathon running. Denyse Kirby and Kirsty Burfot helped me out with the midwifery side of things. Twitter named the twins. I appreciate all of your help.

My fabulous agent, Oliver Munson at A. M. Heath, is unfailingly supportive and insightful. Emma Buckley at Transworld in the UK did great work with bringing early versions of this book on. The team at Sourcebooks in the United States has been patient, professional, and a joy to work with. Thank you all.

For nonspecific but immensely valuable love and support, I am grateful to my family and friends: Alan, Ned, Joy, Mum, Dad, Auntie Susan, Lou, Jude, Rebecca, Scarlet, Nathalie, Emily, Kym—I don't know what I'd do without you.

Photo by Alan Butland

Stephanie Butland lives in Northumberland, in the northeast of England, with her family. This is her first novel. She has written two previous books about her dance with cancer.

You can follow Stephanie on Twitter
@under_blue_sky
and find her on Facebook. Her website is
www.stephaniebutland.com
.

Thank you for reading
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