This novel almost never got written, and, after that, it almost never got finished.
And the reason it got finished was because I gave a copy to my colleague's daughter. I was so close to the novel that I'd lost any sense of whether it was any good or not, and I was so rusty after several years away from Real Writing that I felt I'd almost forgotten how. So I asked Kate. Now, I've never met Kate, but I know she's a keen reader, so I sent her mum an unfinished copy and asked if Kate would do me the honour of reading and commenting on the manuscript.
She did. She loved it, and passed it on to her friend and her sister. They loved it too, endingless or otherwise.
This week, it was fabulous to be able to pass on the novel, complete with ending, to Kate. And even more fabulous to get this response.
Many thanks to the Penguin Random House crew, past and present, for their patience, dedication, and for their cracking cover. (Which Kate and her sister also heartily approved, I might add.)
The book is dedicated to Amanda Quigley, the wonderful coach of Southside Gymnastics Academy.
But my biggest thank you goes to Kate. Kate, thank you!
The Flyaway Girls will be out in August.
