In 2005 I had the good fortune to meet Mattias Johansson at a bus stop in Cañas, Costa Rica and to spend the next few days with him, before he abruptly left this world for his next solo aventura. On the bus he showed me his journal where he had written ‘life in general and love in particular’; matters, he explained, he enjoyed discussing with his best friend Jimmy Högberg. It struck me then as a cool phrase, so I have borrowed it here as an album name for my cool girl, Nina, with permission from Jimmy. Tack.

Thank you to Paul Bradley Carr and Ashley Strong, who donated to Care International (via Books For Vaccines) and to our children’s PTA respectively, to each have a character named after them.

One of the joys of publication has been connecting with other writers. Thanks especially to Clare Mackintosh, Sarah Turner, Lia Louis, Holly Miller, Louise Hare, Katy Collins, Jennifer Saint, Frances Quinn, Andrea Mara, Suzanne Ewart, Lucy Vine and Laura Marshall for their support.

Thanks as ever to the family and friends who have travelled with me on my writing journey, particularly my husband Tom and my sons Dylan, Arthur and Felix.

To many Paris is the city of love, to me it is the city of friendship: of nights out and big dreams and trying to find yourself, in your twenties, in a new city without a map (followed by hen do revisits in our thirties). Thank you to the friends I have been fortunate to spend time with in Paris, the memories of which inspired this book. I enjoyed writing After Paris immensely in part because it allowed me to escape there briefly – in my imagination – while grounded during a global pandemic. Thanks especially to Nicola Lloyd Martin, who not only shared a whole mille-feuille with me once in Paris, but also provided investment banking insight for Jules’s career trajectory; and to Cara Pannell, Jemma Thomas and Katie Butterworth who have been by my side since our childhood in Essex, via Paris, and beyond. It felt only right that this tribute to friendship is dedicated to you.

About the Author

NICOLE KENNEDY grew up in Essex and studied Law at Bristol University. She has always loved to write but her efforts were waylaid by work as a corporate lawyer in London, Paris and Dubai. During Nicole’s second maternity leave she began writing poems on motherhood and family life. She completed her first novel during her third maternity leave (by then it was easier than leaving the house) and her second during the pandemic (by then she wasn’t allowed to leave the house). Nicole lives in Kent with her husband and three sons. You can find her on Instagram (@nicole_k_kennedy) and Twitter (@nicolekkennedy).

An Invitation from the Publisher

We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at www.headofzeus.com and become part of our community of book-lovers.