She will cross the road to where he stands, and she will kiss him, and this time, when he cries, she won’t let him go.

Many things will happen.

Maybe.

‌Acknowledgements

This has been a long time coming. Six failed novels. Twenty years of trying. And on the way, a lot of people who have had a hand in me not giving up. People who’ve read early drafts – and other shitter books – and offered just the right level of encouragement (Polly, Spid, Mike, Alex, Chris, Paul, Clare, other Clare, Mark, Andy, Nick, Jacob, Pearl, Mum, Dad, Sue, Rich, other Rich). People who’ve coped with me flip-flopping between desperately yearning for publication and settling down contentedly into teaching (that’s really just you, Clare). People who are endlessly cheerful and full of beans (Joel and Dan). And people whose care, intellectual curiosity, and belief in me has never failed (Mum and Dad).

Then there are the people who gave me the key chances that made a difference, like Josh and Max at Tartaruga, Sam at Galley Beggar, Katie at Liars League, and of course Stefan and Tara at And Other Stories. The people who helped the book along the way – Jeremy for a brilliant job of editing a naïve first-timer, Bella for copy-editing, Jon for a great cover design and Nicky for publicity. The judges of the Northern Book Prize, and the person I was interviewing for a job at the time I got the email, and who must have been quite disconcerted by me shouting ‘Fuck, yes!’

There are the people I’ve worked with, at every school I’ve taught in (although a special shout out to the English departments – always the true heart of a school, whatever Maths say). Teaching kids is incredible, such a joy, although they are right little gits sometimes.

And lastly, the people I’ve taught. I didn’t understand adolescence when I went through it myself, but watching you lot grow up has been an education, and a privilege. I hope some of you read this. I know the ones I want to the most probably won’t, and I find that heartbreaking.

But you’re not forgotten.

Note to the Reader

Dear readers,

As well as relying on bookshop sales, And Other Stories relies on subscriptions from people like you for many of our books, whose stories other publishers often consider too risky to take on.

Our subscribers don’t just make the books physically happen. They also help us approach booksellers, because we can demonstrate that our books already have readers and fans. And they give us the security to publish in line with our values, which are collaborative, imaginative and ‘shamelessly literary’.

All of our subscribers:

• receive a first-edition copy of each of the books they subscribe to
• are thanked by name at the end of our subscriber-supported books
• receive little extras from us by way of thank you, for example: postcards created by our authors