Nonetheless, that was a long time ago and the film wasn’t on my ‘ideas’ radar until I happened to watch a couple of other documentaries in quick succession – playing in the background, usually whilst cooking dinner – on two fallen sporting heroes: Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius. Although their fortunes have been affected by very different fates, I nonetheless was struck by the similarities between them: a ruthlessness, perfectionism, and a ready willingness to be unlikeable in the pursuit of being the best. Is that what’s required to be a winner? I was also intrigued by the idea of living with public disgrace, of being forever ‘the villain’.

Bringing all these ideas and themes together of course requires a mothership of over-achievers to make it look like I know what I’m doing. Luckily, I was beamed up by Pan Macmillan many moons ago and, as ever, I owe the team all my thanks – from the art department for this stunning new-look cover; to the editorial SWAT team Lucy Hale, Caroline Hogg and Jayne Osborne for their precision edits and the deep-dive brainstorms that found us such a lovely title; my desk editor Samantha Fletcher and copy editor Camilla Lockwood for keeping the faith with all the randomness that accompanies the early drafts – sometimes they laugh, sometimes they cry; Jez Trevathan, Stu Dwyer, Jonathan Atkins, Charlotte Williams, Elle Gibbons, Hannah Corbett, Jade Tolley, Rebecca Lloyd . . . Absolutely everyone places their own mark on this book’s progress and I’m so grateful for all of it. To misquote the Instagram phrase – the book did not wake up like this.

As for my family, who have to live with me while I’m muddling through my tangled, knotted thoughts and trying to fashion a story . . . thank you for always repeating every three times for me and not leaving home when I haven’t got time to restock the fridge. There’s no me without you. You are utterly glorious.

Christmas
UNDER THE
STARS

‘The literary equivalent of a Richard Curtis movie’

Glamour

A heartbreaking tale of learning to love again, set amongst the dramatic, snow-capped Canadian Rockies

Meg and Mitch are living their dream – weeks away from their wedding and running a snowboarding business with their oldest friends. But when a storm hits, tragedy strikes and their perfect life unravels. As they try to cope with their loss, friendships are buckled by tensions, rivalries and devastating secrets.

Solace for Meg comes from the most unexpected place – a voice across the airwave, comforting her despite the distance between them. As Meg’s future pulls away from her past and her friends grow more distant, can she take a chance on the unknown?

Click here to buy

The
CHRISTMAS
SECRET

‘Smart plots, brilliant characters and juicy romance’

Heat

Set on the beautiful and remote coast of Islay, The Christmas Secret is a gripping story of a love as wild as the island itself . . .