Safe and Sound was inspired by the true-life case of Joyce Carol Vincent, a woman in her thirties who died at home in late 2003 and whose body was discovered in 2006. In 2011, filmmaker Carol Morley created a deeply moving docudrama about Joyce’s life and death, based on interviews with those who knew her. I first saw Dreams of a Life around 2013, and have remained emotionally haunted by it ever since.

Writing a book is hard and writing a second book can be even harder, but many people have helped me with this terrifying task. Firstly, my agent Sarah Hornsley, who always knows what I’m trying to do and sets me straight when I zoom off course. Safe and Sound (like Little White Lies) required a ‘massive re-write’, but Sarah, I know it is all the better for it. Also to my brilliant editor Cicely Aspinall, whose enthusiasm has buoyed me all the way and whose astute feedback made Safe and Sound shine. It has been such a pleasure to work with you, Cicely, always knowing I am in safe hands. Thanks go to the whole team at HQ/HarperCollins, both in the UK, and in the US and Canada. You have all worked so hard to champion my books and I feel so privileged to have such an amazing team supporting me. Special thanks go to copy editor Penny Isaac, publicist Isabel Smith, and designer Anna Sikorska for *that* incredible cover.

I would also like to thank Louise Wilkinson, Head of Information & Learning at the Child Brain Injury Trust, who helped me with my research, and also The Children’s Trust for the amazing resources on their Brain Injury Hub. Both of these charities provide invaluable research, information and support for children and families; if you would like to donate you can do so here: https://childbraininjurytrust.org.uk/donate/ and here: https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/donate. Thank you as always to Stuart Gibbon who has again helped me with the police-y bits of this story. All the errors and liberties are mine, and thank you as well, Stuart, for all the re-tweets!

I am so grateful to all the wonderful readers, reviewers and bloggers out there. Your support for Little White Lies was a constant motivation as I wrote this second book, and I am thrilled that you have picked up Safe and Sound too. It’s readers that I write for: my words are just words, but you are what make the stories matter.

Love and thanks to family and friends who have encouraged me on this journey with such enthusiasm. In particular, my lovely in-laws: Misako, Jenny, Liana and Rob, and Chiyo. It means so much to me that you have read my books and I’m even more thrilled that you enjoyed them!