There’s time to feel all the beauty of the world.

And then nothing.

It doesn’t hurt.

Acknowledgments

This is my second published book, which makes me twice as lucky as I ever thought I’d get. And, yes, luck plays a huge part (even though some will tell you it’s all TALENT and HARD WORK and DEDICATION and blah blah blah).

The Block was written in a bit of a haze. I was working full-time as an English teacher, driving two hours a day, and surviving mostly on coffee.

Without a long list of people, this book would be mostly incoherent rambling (hopefully it’s not still incoherent rambling …). I want to thank some of those people here:

Sarah Robb—I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.

Chloe Seager—I wouldn’t have a writing career if you hadn’t taken a chance on me.

Kesia Lupo—for helping to turn my first draft into a book I’m really proud of.

Laura Myers—when I could hardly think straight anymore, you made things make sense.

Fraser Crichton—for making some incredible catches.

Jazz Bartlet Love—for a million awesome ideas.

Barry Cunningham—your enthusiasm got me over the finish line this time.

Samantha Palazzi—for keeping me sane while my first book came out during a pandemic.

Vault49—for designing the brilliant cover of The Block!

Darren and Dave—I hate you both.

Mum and Dad—I thanked you in the last book … I SUPPOSE I’ll thank you in this one too!

Cammy Angus—FoB.

About the Author

BEN OLIVER grew up in Scotland and began writing long before he could spell. He attended the University of Stirling, where he studied English but spent most of his time trying to write a novel. Ben’s first short story was published when he was eighteen, and since then he’s been published in over a dozen literary magazines and anthologies. Fueled by astounding amounts of coffee, Ben completed The Loop—his first full-length YA manuscript—in Edinburgh, where he currently lives and teaches English at secondary school.