My ‘non-professional team’ continue to provide endless support, distraction and encouragement throughout the writing process. Firstly, to my amazing children, Oxford and Linus, who I am so glad are genuinely interested in ideas and stories, and love asking how many words I’m up to. It’s like living with two mini personal trainers. Thanks also to my parents, who once again were early readers of this manuscript, and provided positive and useful feedback, and to my sister, my family and my brilliant group of friends. I get so much from all of you.

Much of this book was written during a strict COVID-induced lock-down, and while it undoubtedly helped me meet my deadline, it also made me appreciate all the wonderful people in my life and the oxygen I get from them. I hope we will always lift each other up and do life together.

The idea for The Housemate lodged in my brain several years before I put pen to paper. It rattled around for a while, taking various forms, until eventually becoming clearer. Oli appeared and with her came Dean, Cooper, the housemates, and of course Isabelle. I liked the idea of Oli navigating the ghostly force of Isabelle while trying to build a life with Dean, and simultaneously cracking one of the biggest stories of her career. I was excited to write it but found attempting a standalone story nerve-racking after focusing on another leading lady for so long. But Oli proved herself to have as much determination as Gemma. After several months and a few false starts, I found Oli’s (husky) voice and set about bringing her world to life. Cooper in particular was a joy to write.

Of course, I still can’t believe it turned into a book. I hope you enjoyed reading it.