Chapters (36)

I wrote this novel amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and to say it was a challenging time would be sugarcoating reality. Like many of you, I found it very hard to concentrate on anything, let alone writing. For me, and for my family, I hope that we can remember 2020 as a year that gave us the gift of time together, although I’m mindful of the suffering of so many during this time. Here in New Zealand, we had a very strict period of lockdown while I was writing this book, which meant almost six weeks at home as a family. For my six-year-old son, it was the “best time of his life”; he was at home with us and didn’t have to go anywhere, which is his idea of heaven! In the end, we all loved it. We spent time watching movies, playing card games, having fun with our animals and being outside a lot on our property. It made us appreciate what we had, and also reflect on what a hard time it was for many other families. So I’d like to say a huge thank you to my gorgeous boys, Mac and Hunter, for making our stay-home orders so much fun (even if they did make it impossible for me to write!) and to my husband, for indulging my Netflix addiction and staying up late each night with me. I’d also like to thank my parents, Maureen and Craig, for their ongoing support.

Anyone who’s ever read one of my books will know I always thank a small group of other authors, and this book is no different. Thank you to Yvonne Lindsay for being my daily writing buddy (I couldn’t write without your constant checking in with me!) and to Natalie Anderson and Nicola Marsh for being such amazing, supportive friends. Also, thank you to my fellow Lake Union authors for your regular support.

I love nothing more than hearing from readers, so please do reach out to me if you’ve enjoyed this book! You can also visit my website www.sorayalane.com for more information about me and my books, and don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter while you’re there. I’m very active on Facebook if you’d like to find me there (www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor), and that’s where I often share behind-the-scenes photos and information about my current work in progress.

Soraya xx

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