I’d like to offer my appreciation to Chris James, who gave me the seed of an idea that became this book. Thank you for allowing me to pick your brains about what it means to be a helpline volunteer. Your input was invaluable.
Thanks to my early readers, Jim Ryan and Andrew Webber, and to the Queen of Grammar Kath Middleton for preventing me from making a fool of myself with draft one! Thanks to Rhian Molloy for your help with school-related formalities and to Rachael Molloy for preventing me from sounding like an old man when I was trying to write like a teenager.
Thank you to Carole Watson for making me aware of the point at which this story could begin. I hope you enjoy what I did with the rest of it.
Thank you to Tracy Fenton for your support – and for your name – and all the thousand members of Facebook’s THE Book Club. Your ongoing support continues to amaze and delight me and I look forward to continuing this journey with you all.
My gratitude also goes towards Jane Snelgrove at Thomas & Mercer for bringing me into the fold, and to my book editor Ian Pindar for his invaluable assistance in making Laura that little bit nastier.
Thanks to Margaret McCulloch-Keeble for assisting me in my journey around a mortuary, and Karen-Lee Roberts for her assistance with police procedural work. And also to my friend Lyndsay Wiles for helping me to understand how it feels being a parent to a child with special needs. You have no idea how much I admire you.
This book is dedicated to the millions of kind-hearted, good, good people around the world who dedicate their spare time to helping others – be it in person, via a telephone conversation or through an online messageboard. You are unsung heroes.
Finally, thank you to whoever you are, for purchasing this book. Whether you’ve been with me from the start or have only just found me, you have my utmost appreciation.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
There are more than 400 organisations across the world made up of voluntary members who offer their time to talk to people with suicidal feelings. For details of your nearest organisation, please visit www.befrienders.org.