Below Zero

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

When my publisher, Barry Cunningham, mentioned that he’d read about an organization that was planning to send people on a one-way trip to Mars, I was fascinated. Imagine leaving Earth knowing that you will never return! There was definitely an exciting story in that idea, so I found out as much as I could about the project to colonize Mars, and then I began to write. But once I had begun, I discovered a story nothing like the one I had expected. My story about sending people to Mars didn’t even leave our own planet. Instead of heading up into the skies, I dug down into the ice and discovered that my story lay much closer to home.

But the digging wasn’t easy – the ice was thick and hard – and I needed some help along the way, so I’d like to thank Barry and Rachel L for all their priceless advice, and for listening to all my strange ideas about what might be lurking beneath our feet. I’d also like to thank Claire for her most excellent editorial support. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we do (tut tut!), so huge thanks to Rachel H who has been very patient and done an amazing job with the cover, and to Steve who has also worked hard on making Below Zero look extra cool. Thanks also to all the other brilliant Chickens who have had a hand in bringing this book to life – Kesia, Elinor, Esther, Jazz, Laura, and Sarah; you’re all awesome and it’s a joy to work with you!

One more thing. I’d like to take a quick moment to acknowledge my former agent Carolyn Whitaker, who died in June last year. Carolyn was an old-school agent and a formidable woman. I had never met anyone quite like her before, and probably never will again. She was honest, direct, protective, sometimes brutal, and always fun to be with. I will be ever grateful to Carolyn for everything she did to develop my career as an author, and for all the advice and support she gave me. It took me a while to find someone to take over where Carolyn left off, but I now have a new agent, Ella Kahn, who has already proved to be more than I had hoped for. Now I’m thinking about my next book, and I’m looking forward to working with the dream team of Ella and Chicken House.

That’s all.