A Girl Called Malice. Aurelia Rowl B.

      This is the book that didn’t want to be written but with a lead character like Alice, I should have expected nothing less. At times Alice had me wanting to pull my hair out, refusing to let me inside her head, but she finally learned to trust me and allowed me write her story.

      As ever, humongous thanks must go to my husband for keeping everything going on the home front, ferrying the kids to school and everywhere else and for holding the fort, especially in the run up to deadline when I locked myself away to get the words on the page. I guess I should also thank my children for letting me get on without too many distractions but it’ll be a few years yet until they’re old enough to read this book.

      Massive thanks go to my fabulous editor, Anna Baggaley, for your patience and support while I struggled to get Alice’s story on paper. Your feedback and guidance has been invaluable and your praise and encouragement has bolstered my confidence and helped me to produce a story that I am very proud to have written. But yeah—phew —I’m glad it’s all done now…until the next book in the series, of course.

      Thanks also to my good friends Jo and Sara, for listening to me complain when things weren’t going as well as I’d hoped and for coming up with various ideas (i.e. bribes like advent calendars and Thornton’s chocolate) to keep me motivated.

      Speaking of friends, my ABCs have been there for me at every stage and I appreciate you all immensely. A special mention must go to Debbie Wentlein, of I Heart YA Books—alpha reader extraordinaire—so please stop by her blog and Facebook page and tell her I sent you. Unknown to Debbie, I changed a character’s name during the latter stage of edits and I hope Debbie likes the surprise. And then there are my ‘Antics’ who pick up the baton and read the books I write and help to spread the word.

      I’d also like to give a shout-out to my fellow Carina UK authors to say how amazing you all are, especially Katlyn Duncan, Kierney Scott and Kerry Barrett for your input during the first draft. Thanks to the power of social media, a bunch of us are turning into a pretty tight-knit group made up of incredibly talented writers, across several different genres, and it is my privilege to consider many of you as my friends.

      Many thanks must go to the wonderful staff at The Venue at Wimberry Hill for allowing me to explore and include their beautiful premises in Alice’s story. I would never have believed such a place could exist had I not seen it with my own eyes; I only hope I have done the place justice.

      And finally to you, the reader; thank you for giving me this chance to write the stories I love and for welcoming characters like Lena, Jake, Zac, Alice, Flick, Nathan and the rest of the crazy gang from Popping the Cherry into your lives. I hope you can learn to forgive Alice as you embark on her story in A Girl Called Malice…