by Lorna Cook
By the final day, hardly anyone was left, but the last occupant to leave pinned a note to the church door.
Please treat the church and houses with care. We have given up our homes where many of us have lived for generations, to help win the war to keep men free.
We will return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.
However, shortly after the war, Tyneham became subject to a compulsory purchase order and today the population remains at zero.
Acknowledgements
I couldn’t have written this book without the unending support of my wonderful husband, Stephen, who put himself in charge of the children’s bedtimes almost every evening for a very long time so I could write.
Likewise to my wonderfully supportive mum, dad and in-laws, who volunteered for child-care duties when I was knee-deep in edits and proofs. I thank you.
My fantastic daughters, Emily and Alice, are a constant source of fun and amaze me daily. I’m very grateful I get to be both a mum and a writer, two of the best jobs in the world.
To my brilliant agent Becky Ritchie. Gosh, what can I say? You are endlessly positive and cheerful, work at lightning fast speed and found the most wonderful home for The Forgotten Village with Avon. For your ideas and support, thank you. Thanks also goes to the wonderful Alexandra McNicoll and her team, for finding great foreign publishers for The Forgotten Village.
It is my outstanding editor Rachel Faulkner-Willcocks who deserves so much praise for making this book what it is. Her thoughtful suggestions and fantastic ideas shaped the book entirely. Rachel, you felt like a real partner in crime and I am so grateful to you and to all at Avon for the fantastic behind-the-scenes work that goes into turning a manuscript into a book.
In 2016 I was lucky enough to get a coveted place on the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) New Writers’ Scheme. I owe a huge thanks to the RNA and to Alison May in particular, who provided excellent feedback on an early draft of this book as part of the New Writers’ Scheme.
Also through the RNA I’ve found some wonderful writing buddies. To my friends in the Chelmsford Chapter and especially my Write Club friends: Tracy, Peter, Sue, Karen, Nic and Snoopy, big thanks for writing chat, advice and lovely friendship.
And to you, the reader, the biggest thanks of all for buying a copy of The Forgotten Village. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it.
To keep in touch with me on social media follow me at:
www.lornacookauthor.com
Facebook: /LornaCookWriter
Instagram: /LornaCookAuthor
Twitter: @LornaCookAuthor
About the Author
Lorna Cook lives in coastal Essex with her husband, daughters, and a Staffy named Socks. A former journalist and publicist, she owns more cookery books than one woman should, but barely gets time to cook. The Forgotten Village is her first novel.
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
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22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, ON, M5H 4E3, Canada
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India
HarperCollins India
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Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
http://www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com