SAMARITANS
The charity was founded in 1953 by Chad Varah, a Church of England vicar working in London. The idea for setting up the suicide helpline came when he officiated at the funeral of a 14-year-old girl who’d taken her own life.
As of 2016 there were 21,200 volunteers operating across 201 branches throughout the UK and Ireland.
STALKING
The National Stalking Helpline estimates that in any given year five million people experience stalking. Statistics show that the majority of victims (80.4 per cent) are female, while the majority of perpetrators (70.5 per cent) are male.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
One in four women will experience domestic violence at some point in her life. On average, police receive an emergency call relating to a domestic incident every thirty seconds. Two women die every week at the hands of a current or former partner.
Over a third of women will be physically assaulted by their partner for the first time during pregnancy.
Source: Refuge Annual Report 2015–16.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sincere thanks to all the wonderful people at Amazon who helped bring this book to fruition.
First and foremost to Editorial Director, Emilie Marneur, for commissioning the novel. Her encouragement, along with her patience – affording me the time I needed to complete the project – was paramount in driving me forward and keeping me focused throughout a rather challenging process.
To Acquisitions Editor, Sammia Hamer, for her dedication and enthusiasm from the start. Her astute insights, following her reading of the first draft, were both uplifting and inspiring. I knew I could trust her judgement fully.
To Victoria Pepe, Sammia’s successor, for her fresh and practised eye in the final stages of the project.
To my Editor, Katie Green, for her excellent work. Her comprehensive understanding of the narrative and what I was trying to achieve through each successive edit was superb. She prompted me down paths I was initially hesitant to explore, and the novel has benefited greatly from her guidance and good counsel.
My heartfelt appreciation also to copyeditor Sarah Fakray and proofreader Julia Bruce.
To the lovely Catherine Mullins for reading my first draft within two days and calling me immediately to tell me how much she’d enjoyed it. Such words were a delight to hear and so much appreciated at a time of uncertainty.
Last but not least to my husband David for his keen-eyed observations and advice throughout the writing process. I would not be the writer I am today without his love, support and endless encouragement.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christina McKenna grew up near the village of Draperstown, Northern Ireland. She attended the Belfast College of Art, where she obtained an honours degree in Fine Art. Having studied English as a postgraduate at the University of Ulster, she taught abroad for several years. She has lived, worked and painted pictures in Spain, Turkey, Italy, Ecuador and Mexico.
In 2004 she published a memoir, followed by two non-fiction titles on the paranormal: The Dark Sacrament (2006) and Ireland’s Haunted Women (2010).
In 2011 she embarked on the Tailorstown Trilogy, a series of novels set in and around a fictional Ulster village. The books – The Misremembered Man, The Disenchanted Widow and The Godforsaken Daughter – were highly successful and have been translated into several languages.
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