The Umbrella Mouse
Page 17
Thank you to my super agent Chloe Seager at Northbank Talent Agency for believing in me. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel grateful for your support, dedication and unparalleled sense of humour. My sincere thanks also go to the rest of the Northbank team and especially its founder, Diane Banks, for having faith in me and introducing me to the publishing world.
To my enormously talented editor, Lucy Pearse at Macmillan Children’s Books, whose intelligence and imagination impressed me from the moment we met. I am eternally indebted to you for seeing something in The Umbrella Mouse. You’ve weaved editorial magic into its pages and I cannot thank you enough for making it the book that it is today. I’ve loved every minute.
To the superlative team at Macmillan Children’s Books: Venetia Gosling for taking me on; PR wizards Jo Hardacre, Alyx Price and marketing ace Kat McKenna for getting the word out; to Tracey Ridgewell for designing a beautiful front cover and the insides. It’s an honour to work with you all.
To the incredible illustrator, Sam Usher: you have brought my words to life in the most evocative way and the book would not be the same without you. Each image is a joy to behold and it’s a privilege to share a page with you.
To Fraser Crichton for copy-editing and to Nick de Somogyi for proofreading, I really appreciate all the time you spent on my MS.
To Marie-Madeleine Fourcade and Léon Faye. I hope I have done your extraordinary stories justice. They deserve to be known everywhere.
To Clare Povey and James Rennoldson at Writers & Artists for their ongoing support and for introducing me to Cressida Downing, who taught me everything about the submission process. She was the first person to read my manuscript and believe in my mad idea about a mouse living inside an umbrella joining the French Resistance. Without her encouragement and editorial advice, I may have never quietened my crippling self-doubt and shown it to anyone, let alone a literary agent. So huge thanks to you, Cressi. We’ll soon celebrate the book’s publication over cocktails (as promised!)
To the authors, editors, booksellers and book bloggers who have already been so kind: to Michael Morpurgo, as one of your many mega-fans, I had an out-of-body experience when I read your quote for the book; to Gill Lewis, yours made my heart sing; to Fiona Noble for including me in your previews – I still feel light on my feet; to Mel Taylor-Bessent for inviting me to Authorfy – I have so many excited butterflies.
To the Imperial War Museum, I could not have written this book without your incomparable exhibitions and resources.
To James Smith & Sons Umbrellas in London, thank you for maintaining the original features inside your shop and supporting The Umbrella Mouse. I hope you keep your eyes peeled for intrepid mice!
To my husband, James, my best friend, my writing companion, my heart. Words cannot express how much you mean to me. I cherish every moment with you.
To my friends and family: thank you for your enduring support, kind ears and honest guidance.
To my parents, Tim and Lizzie, for always encouraging my siblings and I to be creative and for taking us on long family holidays exploring Scotland, Italy and Portugal, where we did very little but read books all day in the sun.
To Zoë, Matthew and Ed for always being there (and for suggesting the strapline, Zo) and to Auntie Banana: thank you for your excellent advice.
I must also apologize to my friends and family for the times I had to be absent from weddings, birthdays and gatherings because I was juggling jobs and novel-writing. I’ve learnt some lessons and I hope I won’t have to do it again.
And to you, dear reader. I give you my deepest thanks for coming on Pip’s adventures with me. I hope you’ll join me for the next one.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Fargher was raised in a creative hub on the Suffolk coast by an artist and a ballet teacher. She read English Literature at Goldsmiths before working in the British art world and opening her own gallery. The Umbrella Mouse is her first book, which she wrote on her phone’s notepad during her daily commute on the London Underground. She splits her time between London and Suffolk, where she is often found exploring the coastline and marshlands under the huge East Anglian skies.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Sam Usher graduated from the University of West England and his debut picture book Can You See Sassoon?was shortlisted for the Waterstones Prize and the Red House Children’s Book Award. He is particularly admired for his technical drawing skill and prowess with watercolour. Also a talented pianist, when he’s not holding a pen and wobbling it at paper, you’ll find him perfecting a fiendishly difficult piece of Chopin.
First published 2019 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This electronic edition published 2019 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-5290-0398-7
Text copyright © Anna Fargher 2019
Illustrations copyright © Sam Usher 2019
Illustrated by Sam Usher
The right of Anna Fargher and Sam Usher to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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