The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness

by Laura Kemp

  Acknowledgements

  Huge thanks – and a Welsh diolch yn fawr – go to everyone involved in this book.

  First to the dream team, made up of my agent Lizzy Kremer and Clare Hey, publishing director at Orion. Lizzy, for her peerless vision and direction – to say I worship her is playing it down a bit. And Clare, whose gorgeous heart and sharp mind transformed my manuscript.

  The wonderful Clare Bowron, who was an early reader and, once again, got it ship-shape with her incredible insight. And David Higham’s Harriet Moore and Olivia Barber for the cheerleading.

  At Orion, Katie Seaman, for her fantastic input, and Sally Partington, who gives the best copy edit on earth – to you both, thank you for the make-over. The wonderful Lauren Woosey and Jennifer Breslin, too. Plus Robyn Neild, whose beautiful artwork not just matched my imagination but exceeded it. And I love having my name as a smile!

  I must also thank Angharad Rhys, who checked my Welsh – any mistakes are mine, all mine.

  Thumbs up to the author community, particularly Milly Johnson and Lucy Diamond, for the encouragement and laughs. Same goes for the book bloggers, reviewers, Facebookers, Tweeters and Instagrammers who keep me company during the long, lonely writing hours.

  Big love to my friends whose kindness made this possible – you gave me your ears and shoulders and provided childcare and food parcels, which kept me going. I couldn’t have done it without you.

  To the king and queen of kindness, Mum and Dad, who taught me the importance of giving a warm welcome and counting my blessings. My mother-in-law Bev and father-in-law Peter, who started this all off decades ago with their holidays in West Wales.

  To Paddy, you make my heart burst with happiness.

  Finally to Jamie, not just my rock but my sheep rock, who’d do anything to be bored. In the meantime, you better go to the pub to check your emails.

  About the author

  Laura Kemp writes tender but hilarious romantic comedies which are unashamed love letters to the every­woman. She is a journalist and has written for the Guardian, Daily Mail and the Sun among others. Laura lives with her husband, son, their ancient cat and stupid dog in Cardiff, where she goes running so she can stuff her face with crisps.

  Follow all her book news at

  facebook.com/Laurakempbooks

  or on

  Twitter and Instagram @Laurajanekemp

  Copyright

  AN ORION EBOOK

  First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Orion Books

  Ebook first published in 2017 by Orion Books

  Copyright © Laura Kemp 2017

  The right of Laura Kemp to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN: 978 1 4091 7484 4

  The Orion Publishing Group Ltd

  Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  An Hachette UK company

  www.orionbooks.co.uk