‘No.’ He shrugged, scratching at a spot behind his ear.
‘But my father, he sometimes calls it “Die ersten Stücke der Liebe” – but only to me.’
‘Do you know what that means in English?’ the woman asked, smiling as the boy’s face lit up with another smile.
‘Ja, of course,’ he said. ‘It means “The First Pieces of Love”.’
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Acknowledgements
It is to you, dear reader – and indeed to all readers of romantic fiction – that I must say my first thank you. Your support and passion for this genre is what keeps us authors plugging away day after day, and I feel enormously privileged that you chose my book from the many hundreds out there in the world.
To my wonderful agent, Hannah Ferguson, thank you for always being unfailingly wise, kind, strong and brilliant. And that goes for the whole team at Hardman & Swainson – you all work so hard, while all I do is sit around in my pants making up stories. I am very lucky.
Kimberley Atkins, you were with me right at the start of this journey and for some reason wanted me back again. For this and a million other reasons, I am extremely grateful. Editing is your super power and I hope that together we can make this book fly even further than Superman, or Iron Man, or even, er, Dumbo. (Well, I had to get a Disney mention in somewhere!)
To the incredible team at Hodder & Stoughton, you are all shiny pennies in my wishing well of publishing dreams. Thank you for making me feel so very welcome from the first moment I signed on the dotted line. Eve Hall, you nailed it yet again with this title. Amy Batley, you are so organised it puts Kondo to shame. Myrto Kalavrezou, you’ve made me love publicity more than pubs (which is quite a feat). Jo Myler, this cover is a fresh and feel-good slice of beauty. Libby Earland, you and Imogen succeeded in making me look far less like a foot than I ever have before, and Helen Parham, your copyedit has definitely made me look cleverer. Massive thanks to you all – and the rest of the team at large.
To the early readers, bloggers, reviewers, tweeters, hashtaggers, Instagrammers and book champions far and wide, if I could kiss all of you, I would, even if it gave me a cold sore. Thank you for doing what you do and sharing my books with friends, family and followers. You are the big beating heart of this industry; I love you all very much.
I could easily sit here and thank each of my author friends one by one, but happily there are just too many of you now to make that feasible. From the Book Camp crew to my Nearest & Dearest chums and those who are always there at the end of the phone (or at the bar) when I have needed you, thank you for propping me up and reminding me that we have the best job in the world. Every time I think about all the new people I have met and can now call friends, my heart swells fit to burst. I have found my people.
To my friends and family. Most of you are mystified as to what exactly it is I do when I shut myself away for weeks – often months – on end, but you’re always there when I re-emerge (somewhat more frazzled) on the other side. It is you who keep me laughing, keep me inspired, keep the bar staff busy at my launches and keep me wanting to be the best writer that I can. And for that, you get the biggest slice of my thankful pie.
And lastly (not leastly) to Mum. I wish you could love yourself even a fraction of the amount you love me, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t. I have enough in my heart for both of us.
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