by Anna Mansell
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Full of truths about friendship, marriage, and the relationships that define us, Her Best Friend’s Secret is a powerful, relatable and emotionally gripping novel for fans of Jojo Moyes, Diane Chamberlain, and The Silent Wife.
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Order now!
Acknowledgements
Writing acknowledgments is hard – you don’t want to miss anybody out because, like the saying ‘raising children takes a village’, keeping an author sane when writing a first draft, a second draft, or however many more until it finally comes out into the world, that takes more than a village. A city? A county? A fair gaggle of brilliant people who believe you can do it, even when you’re not entirely certain?
To that end, the first person I’d like to thank is my brilliant editor, Isobel Akenhead. Honestly, I’ve said it before, but she’s quite simply brilliant. You know when you know someone gets you, understands what you’re trying to say, believes you can say it and only occasionally has to point out that you’ve a sweary mouth and a penchant for references that may not in fact be understood by anyone outside of a very tight geographic locale. And apologies to her for the amount of toilet humour in my early drafts. I did not intend to turn you into the bad-taste humour police. Tabards!
I couldn’t thank Isobel without mentioning some of the other, incredible team members at Bookouture. The longer I write, the more I hear about other writers’ experiences, and it reminds me how lucky I am to continue my relationship with the team. They work tirelessly, they’re supportive, they understand we’re human beings with lives that can sometimes impact on our work, and they treat us all with the same respect, commitment and dedication as each other. Plus they throw a bloody lovely summer party where we all get out of our writing rooms and meet up in real life, and despite my being fundamentally anti-social, it’s become an absolute highlight of my year. Particular mention should also go to Noelle and Kim, the very best publicity managers you could hope to work with. I don’t know how they do it, but they do. Every bloomin’ time!
I’d also like to thank the Empowered Women of Cornwall, a closed group of likeminded women who offer support, friendship and guidance to other women in our beautiful county. When I knew that some of Jem’s story would explore gaslighting, I turned to them and invited their experiences to inform my writing. Several of them wrote to me with such honesty, insight and openness, I will be forever grateful for their words and really hope that I’ve done that aspect of the story justice.
Who else? The brilliant bloggers who read and review our books. There is such a vibrant community of book bloggers across the world, and I’ve been privileged to have received some very warm and supportive reviews of previous books. These reviews not only make a difference to sales and the profile of our work, but they often come at a time when we’re terrified about our new book baby and how it will be received. I really hope that those who’ve supported my last four books will feel this fifth is worthy of their championship.
Thank you to brilliant writer mates, without whom I’d definitely have lost my marbles by now. Thanks also to my brilliant mate mates, the ones I actually see in real life… apart from the times I cancel coffee or lunch because I’m writing and lose all track of time, reality and human connection. Speaking of human connection, thank you to Him Indoors for a) putting up with me when I’m really not terribly present, and b) working so hard to keep me in the manner I’d like to be accustomed to. I know I still haven’t quite managed to buy you that boat in return yet, but if I gave up, it’d never happen, right?
And finally, a great big thank you to my kids. Sometimes, particularly in first draft stages, I think you get the short straw when it comes to mums. Please know that I do the very best I can, I love you endlessly, and will always work hard to be better. Sorry for all the late/burned/inedible teas. But look, I wrote another book! I hope it makes you even just the smallest bit as proud of me as I am of you both.
Published by Bookouture in 2020
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An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
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www.bookouture.com
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Copyright © Anna Mansell, 2020
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Anna Mansell has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
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eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-623-3
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.