by James Nicol
WINGED GRIPPETS
These dark spirit creatures stand around forty centimetres tall, have hoglike faces and tusked mouths. Each of their four legs ends in many-fingered, dextrous hands. They are not terribly dangerous unless they swarm, when they can cause considerable damage and disruption.
So now we are two!
Now let me tell you, second books are just a little bit tricksy, I’m not going to lie – tricksier than I thought they would be, in fact. But, as ever, I am so thankful to numerous wonderful people who gave their kind love and support whilst I was writing A Witch Alone.
My thanks, as ever, to Imogen Cooper and the Golden Egg Academy family for continuing to offer support post-hatching and my transformation into a chicken!
Lorraine Gregory and Vashti Hardy, the best writing friends you could ever ask for. Thank you for always being there for every little triumph and occasional tragedy, for wisdom, laughs and for helping to come up with the title! And sorry for getting the giggles during the zombie apocalypse! Much love.
Karen Minto and Sian Schwar – thank you for helping to uncover Gimma’s rather dark side at the Golden Egg workshop. I pray I’m never interrogated by either of you ever again.
To the most brilliant agent ever, the incomparable Kate Shaw (total legend!) for doing all the business stuff so I don’t have to, for thoughtful input on all levels and for always making time and telling it like it is. I love working with you.
Thanks to my wonderful colleagues at Cambridgeshire Libraries for all the support, especially Brenda, Rosie, Anne, Lou, Sue, Yueh-Wen and Marjorie who have ensured I didn’t get too ‘authory’ on them and coping with everything! I’ve had three wonderful bosses whilst writing my second book; huge thanks to Lynda, Elaine and Sue for being so flexible, supportive and excited – especially Elaine who didn’t mind when I totally fluffed up my calendar . . . once or twice!
Lots of love to the splendiferous Chicken House team, Rachel H, Jazz, Laura S, Laura M, Esther and Sarah, for all the little and massive things they do behind the scenes, for making everything fun, for making me feel like part of the family and just being total stars! Extra big hugs to Elinor for helping my little witch find new homes around the world – something I never even dreamt of happening!
And to my fellow Chicken House authors especially Ally, Maya, Kiran, Maz, Kate, Emma, Sarah, Natasha, Laurel, Lucy and Chris. You are all inspiring and brilliant.
To the wide and lovely community of children’s authors, thank you for the kind welcome. And much love and thanks to Emma Carroll, Abi Elphinstone, Robin Stevens, Katherine Woodfine, Ross Montgomery, Lara Williamson, Peter Bunzl, Perdita and Honor Cargill, Katherine and Elizabeth Corr, Sophia Bennett, and Lucy Coats, for your support, kindness and friendship.
To all the many brilliant reviewers and wonderful bloggers who took time to read and share lovely words about The Apprentice Witch – thank you a squillion times over! HUGE thanks to Jo Clarke, Vincent Ripley and Laura Noakes for being particularly vocal champions.
To all the wonderful bookshops and booksellers who have taken The Apprentice Witch to their hearts and pressed it into the hands of readers up and down the country and been excited for the second book – at last . . . here it is!
Thank you to my wonderful family and gorgeous friends for being the very best fans the books could have, for being twice as excited as I am all the time and for all buying copies of The Apprentice Witch like they were going out of fashion.
And the most thanks of all to the most superb editors, Barry, Rachel L and Kesia for their patience whilst we got everything right, for keeping me on track and reminding me of the important stuff, for letting me go a bit wrong and helping me find my way back again and for staying calm all the way through. Extra special thanks to Kesia for her most fantastic idea which gave A Witch Alone a wonderful ending, for cheering me on and for loving all the characters and taking as much care of them as I do and for making sure Arianwyn maintains a balanced diet and doesn’t just eat chocolate cake for lunch . . .
And last, but never least – dear reader, you’ve done it again, read this far – aren’t you super! Thank you for coming on another adventure with us, and I hope you join us for many more. You are the book’s most vital ingredient, completing the story with your own amazing imagination. So, thank YOU! You are the very best.
Text © James Nicol 2018
First paperback edition published in Great Britain in 2018
This electronic edition published in 2018
Chicken House
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www.chickenhousebooks.com
James Nicol has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
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Produced in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY
Cover and interior design by Steve Wells
Cover and interior illustrations © Daniela Terrazzini
Map © David Wardle
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data available.
PB ISBN 978-1-910655-97-9
eISBN 978-1-911077-63-3