Tomorrow, Alfie Slider vs the Shape Shifter will be officially published.

It’s been an amazing journey over the last two(ish) years since I started writing, and there have been many ups and downs along the way; but this post isn’t about that. This post is about saying thank you to all the amazing people who have helped me along the way.

Thank you to my children; Aiden and Niamh. You’ve been my inspiration, my first readers. my harshest critics and my most fervent supporters.

Thank you to my beta readers, Joseph, Nicole, Monique, Ayda and Nancy Mae. You gave me great insight into what worked and what didn’t, and your enthusiasm kept me going when the rejections came in.

Thank you to my colleagues from York Writers and beyond, especially the members of the Novelist Support Group. It is no exaggeration to say that this book wouldn’t have happened without you, and your warmth, enthusiasm and expertise.

Thank you to my friends and family, especially Caroline, Sally, and Jen who have read for me, lifted me up when I was down and celebrated my successes. I’ve been blown away with the support, the desire to help and see me succeed. I’m truly humbled and grateful to have you.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on social media. Reading this blog, following me on Twitter, liking the Facebook page and joining the Thunderclap. As an Indie author, anything that helps me get my message out is invaluable. All the likes, shares, re-tweets, comments? They made me feel hopeful that others shared my enthusiasm for this story.

Thank you to Silverwood books, especially my publishing assistant Annie who was the first to read Alfie Slider and championed it. Also huge props to their design department for coming up with the perfect cover. Really, it’s amazing. Everyone I’ve shown it to has loved it.

Thank you to the schools, bookshops, libraries and events who have let me visit, or are going to let me visit in the coming months and to the media for their coverage.  I am so excited by what this year has to offer.

Finally, the most important thank you of all. For Valentine’s Day a few years back, my husband bought me a course on writing for children. Since then he has been relentlessly supportive. He made Alfie Slider possible not just in a practical sense, but by making me believe it was possible each and every single time I faltered. Thank you, David.

Tomorrow is quite literally a dream come true for me; my childhood ambition has come to fruition. I am an author, my book is in the British Library! Alfie Slider is a little bit magic, there’s an energy to it that escapes and makes people’s eyes shine with excitement. Now I’ve released him into the world, and I get to sit back and see that spread around the globe.

Wow.

Thank you.