I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Milly Johnson Page 0,131

land so that he could set up another factory and she didn’t need to pretend she had a fake fiancé any more because she had a real one. Reuben had surprised her with a ring on her birthday, a belter of a genuine diamond – Charlie would definitely have approved. And, if what Mary had discovered by accident hiding in Jack’s ensuite was hers, she wouldn’t have a naked third-finger left hand for much longer herself. She’d been practising her best surprised face. It was certainly an improvement on jellied fruits.

Mary Padgett thought that her dad would be extra-proud of her as he looked down on the person she had become, once the family baby, but always a daddy’s girl. She was no longer a young lass tossed helplessly in a sea of unrequited love, because it was very much requited these days. She would always be so proper and so capable, one of life’s Anne Elliots, but now she was the woman at the end of the book, united with her dashing Captain Wentworth, her heart content. And together they had cast off anchor, sailed their ship away from safe harbour and were on course to find everything they had ever hoped to find.

Never grow up so much that you stop believing in magic…

CHARLIE GLASER

Rules of Life by a Man who Lived Well

Acknowledgements

You will forgive me for a couple of fallacies in this book. Firstly, there is no Oxycophine drug – it’s totally made up. I remember reading how Stephen King had invented Novril in Misery, and if it was good enough for him, it’s good enough for me. And also I might have mucked about with some weather history. And there is no A7501 (which is sort of ‘lost’ backwards)

Sir Colin of Castle Street doesn’t exist, but he was inspired by the very funny Count Arthur Strong, who pulled me back to the joy of radio shows. And House of Quill doesn’t exist either. Their diaries are too expensive anyway.

Apologies to lovers of jellied fruits. If we could invent our own planets, mine would be totally lacking in these monstrosities and marzipan.

So to the ‘thank you’s for this book. Where do you start with so many people who deserve top billing? I have always been blessed with good editors who help to make the silk purse out of the sow’s ear. My copyeditor Sally Partington goes a shade greyer every time I work with her, but so far has never declined to work with me and I’m beyond thankful for that. I have to butter her up with either gin or craft beer for the next time, so I’m so glad that method works. My editor at Simon & Schuster Clare Hey directed me to where the story was lacking, where it was strong and I trust her direction implicitly – thank you so much you two belters.

The team at my publishers are so talented and devoted and hard-working. They come up with the goods every time, the marketing, the distribution, the posters, the graphics, the covers. Thank you to Ian Chapman, Suzanne Baboneau, Hayley McMullan, Sara-Jade Virtue (she also makes gin – stay on the right side of her, I will!), Rich, Gill, Joe, Jess, Dom, Pip and the so capable Alice Rodgers who never misses a trick. I appreciate you so much, one and all, and I hope I haven’t missed anyone.

Thank you to Emma Draude and Annabelle Wright at ED PR. You are so amazing to work with and like magic fairies adding sparkle and glitter. Never leave me.

Thank to you my kick-ass super-agent Lizzy Kremer, who is the woman you always need in your corner, and the crew at David Higham Associates, especially Maddalena Cavaciuti, who should be cloned. And Brian, obvs, who dishes the dosh.

Thank you to Gallery Books over there in the US: Molly and Kate, and Christine, who does a sterling job of trying to translate Yorkshire into American. The editorial notes are fascinating and so funny sometimes. I’m learning a whole new language. And, I suspect, so are they.

Thank you to Stu Gibbins my web designer. Possibly one of the most talented blokes who ever existed and someone I’m glad to call my friend.

Thank you David Gordon of www.dcgbusinessplus.co.uk, my go-to knowledgeable bloke about legal stuff, in this case what to do if you’ve been stuck in a divorce impasse for over five years (shudders!). As always full of practical common sense. And obviously to Mary Smith there too, who