A Lovely Way to Burn

Acknowledgements

The inspiration for A Lovely Way to Burn goes back to my early childhood, a mild obsession with ‘the bomb’, the television dramas, Threads by Barry Hines and Survivors by Terry Nation. The idea that the collapse of civilisation is imminent has been around since ancient times. Personally, I am amazed that we have survived this long, and while I don’t exactly look forward to the end of the world as we know it, the knowledge that it may be just around the corner probably enhances the way I live. Many people have helped with this book. Sincere thank yous go to Audrey Rae and Jennifer Scammell who helped with medical research, but are most definitely not responsible for any inaccuracies or flights of fancy that I may have added. Eleanor Birne has been an outstanding editor and I have also benefited from the advice and support of my publisher Roland Philipps and my agent David Miller (who hates to be thanked). My partner, the writer Zoë Strachan, was once again my first reader and frequently set aside her own work to look at mine. I should also thank my family, who never complain about the amount of time I spend at my desk, even though it means I often shamefully neglect them.

I would also like to thank everyone at Cove Park, where I spent a very happy month and where I began this book, especially Peter and Ellen Jacobs, Polly Clark and Julian Forrester.