Blacklands

Acknowledgments

BLACKLANDS WAS WRITTEN WITH THE WELCOME HELP OF A WRITERS’ Bursary from Academi in Cardiff. Thanks to Christina Pomery for her help with prison research, and to Jack Cryer for being the hand of Steven. I am grateful to my agent, Jane Gregory, and the team at Simon & Schuster for taking a chance on a first timer. Also to Eve and Michael Williams-Jones for their generosity in instituting the Carl Foreman Award, without which I would never have been able to give up the day job and become a writer of any description. Last but not least, thank you to all my wonderful friends and family, who always had faith in me—even when I was sure they were wrong.