Bono

Acknowledgments

It takes more than one person to create a book, and in this case Bono has hundreds of guardian angels. Without the unwavering devotion of Michaela Hamilton and Vida Engstrand to rescue cats, I would never have encountered the rock star cat or met the dedicated people who work at Bideawee.

Philip has been incredibly generous in encouraging me to write this book. Through the year I was working on it, he demonstrated limitless patience reading the latest pages aloud every night. Not only did this give him the opportunity to veto the worst of my transgressions, it helped me find a sense of rhythm in the sentences.

My sister, Mary Dryden, in New Plymouth, New Zealand, has also been wonderfully supportive reading extracts of the book. Like the best of big sisters, she never criticized but kept asking, “What happens next?”

Huge thanks to my daughter, Lydia Brown, for being part of the Bono story. I’ve never seen her so moved by an animal, and I’m sure some day she’ll fulfil her dream of having a rescue cat. The first time I wrote about her, I was about to give birth to her, so she’s had a lot to put up with through the years.

A big hug to our younger daughter, Katharine Gentry. I treasure her ceaseless optimism about what I do—not to mention her astute editorial eye. I can’t thank Kath enough for her kindness and care helping me recover from surgery while I was working on this book.

To son Rob, his wife Chantelle, and their daughters Annie and Stella, I love the times we spend together (even if I can’t stand up as fast as you, Stella). You enrich my life more than you know.

Without my extraordinarily talented Australian editor, Jude McGee, I’d most likely still be in the supermarket trying to decide between red potatoes or brown ones. Ten years ago, when Jude scooped the manuscript of Cleo off a pile and saw a glimmer of possibility in it, she changed my world.

I’m grateful to my agent, Anne Hawkins, for her stalwart support. Thanks, too, to Karen Auerbach, director of publicity at Kensington Publishers. And to the enormous number of people who, when they read about Bono on the Huffington Post, took his plight to their hearts. Their generous words meant a great deal through the bleak days when it looked as if he would never find a home.

Speaking of which, the greatest heroes of this story are Monique and Berry. Their kindheartedness and compassion for a terminally ill animal is an inspiration. This book is my homage to them and all the saints who welcome lost and broken souls into their homes.