Acknowledgements

First, I would like to dedicate this novel to Pete and Geoff of Virgin Radio 105.8 for not only giving me the incentive to get up every morning and drive to work, but also for playing Hoobastank at the exact moment I was trying to think of the perfect song to compliment my narrative. Thank guys! You are the best!

I would also like to extend my thanks to Melissa Hensley-Cohen for introducing me to the NaNoWriMo competition, and to Jenny Mathis for giving me a much-needed pep talk after hitting the Week Two Wall. They have brought out the tortured muse inside me and given me a chance to extend my (rushed) imagination to the worldwide arena that is the Internet.

Thanks also to my family who have been semi-supportive of my efforts: Anna, Heather, Christopher and Rosemary Benton. They don't really understand why I would do this and not get a prize at the end, but they did allow me to hide away in my bedroom every night and left me in peace to 'do my thang'. Thanks especially to Anna for answering my silly little questions that I pondered mid-sentence.

I'd like to use this chance to say 'Hello' to all my work colleagues at LBH, especially to Mark Beckett, Bob Blower, Christine Hall, Jessie Makani and Bobbie Woffindin, who all had kind words of encouragement during the gloom of Week Two. Extra special thanks to Mark Carrington and Noel Purcell for allowing me to be grumpy and tired for a month!

Mentions also to Laura Antoniotti, Pamela Dushi, Mina Gasparro, Tara Glynn, Debbie Hennessy, Nicky Livemore, Anne Newton, Linda Perkola, Andrew Poole, Rick Quinn, and Peter Ransom, 'cause if I didn't say something, they'd probably get mad at me!

Big thanks to Pete Jelf for selling me his laptop. Without it, those 'late nights turned early mornings' typing away in my front room would not have been possible!

Thanks to Hoobastank for The Reason, taken from their album The Reason. Download the official release media clip from http://www.hoobastank.com/v5/discography.asp

Thanks also to Mark Feehily of Westlife, who sang the first verse of Tonight so amazingly during the 2004 Turnaround Tour at Wembley that I simply had to put it in my text. I didn't actually go to the concert as I'm not really a fan but I have seen the DVD and it is one of the best live vocals I've heard for a long while. Hopefully Mr Feehily won't think I'm some crazed stalker… Tonight is taken from the album Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Vol. 1. Download the official release media clip from http://www.westlife.com/releases.php?track=76&id=37

Thanks, lastly, to Chris Baty, for the marvellous and wonderful idea that is the NaNoWriMo. His book in particular was of great help, and proudly sat alongside my dictionary and thesaurus throughout the entire venture. Buy No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide To Writing A Novel In 30 Days from http://www.amazon.com

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