Acknowledgments

Sad as it was to write the last Scarlett Wakefield book, it was also hugely satisfying to weave all the threads together, and to bring all the characters together for the final showdown—especially as it meant that I got to spend some time with my sister and her family in Edinburgh researching locations! Holyroodhouse, the Scottish Parliament, Arthur’s Seat, and the cemetery are all as described, as are Leith and the Shore bar and restaurant. My nephew Ewan Macintyre very kindly drove me to the quarry party location and gave his name to the Ewan of the book; like that Ewan, he’s a very talented musician, singer, and puppet maker. You can find him at ewan-macintyre.co.uk. Thanks to Kim and Symon for putting us up—if you like puppetry, you should visit their site, puppetlab.com. And, not wanting to leave out anyone in their very artistic family, I should mention my niece Rachael’s online magazine, Brikolage (brikolage.co.uk). If you’re an aspiring artist or writer, it’s a great place to submit your work. Nuala Kennedy is a real person, and her music is just as beautiful as I describe it in the book; you can find her at nualakennedy.com. The main license I’ve taken is to move the time and location of the Celtic Connections festival, which actually happens in Glasgow around January and is superb—I really strongly recommend it.

Right, that’s all the Edinburgh info done! I need to thank Stephanie Lane Elliott, Krista Vitola, and Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte Press for being such strong supporters of Scarlett Wakefield’s adventures. Delacorte are a real powerhouse, and I’m very lucky to be with them now and for the future. My American agent, Deborah Schneider, and her right-hand woman, Cathy Gleason, always have my back, and I love them both to pieces. Chanchal, Gabrielle, Bonnie, Lauren, Cecilia, Damaris, Heather, Brooke, Amanda, Paula, Maggie, Dyanhea, Rebecca, Erin, Carlie, Dyana, Kelly, Cynthia, Nikki, Lucia, CNH, Zoe, Gabriella, Magda, Starr, Chelsie, Stephanie, Laura, Lisa Marie, Tia, Carolina, your lovely messages on MySpace were a real source of encouragement to me as I wrote this series—thanks so much! Randon Burns, thanks so much for your unflagging, puckish support and enthusiasm for my YA books. And Claudia Gabel, without you Scarlett would never have existed. Thank you so much for your help, encouragement, and tough love!

Now that I’ve come to the end of Scarlett’s adventures, I’m really excited to be starting a new series—set in Italy, featuring four English and American girls, mystery, adventure, sun-kissed days and sultry nights, dark family secrets, and, of course, quite a few hot Italian boys! Look for the first book in the series this time next year.…