Except I’m proof that you don’t need to be any of those.
Now, I’m firmly of the belief that if you want to write a book, what have you got to lose by giving it a whirl? Get the words down on the page, find yourself a fabulous agent like Tanera Simons at Darley Anderson to champion you, brilliant editors like Catherine Richards at Minotaur and Vicki Mellor at Pan Macmillan to impart their wisdom, and you’ll be surprised how quickly the wondrous team around you grows.… Nettie Finn, Joseph Brosnan, Hector deJean, Dakota Cohen, Amber Cortes, Rebecca Lloyd, Rebecca Needes, Mary Darby, Georgia Fuller, Kristina Egan, Sheila David, Rosanna Bellingham … all go the extra mile to get their author’s words read by as many people as possible.
Another reason I held back from writing fiction for so long was that I didn’t think I was well-traveled enough. But then I listened to a famous author talk about his novel set in America’s deep south. I’d read the book and had been transported there myself; blinded by the writer’s knowledge and memories of a place and time he must surely have experienced personally. Except he then admitted that he’d never traveled south of New York! Proving that now, with the power of the internet and the connectivity we’re all able to create, you can go anywhere, experience anything, and get answers to questions you don’t know. To this end, I’ll be forever grateful to my army of American friends who helped me out with references and memories that made Naomi the woman she is: Debbie Anderson Jessica Baxter Carol Bibb
Donna Block
Cindy Bokma
Lisa Boris
Kimberley Brewer Jasmin Brodie Erin Christiansen Sarah Deaner Maria Denmark Samantha Fugate Trisha Glenn Jordan Gomez Kristina Hayes Jennifer Herkert Mallory Knott Amber Laurito Briana Miceli Leah Mossor
Christine Mott Kimberley Mussell Emily Ostlund Heather Starr Sarah Yum
Big thanks also to my friends on home soil who continue to support and encourage me, and to Rob, Oliver, Lucy, and Oscar, who continue to put up with me! I couldn’t do this without you.
Thank you so much for reading The Blame Game—I know how many books there are out there and I will never take it for granted that you chose mine. I hope you enjoyed it. And for any aspiring writers who have been wanting to do this for ages: I look forward to reading your work soon!
Best wishes, Sandie x