Acknowledgments

These are acknowledgments for “A Thread of Secrets”

I am grateful for the life my parents gave me. They left me too early and embarked on another journey, but I am sure they are happy and watch over me from wherever they are. I wouldn’t be where I am now if not for their love, support and the strength I inherited from them. 

My endless love and gratitude to my husband, Niall, for his support and encouragements. He was my first reader, editor, patient listener and a great help in so many ways. I was telling only him about Grace for years, taking his time away from work. He patiently listened again and again. The manuscript was re-written many times. One day we just realised that I had to move on with it, to show it to an editor and see what would happen. Otherwise, I would have kept editing it myself and making changes which could take me away from the original story. With all my confidence, I was not brave enough on my own as I worried about my English, but Niall supported me all the way, encouraging to continue writing in English, instead of my native language, Russian. He supplied me with dictionaries, a Thesaurus and helpful books to read. He also helped me with researching information I needed for the book. And in moments of frustration Niall would just hug me, saying “It takes time, but you will get there!” Thank you, my love, we got there together.

A special thank you to my editors:

Lisa Costello for accepting my manuscript and pointing me in the right direction. I admit there was a time when I was lost because of changing POV (point of view), but when I was shown the way to go, there was no way back. I kept the pen in my hand and head down to paper. The whole manuscript was re-written in less than two months. I had the most challenging time that summer, but enjoyed my writing following Liza’s comments. It was a crucial time for “A Thread of Secrets”, but we did it.

Kirsty Parkinson for more red lines and challenges. I knew after my manuscript was shaped into a different POV it needed more editing. We discussed style preferences and spelling, which are very important. I learned about it at an early stage and more from Kirsty during editing work. She had a delicate way of recommending changes. Her comments and suggestions were clear and concise. The work was delivered on time. It was a pleasure working with a professional who understands you.

Richard Bradburn for proofreading, which was done in December; a very busy time when everyone’s mind was about the coming Christmas. Nevertheless, Richard took the work and was very helpful at the last stage of editing my manuscript.

The book cover was created by Claire O’Donovan in Autumn 2023, but we kept working together until almost publishing day in February 2024. Sometimes, it is a mystery how things work. Claire understood me straight away and what I wanted. There were a few adjustments afterwards, but the book cover you see now was Claire’s first draft. And I loved it. She also helped me with formatting the book, with bookmarks, stickers, business cards etc. Working with Claire was easy and stress free. She always replied quickly and often finished the work before the estimated time. Thanks a million Claire for your understanding and patience with me.

Thank you, Rachel Drury, for the fantastic opportunity to display my novel on the wonderful platform Buythebook, through which I also keep meeting amazing people and fellow writers. Rachel is very supportive to us authors, and helps as much as she can with the information we need about the publishing world.

There are many people who I met during the publishing process. I would like to thank the printing companies, website developers, the bookshops for taking “A Thread of Secrets” on to their shelves, book reviewers, friends and fellow authors who believed in me and supported me, and are still supporting me! My endless thank you to all readers and those who found the time to leave a review. It is so important to receive your feedback.

Please do not hesitate to write your review on Goodreads or send it to author@tatianatierney.com

Thanks a million to all for spreading the word about “A Thread of Secrets!” It means the world to me!

Tatiana