Читать книгу Travesty - Hayden Bradford - Страница 8

I am told by those far more qualified than me in the art of writing, that every writer requires help. I required much help. I greatly appreciate the assistance that came my way from the following people.

My wife Jackie was instrumental in me finishing this book. Jackie not only provided me the support and encouragement I needed when I became frustrated with my brain not working at times, and hence frustrated with this project, but she also laboured through a manuscript, or two, three, four, maybe ten. She, and she alone, has travelled the journey with me. She knows it well, better than me, better than anyone. As I don’t have enough words to adequately describe my love for her, I’ll simply say, ‘Somewhere, somehow, somebody’s God was smiling on me when we met.’

Our two children Brianna and Liam continually provide me with the excuse I need for my childish escapes from adulthood. With them I can create mayhem; without them I am a lesser man. My children also give me the ability to view the world through their eyes, the eyes of kids. I enjoy their world; it’s less complicated than mine. In their world there is no killing, no suffering, no pain – only happiness, fun, and simplicity. I like their world better than mine. To my children, many thanks indeed.

My publishers at Dennis Jones & Associates (www.dennisjones.com.au), thank you for your kind advice. I’ve learned more from you guys than from any of the big publishing houses. The big publishing houses don’t seem to like us new authors. It must have been something we said.

Luke Harris at Working Type Studio www.workingtype.com.au, thank you for the book cover and manuscript layout. Great work, mate.

My editor Ormé Harris – thank you, thank you and thank you. You are simply the best.

There are many others I must also thank for helping me with this book. Some I know, some I don’t. Thanks to my wonderful friends and family who have stayed with me after my diagnosis. Too, thanks for leaving a touch of kindness, a smile, for having a chat on the phone, sharing a meal, a cold beer, a laugh, a hospital visit. I very much appreciate your efforts and your friendship. From you and from those I don’t know, I may have stolen a few words, a lingering phase, a gesture or an attitude, a description, a colour, a mannerism and then mixed them together with other stolen bits and pieces, and turned it all into a character, an event, a happening, a something.

To Dr Praba Ratnarajah, Dr David Smith, and Dr Tom Eimany, thank you for giving me back my life. I also thank the other medical specialists and hospital staff who gave me their time, knowledge, skill, and expertise. I know it’s all in a day’s work for you people, but for me – it was a big deal.

Finally, I must thank my imagination. An imagination shaped in my childhood while I was taking the quizzical journey from there to teenager, to adult. An imagination which still takes me to places I’ve never been, to see things I’ve never seen, to do things I’ve never done, and to meet people I’ve never met. My imagination is fun, my imagination is good, and fun is good. There should be more good fun.