On fire.
Pink flesh red and black and grey and white.
With everything. You keep the forest safe.
You do your job.
Acknowledgements
Perfectly Preventable Deaths started its life as a conversation over chips with my favourite person in the world, Diarmuid O’Brien, then ended up turning into a very busy November. I’d like to thank the Office of Letters and Light for challenging and motivating me with NaNoWriMo, and Diarmuid for loving me through many adventures, even though I can’t jump up on a bale of hay.
Hot Key has been such a welcoming and supportive home for this story, and much of that has been down to the keen eye and warm heart of Georgia Murray. She put such thought, care and love into editing this book and I couldn’t be more grateful to her and to Talya Baker, who copy-edited PPD, with such knowledge of the nuances of language in general and the twins in particular. The gorgeous cover was illustrated by the magnificent Elsa Klever, and I’m so grateful to her, and Anneka Sandher, the designer.
My agent, Clare Wallace, is insightful, supportive and brimming with kindness. I’m so grateful for her wisdom and enthusiasm. Perfectly Preventable Deaths would not be what it is, or where it is, today without her and the wonderful Lydia Silver.
My pal Suzanne Keaveney was a very early reader, and her love for it helped me stick with it. Claire Hennessy, whose books you should read immediately, was really kind about an early draft and then the current book, and also a lot of other things as well. I’m very grateful. Sarah Maria Griffin, Dave Rudden and Graham Tugwell are some of my favourite writers and sound people, and you should all read them too. Jacq Murphy read a version of this and was incredibly sound and supportive about it. Vanessa Fox-O’Loughlin took the time to help me out shortly after I completed this, and she does this for so many people as well as writing her own books. Juno Dawson took the time to be excited about my witch book at DeptCon and I held that support like a shiny coin. Moira-Fowley Doyle, for listening to me describe this at length back when I wasn’t sure it would ever see the light of day. Celine Kiernan, for last-minute witchcraft. Melinda Salisbury, Gráinne Clear and Mary-Esther Judy for reading and loving the proof. It meant the world.
I’d like to thank Mam, Dad, Tadhg, Nana and all the Sullivans and Kings for endless support, particularly Laoise and Ciara King, who gave me such helpful advice. Cameron Taylor for positivity and book barges, ‘The Pigeons’ (especially Maria Griffin) and all their beautiful nestlings, Siobhán Parkinson for the most useful writing course probably ever, YA Book Club for general soundness. My students, for helping me see the world differently every day. I’m so grateful. Anyone who bought or brought me books, or worked in a place where I got my hands on them when I was a child, thank you for nourishing me. Booksellers and librarians who were kinder than they needed to be (please never change!). The Irish children’s book community, and all at CBI (the beating heart of it).
And finally to Arthur Conan Doyle, the best of cats. Please never learn to read. I’m very sorry.
Deirdre Sullivan
Deirdre Sullivan is a writer from Galway. Her books include Prim Improper, Improper Order and Primperfect, which was the first YA novel ever to be shortlisted for the European Prize for Literature. Her 2016 novel Needlework was awarded a White Raven and the CBI Honour Award for fiction. Deirdre's most recent book, Tangleweed and Brine, a collection of dark fairy-tale retellings, won an Irish Book Award for Best Young Adult Book of the Year 2017. Deirdre loves reading, knitting, bodily autonomy and guinea-pigs.
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by
HOT KEY BOOKS
80–81 Wimpole St, London W1G 9RE
www.hotkeybooks.com
Copyright © Deirdre Sullivan, 2019
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The right of Deirdre Sullivan to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-4714-0824-3
This eBook was produced using Atomik ePublisher
Hot Key Books is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
www.bonnierbooks.co.uk