Acknowledgments
I would like to deeply thank my four most steadfast supporters, who journeyed along the hard and long Rabbit road with me: my dearest friend, Karen McKenzie, whose insight and ability to articulate the intricacies of our art constantly amazes me; my darling husband, Ron Gallagher, who never lets me give up and patiently listened to far too many versions of the same sentence; my wonderful mother, Charmaine, whose intelligent and honest readings are an essential part of my process and whose love of a good book is one of my inspirations to write; and my dear father, Doug, whose quiet and loving support is one of my life’s foundations.
I would also like to thank my two Master’s supervisors, Dr. Delia Falconer and Antoni Jach, for their excellent feedback and support. Similarly, the RMIT University Master’s workshop group was a place of great creative growth and friendship—many thanks to Carrie Tiffany, Kylie Stevenson, Keith Butler, and Jen Spry. Thanks also to Natasha Wood for her friendship, glamorous approach to life, and fine editing skills.
It has been a joy to work with Josh Pasternak, my editor at Bantam Dell—his sensitivity to the intricacies of the story, efficiency, and delightful manner have made this manuscript preparation an exciting and satisfying process. Thanks, Josh. Also, thanks to the design and copyediting crew at Bantam for their terrific work.
A great big thank-you to my excellent agents—Fran Bryson in Australia and Jill Grinberg in the U.S.A.—and their staffs.
A number of kind and knowledgeable people helped me with the research in this novel. My sincere thanks go to:
Greg Rimmer, my cousin, who generously spoke about his experiences as a Japanese/Australian teenager in a small town, and the fascinating history of his family
John Byrne for his frank discussions about alopecia universalis
Simon Higgins for his insight into the underworld from his time as a police officer and his unstinting support and friendship
Peter Watt for his expertise on guns and the Australian army
Bonnie Buxton in Canada for her help with F.A.S. information and her long-distance cheerleading
Pam Horsey for her kind support and friendship.
Dennis Smith for an intriguing glimpse into the world of documentary filmmaking
Elspeth Iredale at Video Australasia for her patient answers to my technical questions
Ronald Rimmer, my uncle, for sharing his memories with me
Dr. Ray Buttigieg for information about Crohn’s disease
Dr. P. Pelligrini for information about pregnancy
Euan Burnett for information about filmmaking
Mark Barry and Judy Doomernick for their inside knowledge of the roadie world
Rie Ogasawara Estes for her impressive research into Japanese family trees (books and scrolls)
And a number of people who gave their time and expertise but asked to remain anonymous. I also read and was inspired by a number of excellent books about the Australian underworld, including the Underbelly series by John Silvester and Andrew Rule, and Chopper Read’s memoirs.
Finally, I would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the following organizations:
The Australia Council for a New Work grant, which allowed me to write full-time for a year, a precious gift
Varuna, the Writer’s House, for a three-week live-in fellowship that allowed me to lay down a lot of words in a nurturing and validating atmosphere
The Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne for the D.J. O’Hearn Memorial Fellowship which provided me with a room, a living, and time—the three writerly essentials