Mister and Missus By E L James - 69

Writing The Missus would have been a lot more challenging without the help, advice, and support of the following lovely people, to whom I owe a huge debt of thanks:

My Albanian publisher, Manushaqe Bako of Dritan Editions, for her invaluable advice on Albanian wedding etiquette, and of course all her Albanian translations.

Kathleen Blandino for her web-mistress skills and for being a most trusted beta reader.

Ben Leonard, Chelsea Miller, Fergal Leonard, and Lee Woodford for explaining the tortuous labyrinth of visa applications for those who wish to live with their loved ones in the UK.

James Leonard for all the posh-boy terminology—okay yah?

Vicky Edwards for her advice on foreign marriages and UK law.

Chris Brewin for his hard-won insights into British police procedure.

My beloved “Major” for his expertise in music and DJ equipment.

My agent, Valerie Hoskins, for her constant emotional and moral support, her bad jokes, and her priceless insights on the challenges of farming in today’s UK.

Kristie Taylor Beighley from Silk City, distillers of distinction, for her expert advice on creating fine spirits.

And my dear friend Ros Goode for all the tips about handling a Land Rover Defender!

Huge thanks to my talented editor Christa Désir, for buffing my grammar with great humor and finesse, and for the handholding.

To all my wonderful, industrious colleagues at Bloom Books and Sourcebooks—thank you for your hard work, professionalism, and for having my back.

Thank you to my author friends for your broad shoulders, the inspiration, and fun times—you know who you are… There are far too many of you to name, and I might miss someone off this extensive list and I’d be devastated if I did!

Thanks to the Ladies in the Bunker for your support, laughs, and hilarious memes.

Thanks to all the authors from the Author Conference on Clubhouse, from whom I’ve learned so much.

Massive thanks to the ladies of the I Do Crew —your support means everything to me.

And thank you to all those social media goddesses for their continued friendship, including Vanessa, Zoya, Emma, Philippa, Gitte, Nic, et al.

Thank you to my PA, Julie McQueen, for wrangling me and the Ladies in the Bunker.

As ever, thanks and much love to my husband, Niall Leonard, for tutting over my grammar, for listening (sometimes!), and for the constant supply of tea.

And to my boys, Major and Minor—thanks for being you! You both shine so brightly and bring me such joy. Love you, unconditionally, always.

And finally—to all my readers.

Thank you doesn’t seem enough… but thank you for reading.

Thank you for everything.