meanwhile , my gratitude goes out to penny for all the support , love , and the months spent proof reading ; my kids for their unconditional love ; my mother for all of the time spent re-re-reediting the book ; robyn , carl , des , and nick for proof reading it ; sandra for the book cover ; the friends who allowed me the use of their names for the characters - particularly simon for giving me the perfect name for the main character , and kevin for lending me the perfect surname - , and joe who finally gets to see one of my familys books getting printed .