New baby on the way….
Hello to all – just checking in, a while since I wrote. The good news is that the next book, The Anniversary, is taking shape; I’m about two thirds of the way through the first draft so there’s still a long way to go but it’s heading in the right direction. Still not sure where everyone is going to end up, but I’m trusting that they’ll let me know at some stage! I’ll soon be seeing a cover, always a scary prospect…..hopefully I’ll breathe a sigh of relief when I see it! And of course I’ll share it here as soon as I’m allowed. The Anniversary is due on the shelves next May or June, all going well. Hard to believe it’s number 15 – where do the years go? I do hope anyone who was kind enough to read The Street Where You Live enjoyed it.
In other news I’ve been laid low since April with some muscle condition – doctors are still scratching their heads to give me a diagnosis but I’m on steroids so hopefully it’ll go as quickly as it came. I’m stiff and sore all over – I suspect I need my dose of miracle drugs upped – but I’m able to write, thankfully. The mixed bag of an Irish summer was a little disappointing but I’m off to say hello to the Spanish sun for a week soon, and I intend to do serious battery recharging as I lie on the beach and lap up the vitamin D, or pretend I know how to swim in the sea!
Hope all had a good summer (or winter, if you’re from Down Under). Till next time, take care and mind yourselves,
Roisin xx
Launched!
All done! Great night was had, usual loyal family, friends and neighbours put in yet another appearance – they must be blue in the face from my launches! Here’s an account from the excellent I Love Limerick people who always turn up too: http://www.ilovelimerick.ie/2017/the-street-where-you-live/
Next Saturday I have a lovely event coming up. An afternoon in Gallagher’s Restaurant at Bunratty, about 8 miles from Limerick city. Complimentary bubbly and nibbles, books for sale if anyone wants them, and a short talk from me about all things booky. Do come if you can, no obligation to buy, just come and chat. For destination info, check out here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1900506540218379/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%22106%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D
And now it’s back to business. Book 15 is taking shape, growing slowly. From now till Christmas I’ll be aiming to put a first draft together – fingers crossed. All I can say at this stage is that it involves a couple who used to be married and their two adult children…..watch this space!
Enjoy the summer. Weather is beautiful in Limerick today, looking out at a clear blue sky and blazing sunshine. Long may it last.
R xx
Remember me?
I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t – I’ve just seen, to my shame, that my last post here was in AUGUST of last year!! I knew it had been a while but I had no idea it was that long….hopefully some of you will be able, after some thinking, to recall who I am!
So what’s been happening? Well, I wrote another book for starters! Delighted to report that The Street Where You Live will shortly (around June 8) be hitting bookshop shelves all over Ireland and beyond – should be appearing in Australia and New Zealand around that time too, and HOPEFULLY it won’t be long before it’s available online, both as a ‘proper’ book and in e-format. As ever, if you live outside Ireland and want to get your hands on a copy, do check out http://www.kennys.ie – they offer a great service, competitive pricing and free worldwide postage so worth keeping them in mind. They don’t do pre-ordering, so the book won’t appear until it’s been published, but it should be up then or soon afterwards.
I can also report that The Reunion was published in the smaller paperback format about six weeks ago and is selling nicely. So it’s all go. The photo at the top of this post was taken at a recent reading I gave in a great space in Limerick that plays host to arts events, as well as facilitating its own stuff. It’s called Narrative 4, it’s part of a worldwide movement which aims to promote empathy through story-sharing, and it’s well worth checking out too … http://www.narrative4.com/
I’m working on the next book as we speak – well, I was up to five minutes ago! What I can tell you at this stage is it’s called The Anniversary, and it centres around a family that comes together in unusual circumstances over a long weekend…..early days, I have yet to reach the ten thousand word mark, but so far so good. Destined to be published around this time next year, all going well.
If you live in Limerick or anywhere near, you are cordially invited to the official launch of The Street Where You Live, which will take place on Wednesday June 14 at 6.30 in the wonderful O’Mahony’s Bookshop. The launches are always good fun, I get great support from my brilliant friends and family – and I’m planning an after-launch bash in Chez le Fab, a great buzzy cafe/wine bar down the road from the bookshop.
That’s about it for now – time to put the feet up and sign off for the day! Be good, mind yourselves,
Roisin xx
And breathe……
Sorry for the long silence, everyone – a lot of my time lately has been taken up with the hoo-haa (or however you spell it) surrounding the publication of The Reunion – doing radio interviews, writing newspaper and magazine articles, getting a new batch of publicity snaps done, etc etc. I was really thrilled with how well the book did – six weeks in the Irish top ten, and still selling steadily now, and on course to be in some autumn promotions too which is wonderful, so it’ll get great shelf life. Thanks to everyone who played a part – even if you borrowed a copy I’m happy! It’s great to think of it being read by lots of readers, particularly those who might not have read any of the others.
But exciting and hectic as it’s been, I’ve also had to find time to work away on the next book, number fourteen, which will be out in June 2017, all going well, and it’s quite a relief now to be able to put The Reunion to one side and get back to the usual routine of getting up and sitting in front of the laptop, and tapping away until I’m sick of it (nothing glamorous about writing a book!) I’m approaching the halfway mark – another couple of weeks should get me there – and I’m cautiously optimistic. It’s always a nerve-wracking process until the first draft is lashed down – particularly when you’re working with plots as sketchy as mine – and even then it might need serious reworking before it’s fit for public viewing……we’ll hope for the best! No title yet – I had a working one but I just heard that it’s got the thumbs-down at the publishers, so it’s back to the drawing board. I find myself thinking about it when I’m lying in bed waiting to go to sleep (and as a chronic insomniac this can take quite some time!) but I’m still not there with it. No worries, it’ll come (and if not, The Book with No Name has a certain ring…..!)
What else? I signed my Russian contract a few weeks ago – very exciting! Three books being translated, can’t wait to see them in the Cyrillic script….my sister speaks fluent Russian (she’s a total polyglot), so she’ll be able to translate the title and the blurb, and after that I’ll have to assume they got all the rest right – can hardly expect the poor woman to translate back the entire book for me! I’ll have a bit of a wait, first one isn’t due out till sometime next year, but I’m sure they’ll be worth the wait.
So that’s about it for the moment. Hope you’re all having a lovely summer despite the weather (if you’re Irish) and hope the sun is shining on you if you’re from further afield.
Roisin xxx
PS Here’s my favourite new publicity snap, courtesy of Diane at Angles Photography, Limerick – isn’t it gas! 
It’s in the charts!
The Irish original fiction bestseller charts, that is! (Original fiction, for those of you not familiar, is what they term the large size paperback.) Delighted to report that after one week of sales (they work a week behind) The Reunion has gone in at number six! Which means that sales from the launch on Tuesday will feature in next week’s charts – fingers crossed they bump it up a few spaces! 
A huge thank you to all who contributed in any way to this, and thanks so much to everyone who put up with my incessant bleating over the last few weeks – I promise to ease off a bit now……for the moment!
Launch was wonderful – over seventy faithful souls turned up to pack O’Mahony’s bookshop to the rafters. Here’s me and Mam in the middle of the madness:
I told everyone in my speech that she was going to be 88 on the 15th – she was delighted, loves the limelight! (Think I might have inherited a bit of that……!) Incidentally, the top I’m wearing was made especially for me by the wonderfully talented Caroline Mitchell, internationally acclaimed Irish knitwear designer based right here in Limerick. I approached Caroline when I was writing The Reunion and asked if I could pick her brains as I was planning to have a knitwear designer in the book (the fact that my character is called Caroline too is entirely coincidental, by the way.) The real Caroline agreed immediately, and was literally at my beck and call anytime I thought of a new question for her. Worth looking up – http://www.carolinemitchellknitwear.com/ – if you want a really special garment made (don’t go by me – I’m SO not a model, and the snap isn’t showing the beautiful beading detail, and the pants are all wrong with it – I’m a celebrity, get me a personal stylist!!!!)
Oh, and we had a Gospel choir at the launch (excuzez-moi) thanks to Caterina, a member who works in O’Mahony’s, and Gretta, the very generous choir director. They blasted out the tunes as I signed and chatted: don’t they look the biz?
Among the local celebs who attended was my pal and co-writer Judi Curtin. Judi has written about a gazillion children’s books (well, maybe not quite a gazillion, but watch this space) and we co-wrote one in 2007 called See If I Care, aimed at 10-13 year olds. We had a bit of fun with a few snaps at the launch:
So life is calming down somewhat now – although I have two more bookish events in the next couple of weeks – Saturday next, 16th, in Gallagher’s Seafood Restaurant at Bunratty, Co Clare, an afternoon (2-4) of chat, music and nibbles, (and books for sale at a special price!) and Friday 22nd July in the bookshop in Newcastle West, Co Limerick, 5pm for a reading from The Reunion and a chat: if you’re in the area for either of these do come along, I’d be delighted to see you.
No rest for the wicked: I’ve been working on the next book, tentatively titled The Choir, for the past couple of months, and so far so good. It’ll keep me busy over the summer, which has turned out pretty blah weather-wise, after three weeks of glorious sunshine in May/June. Ah well, the small price we pay to live in beautiful green friendly Ireland!
Happy summer/winter, depending on your hemisphere!
Roisin xxx
The Eagle has Landed!!!!
Whoop! The Reunion has gone on sale! Spotted today by eagle-eyed pals in the Ennis Book Shop and in O’Mahony’s in Limerick city – and I presume it’s in a few other bookshops around the country too! Delighted! As soon as I heard I ran into town – well, walked very fast – and snapped it in O’Mahony’s window, and on the shelves inside. Always great to get a first sighting of it on the bookshop shelves….and now the nail-biting begins, waiting for reviews and feedback from readers, and HOPING it’ll get into the bestseller list…….!!! FINGERS CROSSED, EVERYONE!!
Do let me know if you spot it in your local bookshop – it will be in selected UK stores, and of course in Australia and New Zealand too – and if you live elsewhere and want to buy online, the good people of http://www.kennys.ie tell me it should be up on their site in a few days. They don’t deal in e-books, just the real thing, but their prices are generally competitive and they offer free worldwide postage so they’re worth checking out.
Exciting times!!!
Roisin XX
WON’T FEEL IT NOW!
Sorry for shouting, but with fifteen days to go till I see The Reunion on the bookshop shelves, I’m like a cat on a hot griddle! Book number thirteen, and I have myself convinced that this will be the one that breaks all records! (And yes, I did think that about all the others too, but I was wrong, OK?) At any rate, do let me know if you spot it in your local bookshop, could be a few days before the official publication date of July 1 – first sighting, complete with photo, gets a chocolate reward! And if you’re in Australia you should be seeing it soon too, my Irish publishers tell me it’s got the same publication date of July 1, but something tells me it might be slightly later…..and UK readers, I’m told that my books go into the bigger bookshops like WH Smith and Waterstones, so you may not find me in your smaller local bookshop (but you could always ask!!) I’ll be in the Irish and UK libraries in due course, so you can hunt me down there – and as usual The Reunion will be on sale in book and e-book formats on the usual online sites in the hopefully not too distant future – don’t forget to try http://www.kennys.ie which offers free worldwide postage (not sure if they do e-books though). And that’s the end of the business talk!
I’ve moved on. Writing books is like working in the fashion industry; you always have to be thinking ahead – and since I sent the manuscript of The Reunion back to Hachette for the final time (there is NOTHING like the sense of relief when that happens) I’ve been trying to come up with a plot and a structure and characters for the next. I recently signed a new three book deal (thanks Hachette!) and the first draft of the first one has a deadline of January ‘or sooner if possible’ (ed) which doesn’t give me a lot of time. But I think the plot is almost there, so (deep breath) I’m about to begin writing the narrative. Always a daunting time, with a word count of zero, and all those as yet unwritten sections and chapters stretching out ahead, all the hours and days and weeks of head-scratching and tentative paragraphs and scribbling out and rewriting and sleepless nights while I work out the next part….so I try not to think too much about what hasn’t yet been done, and focus on what has. I have a main character, a woman in her 50s, and I’ve pretty much formed her fully, with a history and a family and a sort-of storyline…I say sort of because I like my plots to be loose, with not too much decided. I have an idea of the ending but I prefer the story to find its own way as I go along, rather than have it set in stone from the start. So – fingers crossed that number fourteen comes out right!
My wonderful mother gets home from California today, after two weeks of holidaying with one of my brothers who lives there. We’re currently waiting for another brother to collect her from the airport. Mam is nearly 88 with the outlook of a 20 year old, so we’ll be dying to hear all her news from across the Atlantic. Hope I’m that lively when I hit my eighties! Dad will be 90 in September, and while his health is very good considering his age, he doesn’t have nearly as much get up and go as Mam, so he happily stayed at home and enjoyed the peace and quiet while she was away!
And finally . . . an invitation to anyone close enough to pop into O’Mahony’s bookshop in Limerick for the big celebration:
All are welcome, the more the merrier – and I’ll organise some nibbles in a nearby hostelry afterwards. Love to see you there!
Roisin xx
Countdown is on…
Forty-three days to go! Official publication date for my thirteenth novel is July 1 – on that date (or shortly before it) copies will be putting in appearances in bookshops throughout Ireland, and as far as I know it should be coming out in Australia and New Zealand around then too. It SHOULD also be available online from the usual sources, both in book and ebook formats (don’t forget http://www.kennys.ie which offers free worldwide postage) but I know some online sellers have their own rules about when books become available, and unfortunately I have no control over that. Do let me know if you have problems getting hold of a copy – I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to help but I’ll certainly try.
And if you’d like a little preview….
I really enjoyed writing this one – I love stories that span a fair bit of time, so you can let your characters grow and change, and you also have great scope for storylines to develop.
In other news, I’m thinking about the next book (as you do) and a character is taking shape. I’m heading to Lanzarote at the weekend to fluff her out a bit as I lie on the beach for a week or so….tis a tough life!
Happy summer (or winter, if you’re from the other half of the world!)
Roisin xxx
Ta-dah!
So I can finally reveal the cover of my next arrival; I do hope you like it. Should be appearing on Irish and Australian shelves around the beginning of July, so not long to wait – and of course it’ll also be available on Amazon and other online sites, both in book and ebook formats. Can I recommend an Irish website, http://www.kennys.ie, which offers free worldwide postage, so it’s always worth checking out if you’re looking for a book? The Reunion isn’t featuring there yet – they may not do pre-orders – but they have most of my other books so I’m assuming The Reunion will be up in due course. This book is my thirteenth adult novel, and the third to travel to Australia and New Zealand, so I’m dying to see how it performs once it’s out in the big bad world….fingers crossed, as ever!
In other news, I’m working on a picture book for children. It’s long been a dream of mine to have a picture book published, since I do a regular storytelling slot for small children in my local library, during which I read from other people’s picture books – I would just LOVE to have one of my own to read from…I’ve submitted a few in the past with no success, but I have a good feeling about this one….my agent Sallyanne Sweeney is having a look at it and will come back to me shortly with her thoughts – more fingers crossed!
Exciting news recently was that I was offered a three book translation deal by a RUSSIAN publisher! They want to publish The Things We Do for Love, Something in Common and Two Fridays in April – so obviously I said yes please! Delighted to have the books travelling all the way to Russia – dying to see what covers they put on them, and to see the Russian writing! I might even have to pop over there when the first one hits the shelves….My sister is actually a fluent Russian speaker – she speaks lots of languages – so she’ll be able to tell me if they spelt my name right!
And more good news – I’ve been offered a new book deal by Hachette Books Ireland – this will be my sixth deal with them, so I must be doing something right! Will be signing along the dotted line soon – already I’m starting to gather characters and mull over ideas for the first book in the new deal, as the deadline for first draft is January 2017 – no rest for the wicked!
Best
Roisin xx
Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep!
Hello all, it’s the first day of March and I’m currently sitting on the patio of the apartment I’m staying in on the island of Lanzarote, and it’s FREEZING! I came here last month to put the finishing touches to The Reunion (which I’m happy to report has been done, and my editor is currently reading it – wak!) and the weather has been mostly dire, I’m afraid. Didn’t bother me much while I was working – although I would have preferred to be looking out at sunshine) but now, with time on my hands, I’m a little put out that the sun has got its hat on, or off, whichever means it ain’t visible to this naked eye. But in the grand scheme of things it’s a small problem, so I won’t complain (much)…
Sad news from home the other day, a young cousin of mine died. It hadn’t been unexpected – poor Olivia had cerebral palsy, and was very debilitated, but she had been a much loved only child, and we’re saddened that she’s no longer with us. Her Dad John, a wonderful man, died suddenly himself a few years ago, only in his forties. He’d had a congenital heart condition and so his early death, while shocking, had always been a possibility too. I like to think Olivia is with him now, as he was devoted to her. His widow Mary, Olivia’s mother, will be devastated at having lost both of them. Some people get very raw deals in this inexplicable place in which we find ourselves.
On a happier note, I’ve just completed a picture book for young children – well, I had to do something after I’d sent off The Reunion, particularly as the sun wasn’t luring me out onto the sunbed. I’d been working on and off on the picture book for a while, in between the adult stuff, so this is my latest draft. I’ve sent it off to my agent who will read and give me her feedback, but I have a hopeful feeling about this incarnation: I think I might have finally got it right…watch this space!
So I’m heading back to Ireland in a few days, where apparently it’s even colder than here – wonderful! I’ll be dying to meet my little kittens, Fred and Ginger, again – they went on their holidays to the home of a lovely couple who had kindly agreed to take them in while I was gone, and who I know are spoiling the kitties rotten…I’m terrified they won’t want to come back to me! But it’s always good to get home, isn’t it, even if the holiday’s been wonderful? Back to the comfort of your own bed, and your own kitchen, and your own slippers…..Lord, I sound about ninety!
Better stop – I see a tiny patch of blue in the sky – must make a dash for the bikini before it disappears again!
Have a happy March, everyone! Roisin xxx
