Hello everyone,
Happy Halloween! As I write this on October 31 I’m sitting by the fire waiting for any trick or treaters adventurous enough to brave the damp and fairly dreary weather. Part of me is hoping not too many show up – I fancy leftover chocolate. Paddy and George are dozing on the couch beside me, Charlie is in her boudoir (aka my bedroom) having some me-time, and all is well.
My big news, of course, is that I have secured my first ever nomination in the Irish Book Awards, and I’m thrilled to bits: after twenty books, I finally feel seen! The category I find myself in is one that focuses on authors rather than specific books: it’s the Library Association of Ireland’s Author of the Year category, and there are six of us in the running. I’m up against such heavy hitters as John Boyne and Sally Roooney, so I’m not counting any chickens at all, but I’ll put on a posh frock and head to the Convention Centre on awards night (November 23rd) and cross my fingers tightly (and abstain from wine) until the winner is announced. If anyone feels like giving me a vote (up to November 10th) here’s the link: https://www.irishbookawards.ie/vote/ Just scroll down to the voting form, fill in your details, and scroll down some more till you come to the categories. Mine is all the way down to the end, but you can vote once in every category by simply clicking on the book or author of your choice. Thanks in advance for any votes that come my way – and don’t forget to click ‘submit’ at the end! xx
Nothing much else happening, apart from ongoing writing of the next. Progress is slow but the word count is inching up. After a bit of worrying at the start, I find I’m actually enjoying this new slower pace, and there’s plenty of time as this one isn’t scheduled till Christmas 2023. It’s nice to be writing about characters who have already featured in previous books, like revisiting old pals you haven’t caught up with in a while. I’m kept busy forging connections between ones who’ve belonged to different stories . . . little wonder progress is slow, plenty to figure out!
love
