Hello everyone,
As I write this it’s the eve of September, my birthday month – on the third I will turn a new page as I begin another year on this earth. Older, but I fear not a jot wiser – and definitely more forgetful with every year. My 95 year old mother goes through her checklist each time I leave her house: have you got your phone? your keys? your wallet? Did you bring anything else? Yes, I said 95, and sharp as a tack. Maybe when I’m 95 I’ll magically become all the things she is. I can only hope.
August was a bit fraught. My house sale – did I mention I’m selling my Limerick home? – seemed to have hit a roadblock, with no move in the direction of contract signing from my buyer – but happily it’s all done now, and I’m just waiting for the official closing, and the satisfying thump of a wad of money into my bank account. I’m also house hunting, having decided that the holiday home I’d planned to move permanently into isn’t really up to the job. It’s a perfect holiday home but not equipped to handle year-round living, so I’m keeping an eye out for a more suitable one. How do I get any writing done?
And speaking of writing, here finally is the big cover and title reveal for the next. I love that cover – and big thanks to Carmel Harrington for the generous quote. A Winter to Remember will hit Irish bookshops – and Australian and New Zealand ones too – on October 12. My twenty-first offering, and as ever I hope it goes down well. I’ve moved on to the plot of my next, which won’t be published till 2025, so I have plenty of time to get it right. Here’s hoping. In the meantime, say hello to my soon-to-be-born baby.
Mind yourselves.
