Howling at the moon
IVE BEEN HOWLING AT THE MOON
A brave howler leaps off the diving tower - not me - I wish it was! Image courtesy of Darach Photography
What could be worse than swimming in ice cold water, running about in a swimming costume and struggling to get dressed under a towel? There’s nothing I’d rather do. Or so I thought – until I tried it.
I was a very reluctant swimmer when I visited Wales with a friend. I’d followed her swims on Facebook with a shudder. Imagine getting into cold water… no thank you. But in the spirit of friendship, I followed her into the sea, with the promise of a hot coffee and cake as a reward. Oat milk latte and carrot cake never tasted better. During that week I found a whole crazy gang of people who meet to swim, or just to bob about in the water. I loved the camaraderie; I learned to conquer my dislike of getting into the water and began to enjoy the challenge of getting dressed and warm again afterwards. And tentatively admitted, I quite liked swimming.
I brought my newfound hobby back to Ireland with me and began to make trips to the sea in my hometown. I wouldn’t say I’m much of a swimmer – I’m certainly not doing front crawl along the shoreline, but after a long day of murdering people, there is nothing better than stripping off and plunging into the sea.
The September full, Harvest Moon failed to make an appearance through the clouds the other evening, but that didn’t stop the Howling, a brilliant but slightly crazy dip in the sea, howling at the moon, with I’d guess fifty or so other mad souls. The noise of us all howling in the sea was incredible. My aim is to keep swimming through the cold water of the winter… maybe!
I’M GOING TO BE FEATURED ON BARGAIN BOOKSY
As a writer, one of the things I struggle with is being ‘out there.’ I’m in awe of other authors who have no problem telling the world about how brilliant their books are. I love the process of writing, creating and bringing my characters to life. I get such a thrill when I get messages from readers who tell me they have loved my books.
With that in mind, I’m more than a bit nervous about the huge privilege of being the featured author on Bargain Booksy. The DI Grace Tallis Boxset is the book which will be promoted on the feature. Gosh, is that author really me? Yes it is!
BRINGING EVE TO LIFE
I juggle different genres – writing crime, romances and children’s books. Next year I’m focusing more on crime, but for now I have two books still to work on. I’m doing the final edits of the second book in the Hearts series, three books, stand alone titles with the theme of affairs of the heart. The second book, Careless Hearts, was inspired by a conversation with my dad, while I was caring for him while he battled cancer. A fight he sadly lost in 2019. In the car one day he told me the story of a friend who, unknown to everyone around him, had a second family and juggled his two lives.
The book is now at the final edit stage. Originally my protagonist, Eve, lost a close friend to cancer. My editor felt there was too much going on in the story and so the cancer storyline has been taken out. If only it was that easy to deal with the real thing.