Category Archives: Writing

SISTER SCRIBES: KIRSTEN HESKETH ON NANOWRIMO TAKE TWO

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I’m writing this on 30th October. It’s nearly a very important date … and one that has been eyeballing me from the calendar for weeks. No, not Halloween – with both children at uni (sob!), there seems little point in ‘celebrating’, (although we have been invited to Zoom into the wedding of the daughter of American friends in our finest Halloween regalia tomorrow!) Not even Firework Night which I do enjoy and which was An Important Social Occasion growing up (and I once got off with Paul Richardson from the swimming club at the Beaconsfield Firework Display in 1977) ….

No. November 1st marks the beginning of #NaNoWriMo …. and I can’t wait!

For the uninitiated, #NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and the challenge is to try and writing 50,000 words (the best part of a novel – or, at least, the first draft) during the month of November. Bonkers, but fun!!!

I’ve attempted – and completed – NaNo once before in 2017. I loved it – and I think it suits me and my writing very well. I have a terrible habit of ignoring the old adage ‘don’t get it right, get it written’ and I can spend hours – days – polishing and repolishing the same old passages or chapter – passages or chapters that never actually make it into the final cut!! What a monumental waste of time and effort that is! So, for me, there’s something very liberating about ‘having’ to write 1,667 words a day, come hell or high water (and there’s been a lot of that, lately, hasn’t there?!) No time to angst over the perfect word, the perfect phrase, the perfect cadence. All that can come later. Now is just the time to get the bare bones of the story down, to ‘tell it to myself’, to commit it to paper. Onwards, always onwards – no looking back – after all, you ‘can’t edit an empty page’! And, for me, all that striving forward makes me a better (maybe) – certainly a braver – writer. With little time to ‘vet’ what I am writing, now is the time to take risks, to go with the flow and to see where it takes me. After all, I can sort it all out later …

NaNoWriMo Mark Two is a different beast for me, though. When I attempted it three years ago, getting an agent – let alone a publishing deal – was just a twinkle in my eye. Now I am lucky enough to have my debut novel ‘out there’ as a proper book, thanks to Canelo. I also have a deal with Hodder & Stoughton for a saga series set in London in World War One. The first book in the series is done and dusted (and out next April) and I am due to start work on the second. To begin with, I dithered. Should I bash out a first draft during NaNo or make a start on the ghostly rom-com I’m dying to write? In the end, I wrote a couple of pages of the second saga book, fell in love with it – and now I want to keep going. So I’m good to go!

Five-page plan agreed with my editor – tick!

Online group of writing buddies – tick! If last time is anything to go by, I will really need them from days 17 to 20 and I’m ready to support them in any way I can too.

Are you doing Nano?

If so, good luck – and see you on the other side!

 

 

 

 

HISTORICAL NOVELIST NICOLA PRYCE ON HOW SHE APPROACHES HER RESEARCH

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My books are set on the south coast of Cornwall, 1793-1800, so it’s wonderfully fitting that Cornwall’s new archive centre has moved to the old Redruth Brewhouse, built in 1792. The former Brewery has been transformed and incorporated within it is Kresen Kernow which houses 1.5 million records, covering 850 years of Cornish history. I believe there are fourteen miles of shelving!

I loved the Records Office in Truro, but this new centre is fabulous. Starting with the user friendly catalogues, the e-mail lists of chosen archives, the spacious research rooms, and the efficient and charming archivists, it adds to the serious problem of deciding when to stop researching and start writing!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Other writers tell me they start with a kernel of an idea, a spark that fires their interest, and they expand it from there. I, however, like to start with the whole picture, gradually narrowing it down to the themes I want to explore.

I began my journey into historical fiction knowing the place I wanted to set my stories in – an area I have loved for thirty years. The date was an easy decision because since my Open University degree I’ve been mildly obsessed with the end of the Eighteenth Century, and as the books were to be set on the coast I had a community of shipbuilders, fishermen, clay speculators, merchants, and landowners around whom I could weave my stories.

Hoping my books might make a series, I decided to keep separate areas of research for each book and not cram everything into the first. It was a matter of holding back. Britain was at war with France and the areas I wanted to research were the high levels of bankruptcy among shipbuilders, raising the Volunteer Militia in the face of the very real threat of invasion, the patent row between the engine builders Boulton and Watt and how it impacted Cornish mining, the influx of French prisoners into the prisons, and building the new Infirmary. So much, and yet there is still so much I haven’t mentioned.

We are spoilt for on-line information. The touch of a key brings facts, dates, names, portraits, maps. We can access academic research papers detailing the lives of shipbuilders, midshipman, physicians tackling tropical fevers and the stories in my head slowly become plausible. But I need to know what I say happens could have happened. Every detail is checked – every inn, every stagecoach, every boatyard, even evidence of a French dressmaker in Truro.

I march round the area. I have a plot that could have happened to people who could have lived in the houses I identify. I have the setting, the time, the characters but missing is the most vital aspect of all – authentic voices of people living at the time.

And that’s where the days previously spent in the Records Office are now spent in the stunning Kresen Kernow. I only feel able to start a new book when real voices jump at me from the pages of primary sources – the threat of invasion, the woeful state of the sea defences, the lists of returns in case of subscription. The writs and legal wrangling that kept the price of tin high. The building of the sea-lock, details of rents charged to the tenants in the new harbour, Charlestown. The shambles at Pendennis Castle. The Naval ships awaiting orders in Falmouth.

The words they use, their tone, their sense of urgency or frustration leap from the pages. I can hear my characters and I can finally start writing.

 

Find out more about Nicola and her novels at: https://nicolapryce.co.uk/

 

VIRGINIA HEATH TAKES US BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS’ ASSOCIATION’S LEGENDARY PARTIES

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When we are not in the midst of a global pandemic, the Romantic Novelists Association parties are the focal point of our calendar. Members travel the length and breadth of the country, and even further, to attend so they expect a good show. That’s my job. As the Events Co-ordinator, I organise all of the behind the scenes stuff to ensure everyone has a wonderful time.

We host two massive parties in central London every year. The Romantic Novel Awards in early March, which celebrates the best of romantic fiction in all its many genres in glittering splendour, and the eagerly anticipated jewel in the crown—the Winter Party which usually includes the prestigious Industry awards. Planning for both starts a good two years prior when I source the venues. As the RNA has grown in size, the needs of the venue become more specific. We require somewhere with the space and capacity to hold 300 plus romantic novelists, keep them majestically fed and watered and comfortable. However, that isn’t the only consideration. With people travels from all corners of the British Isles, it needs to be central, close to public transport and be fully accessible to all members of our wonderfully diverse institution. I also negotiate the contracts to ensure the best value for money.

A few months before each party, the serious work starts. Tickets have to be sold so I personally run all the marketing for the party and invite the dignitaries and press. Menus have to be organised; the free-flowing booze has to be chosen. I liaise with the venue on all aspects of this, from the number of bottles of prosecco to the individual dietary requirements of our guests. As the big day gets closer, I work with the AV technicians to select the correct music and lighting to create the perfect ambience. Then, on the day, I normally arrive at the venue first thing in the morning to consult with the hospitality managers and catering staff. I oversee the set-up, the rehearsals and run throughs, double check the layout, the seating plans for the awards and the green rooms for the nominees and VIPs.

Finally, I’ll man the reception desk and issue all the partygoers with their branded RNA scarlet lanyards which is their golden ticket to the fun. At the designated time I’ll throw the doors open and enjoy the oohs and ahs as everyone pours into the room. Once I am certain everyone has a glass in their hand and that the buffet is laid out, I’ll have a glass of something sparkly and pat myself on the back. Then I’ll enjoy the party myself and forget about all the organisation and hours it took to create it. Until the next party looms and off it all goes again.

Being the RNA’s Events Co-ordinator is a huge and often exhausting responsibility on top of my writing career, but when it all comes together and I see the how delighted it makes everyone who attends, it’s worth it.

 

Virginia Heath writes slightly racy Regency Romcoms which are published in many languages all across the globe. Amongst them are her critically acclaimed Wild Warriners and King’s Elite series for Harlequin Historical. She has two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations and cannot wait to launch NEVER FALL FOR YOUR FIANCEE, the first book in her upcoming Merriwell Sisters trilogy with St Martin’s Press loose into the world.

You can find her procrastinating online on her busy Facebook page and at www.virginiaheathromance.com

 

 

 

 

The books that have changed me by Margaret Graham (aka Milly Adams and Annie Clarke)

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The books that changed me, or should I say perhaps, developed my understanding… Heavens, so many, but let me take a stab at it.

Margaret Graham, Annie Clarke, Milly Adams, books that changed me

As a child I read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett in which an obnoxious orphan Mary Lennox arrives to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire. Archibald Craven  locked  the door leading to his wife’s beloved garden on her death. He also secreted his son, with crooked legs and back , in his own quarters for his own safety, and went about his business elsewhere, leaving the kindly servants to care for this disparate household.

The children find the secret garden, and slowly as they work within it, and  as the seasons roll on, the healing of both begins.   This book introduced me to a love of gardening, to the relentless rhythm of the seasons which has given me solace and a sense of something ‘bigger’. It grounds me.

Then as a teenager I read I Never Promised you a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg. This is the story of a  schizophrenic young woman, who spends some years receiving therapy ina residential centre. As  the young woman recovers she is devastated to realise that the world is not perfect, that happiness is not a given. That there are ups and downs, and one must find a ‘centre’. But as the psychiatrist says: I helped you heal, but I never promised a rose garden, I promised you a life.

I found this profound, and it stabilized the angst of a teenager, and was a great guide as an adult.

As an adult I was struggling to write my first novel – to navigate my way through the muddle of my thoughts, . I read Cinderella to my children one evening, and realised that it is the clearest example of the common structural form. It enabled me to write my first novel, and create almost 30 other books. It also allowed me to teach aspiring authors, perhaps the most rewarding part of my writing life, apart from editing Frost Magazine.

Basically, there is one protagonist, Cinderella, she has helpers ( mentors) and enemies (antagonists). Cinderella is on a journey, which is the plot, in order to resolved the theme, which for me was her quest to find love. Fourth must be Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe novels. Erudite, immaculately structured with characters in complete balance, and scattered with laugh-aloud humour. They freed something in me, and made me brave enough to be myself, and allow the humour I inherited from my parents free rein.

Fourth are the Reginald Hill Dalziel and Pascoe novels, beautifully structured and written, with a superb balance of characters. Erudite, fascinating, and laugh-aloud funny. They gave me the courage to allow myself to use my own sense of humour, inherited from Mum and Dad. 

Fifth and perhaps most importantly From Both Ends of the Stethoscope by award winning author Dr Kathleen Thompson

Dr Thompson is ‘the doctor who knows’ what it is to face the chilling cancer diagnosis, and then find your way through the maze of information and treatment. The book is set out in an extraordinarily accessible way for the patient, and also for those like me who have friends with this  illness,  it gives me a way of helping, of listening, of supporting. It is life enhancing, and invaluable.

If I can sneak in a sixth, The Variety Girls series by Tracy Baines made me realise I should have been on the stage, not stuck in a study writing. You see, I could have ‘hoofed’ with the best of them, and hugged the spotlight, and showed off, and my mum would have been shocked, then proud, as I received a standing ovation – just me, not the rest of the chorus, of course. Ah, well, I can dream.

 

A POEM A DAY DURING LOCKDOWN IS NOW A PUBLISHED COLLECTION

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Guest article by gatepost poet Liv Mulligan about her debut collection

I certainly never imagined that lockdown would turn me into a ‘published poet.’ In April 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, my mother suggested that I write a poem each day inspired by the self isolation. She suggested that we then display each day’s poem at the end of the drive on the gatepost for passers by to read. “It might make people smile,” she said.

I agreed to the challenge because, let’s be honest, what else was I doing? I had already re-arranged my sock drawer three times that week and it was only Tuesday. Or was it Wednesday? Anyway, I didn’t have a good enough excuse to not agree. I decided to leave a phone number for people to text in suggestions for topics for the following day’s poem, so the whole village could feel part of the project too.

I then took on the ‘Daily Poem’ task quite literally as that, ‘a task.’ Something to do to fill the time.

However, as the days went by and as the collection grew, it has become so much more than that. Writing these poems became the highlight of my day. And hearing from the residents of the village, many who I had never spoken to before, telling me how much joy they receive from reading them – I owe both my mother and the 2020 lockdown experience a huge thank you.

The book, Poems On The Gate Post is now available in paperback, hardcover and ebook.

One of my spoken word poems, ‘The Lockdown Conversation’ was aired nationally on BBC iPlayer at their 2020 Upload Festival.

The Yorkshire Village Doctor

If I were a doctor
I’d prescribe packs of Yorkshire tea
Safe and suitable for all
It’s like the Master Key

Unlocking a sense of comfort
As your hands snuggle the mug
Unlocking an inner joy
As you sip, slurp or chug

I’d start you off with Yorkshire
With a splash of milk
The colour of a Werther’s Original
Tasting as smooth as silk

But not as expensive as silk:
Works out about three pence a bag
Cheaper than other prescriptions
And cheaper than a fag

You can use it recreationally too
When you want to impress a friend
Pressure’s on though. Make it good.
A bad brew will certainly offend

Once you become a regular
You might like to try the hard stuff
Maybe Green? Mint? Or Ginger?
Or Rooibos if you’re really tough

You might be reliant on tea now
Temporarily, your freedom is gone
But take it easy, take a breath
And stick the kettle on

I wonder…

I wonder if I wander there alone
Unknown eyes will stare, watch to harshly judge
Judge my feet on the public paths of stone
Sharp eyes reflect my purpose as I trudge

Heaving my lockdown legs up hills I’m free
Blood moves to circulate and rinse the doubt
But car-park eyes they’ll soon latch onto me
Cold critique of my Covid whereabouts

I too critique the man with watching eyes
My rambling thoughts will question his desire
Our woodland wishes watered down with whys
With bitter thoughts of others we conspire

I long for pine tree shadows without shame
Perhaps my unknown stranger feels the same

 

The book is currently stocked in White Rose Book shop (Thirsk), The Little Ripon Bookshop and Minskip Farm Shop. If you’re not about in North Yorkshire, it can be purchased from most online bookstores.

You can keep up to date with Liv’s poetry antics and spoken word videos on Facebook: Olivia Mulligan Poetry

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES: SUSANNA BAVIN ON CREATING A SENSE OF TIME

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In my previous article for Frost, I celebrated two novels, A Mother’s Secret and The Italian House, which are notable for their wonderful sense of place. In these stories, the authors, respectively Jan Baynham and Teresa Crane, created their settings so evocatively that they produced books of the type that make readers say, ‘It made me feel I was there.’

This time, I’m writing about novels that have a particular depth and interest thanks to the attention paid to the historical detail. Part of the authors’ skill in this is the way each of them has woven the details into the narrative with a deft touch. Their historical details are never popped in just for the sake of it, but always to enrich the story.

The first book is A Borrowed Past by Juliette Lawson, a clever and increasingly intriguing family mystery set in the Victorian era. A strong narrative is combined with  believable dialogue and a lively mixture of characters, not all of whom are what they seem. Add to this the many tiny details of life at the time and the result is an engrossing read.

Of one historical aspect of the book, Juliette says: “ Class distinctions were strong. Well-off families paid pew rents to reserve their seats in church (you can still see the brass name-card holders) and ran the Local Board to keep the village well-ordered. Children in poorer families were sent into service at a young age or they became mini-entrepreneurs, doing little jobs around the village for a few coins: blowing the bellows for the church organ, delivering meat for the butcher, carrying pails of sea water to the bath houses for visitors to bathe in, or baiting hooks on fishing trips.”

The other book I’ve chosen is the utterly wonderful The Gunpowder Girl (which was originally published as Cherrybrook Rose and A Bouquet of Thorns) by Tania Crosse. This book could just as easily have appeared in my previous blog about stories with a strong sense of place, but it also has its position here, thanks to the author’s characteristic attention to research. Tania Crosse has created an absorbing story laced with powerful themes, a relatable heroine and a gripping plot.

Tania says: “The rugged, savage beauty of Dartmoor is inspirational enough in itself, but its secret history has provided the basis for so many of my novels. In the case of The Gunpowder Girl, the discovery of the ruins of the 19th century Cherrybrook Gunpowder Mills drove me to write a story to illustrate what it would have been like for a beautiful, intelligent young woman to live at this remote, unforgiving location. The other element in the book, still very much in evidence and currently still in use, are the forbidding buildings of Dartmoor Prison. In Victorian times, life there could be hell, not just for the inmates – some of whom were guilty of what today would be considered relatively minor offences – but also for the prison warders and their families who were forced to live in the isolated and exposed prison settlement of Princetown.”

Both of these books drew me into their world. The stories are page-turners in which the characters face secrets and tragedy and both Juliette and Tania have have sprinkled historical details into their narratives in such a way as to make their books come alive.

 

 

 

 

Helene Fermont – My Writing Process

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Helene FermontMy Writing Routine
 This is my favourite topic!
 I’ve written about it in newsletters and blogs.
 Essentially, I don’t work like a majority of authors.
 For a start, I can’t work in public places as the noise would
 disrupt me. As a practising psychologist, my writing happens
 every chance I get between patient consultations, meetings
 and conferences. I write weekends, early mornings prior to work,
 evenings, nights and during holidays. In fact, I’ve not had a break
 for a very long time. I enjoy my line of work very much but writing
 is my passion. Both fit well together as my day job perfectly fit with
 my genre, Character Driven Psychological Thrillers With A Noir Edge.
 My writing routine:
 Irrelevant of when I work on a book, I always work at my desk in my home
 or work office. No disruptions, calls, messages, nothing except what I focus
on there and then. I read through what I’ve written the last time to get a sense
structure, sequence and, most importantly, a feel for the characters and storyline.
Without a flow and prose, points of views and being part of the scenes and dialogues,
my characters wouldn’t come across as intended.
I write in long stretches, so for ex if writing early mornings and late evenings
and weekends and holidays, I always work for at least four to five hours after
which I have a break, an hour’s walk to clear my mind, playing with my cat, Teddy,
who faithfully sits next to me in his old wooden box or in a favourite chair.
I continue working on my book/books for at least another four to five hours,
edit that day’s work and make notes on what to work on, improve and much more
prior to the next writing session. I write biographies of all characters, their interaction,
similarities and differences. My characters drive the storyline so must be satisfied
they come across as real people, relatable and identifiable.
The Swedish part of me is very organised, structured and self disciplined. All of it
helps to keep me ahead of deadlines and time to return to parts of the storyline
and plot that require more attention. You’d be right thinking my characters take
some time to create, develop further and the storyline evolves around them.
It’s the reason I prefer to write a synopsis later, usually when mid through the novel.
Because only then will I know exactly what outcome and tie up loose ends.

I’m Anglo Swedish, my birth place is Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city.

 I’ve been a performing musical artist when younger, come from a very cosmopolitan
 family and background, British and Swedish parents. I’m bilingual and so far lived
 longer in the U.K. than my native Sweden. I love writing every chance I get,
 love my day job and all the wonderful people I get to meet and counsel.
 I love animals and sports, couldn’t imagine a life without literature and am a ferocious
 reader, mainly of my own genre, as well as cross reading.
 I enjoy long conversations, travelling, lots of getting togethers over Fika ( coffee breaks ) In lovely cafes, parks and beaches, the spectacular scenery and nature in Malmö
 and similar places in London.
 I communicate well with all kinds of people, carry a notebook when out and about
 even on the bedside table in case I come up with new ideas for characters and stories
 when asleep! Characters come to me when I least expect it, and premises for
 new storylines. I’ve so far never suffered with writer’s block and have many books
 just waiting to be written in the foreseeable future. I make notes of new casts
 of characters and novels, short stories and blogs. I enjoy socialising with special
 people, friends and family, eating and cooking are favourite pastimes.
 I’m very grounded, extremely communicative and a good listener.
 Quite simply; I love life and have a positive outlook and attitude.
What you have written, past and present.

So far, I’ve written five books. Because Of You, We Never Said Goodbye,

 His Guilty Secret, and One Fatal Night which was published recently.
 I’ve also written a short story collection, Who’s Sorry Now?
 I’m working on my next psychological thriller, The Matchmaker.
What you are promoting now.

One Fatal Night, set in Norway with an explosive plot, protagonists

and many twists and turns.
Do you plan or just write?

I work to a brief plan, write the first couple of drafts and edit after I’ve finished

 the novel after which I and my editor collaborate on the editing process.
 My writing’s very intuitive, the characters come first so must feel the storyline
 works for and with them or I’ll change the story while still keeping the initial premise.

What about word count?

I don’t worry about that as long as everything fits with what I intended.

 My debut novel’s word count is over 140000 words, the others between
 50-100.000.

How do you do your structure?

I know exactly the sequence of what must follow each chapter.

 So no detailed synopsis until mid through the novel, but a very clear
 and detailed content for each chapter and, of course, much emphasis
 on my characters.

What do you find hard about writing?

Getting the inspiration when I’m tired after a long day’s work.

 The isolation of working on my own with no one to discuss ideas with.
 Apart from that, writing comes natural to me since I’m very used to working
 without company and quite enjoy it. Living with my characters!

What do you love about writing?

The progress when getting the characters and storylines just right.

 Feeling my characters emotions, being there in the scene with them,
 and excitement when the story turns out just like I planned and intended.
 Significantly, holding the book and feeling a sense of pride I Did it!
 Getting positive feedback and comments from my readers mean the world to me.

Advice for other writers.
 Always write what you want and what comes natural to you.
 Don’t follow trends and Never copy other authors.
 Your voice and uniqueness are what truly makes you special.
  I never read when writing my books and stories for fear others work
  will influence me subconsciously.
  Having a positive attitude helps a lot too! Oh, and patience!

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: JEN GILROY ON FINDING YOUR WRITING VOICE

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Since Susanna Bavin introduced Canadian romance author Jen Gilroy to us at a Romantic Novelists’ Association conference she has been an honorary Sister Scribe and it’s an absolute delight to welcome her to Frost.

One of the questions I’m often asked when giving talks about writing relates to ‘voice’ and, specifically, how to find it.

For some writers, voice is instinctive. If you’re one of those fortunate people, this post likely isn’t for you!

However, for many others (me included) finding your ‘voice’ isn’t so straightforward.

First off, what is ‘voice?’

For me, it’s what makes one author’s fiction distinctive from that of another. At a superficial level, it relates to word choice, syntax and the mechanics of constructing a story.

Going deeper, though, voice reflects each author’s personal experience—the constellation of factors that make them who they are—as distinctive as their fingerprint.

A tip to identify voice?

Choose books by three favourite authors, set them side-by-side and consider the first few pages. Even if they write in the same genre, it’s likely that in only those early pages you’ll identify major differences in how the writer tells the story and makes you feel.

Those differences are rooted in voice and some authors have such distinctive voices that fans can often identify their work in only a short paragraph—without knowing the book’s title or author.

However, even if you know what ‘voice’ is and can identify it in other writers, how do you find yours?

For me, finding my voice was part of my writing apprenticeship and (as with many other parts of learning the craft) necessitated trial and error.

In the beginning, I sampled genres a bit like food at a tapas bar. From literary fiction through to young adult, historical and more, I tried writing in a number of different areas.

Yet, and like delicious tapas morsels, only one or two genres resonated enough for me to think I’d truly found my own ‘author voice.’

What does ‘voice’ feel like?

I liken my ‘voice’ to wearing my favourite pair of cosy slippers as I snuggle under a blanket by the fire on a cold winter night.

That ‘voice’ is drawn from the innermost part of myself and means I delve into emotions only I feel to express them on the page.

At first, that self-reflection was scary. With career in corporate and technical writing, I was so used to adopting a ‘corporate voice’ that I’d lost my own, and I’d also lost touch with the emotions that are the foundation of fiction.

Yet, with practice and patience—and by reading and writing widely—I dug deep enough to get to that comfortable state of knowing when I was writing in my voice—and when I figured that out, the genres were obvious.

Long before I became a writer, romance and women’s fiction were the genres I read for hope, comfort, escape and more. Not surprisingly, those were also the books that fit my voice and when I started to write from the foundation of who I truly am, the words flowed.

Although finding my voice was one of the most difficult parts of my writing journey, it was also the most rewarding. And, perhaps most importantly, writing with the warmth and intuition that comes from the core of who I am is the most honest gift I can give.

 

Jen Gilroy writes romance and uplifting women’s fiction with happy, hopeful endings. She’s a wife and mum who calls England and Canada home and her latest release, A Wish in Irish Falls, is out now on Kindle (free with Kindle Unlimited).

Connect with Jen via her website: www.jengilroy.com