03 Sunday Feb 2019
Posted in Books
My publisher sent me a set of promotional banners so I should use them I suppose!
Actually it’s now less than a month until publication. You can preorder here. There are some lovely reviews for it popping up on Goodreads and Netgalley, which is pleasing.
I’ve a blog tour booked too, beginning on 11th March, and will be shouting about that when the time comes too!
21 Monday Jan 2019
Posted in Books, Uncategorized
Today, 21st January 2019, is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Dáil – Ireland’s parliament. The Dáil was not recognised by Britain, and thus the Irish war of independence began.
The war ended in 1921 with a signing of a treaty that split six counties of Ulster away from the rest of Ireland – creating what we now know as Northern Ireland (although those in the republic tend to refer to it simply as ‘the north’).
Many in Ireland were not happy about that treaty, and civil war ensued (1922-3) between the pro and anti-treaty forces.
And of course some anti-treaty forces (the IRA) continued fighting over the decades until the Good Friday Agreement finally brought peace in 1998. (Peace that Brexit may endanger, but this isn’t supposed to be a political post so let’s not go there!)
My new book, currently available for preorder, is partly set during the war of 1919-21, telling the story of Ellen, young and in love with an idealistic Republican fighter. In the present day, Clare inherits a farmhouse in county Meath, and discovers long-forgotten secrets that allow her to unearth Ellen and Jimmy’s story…
02 Sunday Dec 2018
Posted in Books
Here it is! My new book, The Forgotten Secret. Set in Ireland during the war of independence, and in the present day. Here’s the blurb:
A country at war
It’s the summer of 1919 and Ellen O’Brien has her whole life ahead of her. Young, in love and leaving home for her first job, the future seems full of shining possibility. But war is brewing and before long, Ellen and everyone around her are swept up by it. As Ireland is torn apart by the turmoil, Ellen finds herself facing the ultimate test of love and loyalty.
A long-buried secret
A hundred years later and Clare Farrell has inherited a dilapidated old farmhouse in County Meath. Seizing the chance to escape her unhappy marriage she strikes out on her own for the first time, hoping the old building might also provide clues to her family’s shadowy history. As she sets out to put the place – and herself – back to rights, she stumbles across a long-forgotten hiding place, with a clue to a secret that has lain buried for decades.
For fans of Kate Morton and Gill Paul comes an unforgettable novel about two women fighting for independence.
And here’s the Amazon links to preorder: UK US
This was the most difficult book I’ve ever written but probably the one I am most proud of. It will be released as an ebook on March 1st 2019, and in paperback later in May. I can’t wait to find out what readers think of it!
20 Tuesday Nov 2018
I’m building up quite a collection of links to stories about drowned villages reappearing after long droughts. Here’s another one – Derwent under Ladybower reservoir which is visible now, though is pretty muddy. Some poor chap got stuck in the mud and had to be rescued. My characters in The Drowned Village thankfully did not get stuck (oops, spoiler!)
Edited 25th November – sadly it seems someone’s vandalised Derwent, while it was exposed…
And here’s a lovely bit of video of a drowned village that’s still underwater, set to haunting music. Watch out for the gravestones.
27 Saturday Oct 2018
Posted in Books, Uncategorized
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I’m delighted to share with you this gorgeous new cover for The Emerald Comb. While I liked the picture on the original cover, I never felt it was quite right for the book. This one is perfect. That house is exactly how I envisaged Kingsley House to be, and I love the new tag line.
I’ll always have a soft spot for this book as it’s the one that landed my my first publishing contract.
And what to do with the old cover? Well, why not do a Banksy, courtesy of Photofunia…
21 Friday Sep 2018
Posted in Books, Uncategorized
I’m delighted to announce that The Drowned Village has finally been published, and is available to buy as ebook, paperback or audiobook. It’s available from all the usual online retailers, and is also in Waterstones and Foyles. I’m off to my local Waterstones tomorrow to see if I can catch a glimpse of it, out there in the wild!
Next week there’s to be a blog tour to promote the book. I’ll add links to the Drowned Village page on this blog, but meanwhile here’s the itinerary. I’ve completed an interview for one blog, and the others are reviews. Follow along to find out which actors I’d like to see playing the main characters, and what I’d choose as a theme tune. (Great questions, but had me scratching my head trying to answer them!)
There’ll be other exciting book news coming along soon. Keep checking back to keep in touch!
18 Wednesday Jul 2018
Posted in Books
I love it when real life decides to imitate the plots of my books. It happened a few years ago with The Emerald Comb (see this post) and is happening again now with my new book, The Drowned Village.
My book was inspired by a visit to Haweswater Reservoir in the Lake District. A village, Mardale Green, was evacuated and demolished to make way for this reservoir. What if, I thought, a secret was buried in the village, then lost when the village was flooded? What if, in a period of drought, the reservoir recedes and the village and its secrets exposed?
Well look what’s happened, in our current heatwave! More fabulous pictures in this article. Whether or not there’s a real life secret to be uncovered remains to be seen, though.
But there’s definitely a mystery to be resolved in my book – which you can pre-order here.
08 Sunday Jul 2018
I’ve just returned from a lovely relaxing two week holiday in the Loire valley in France, in our motorhome. The days were spent cycling beautiful lanes between fields of wheat and vines, swimming in lakes or rivers, sitting drinking wine in the campsites.
Oh, and I also managed to get a lot of writing done! Somehow, possibly due to the laptop not being connected to the internet, I managed to get an average 1000 words a day written, which is more than I do at home.
And a complete idea for a new novel, set in France and featuring a chateau, arrived. Hurray!
I’m back at the day job tomorrow. And back to the Irish independence novel from today – it needs editing and returning to my editor in about a month so I need to crack on.
In other news, The Girl from Ballymor is on an Amazon Kindle promotion in the UK, and selling at just 99p. Hurry while stocks last, as they say! I’ve just received a lovely message from a reader about this book. It does seem to strike a chord with many people of Irish descent throughout the world. Hope the independence novel does as well!
08 Friday Jun 2018
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Very excited to open this morning’s post to find these beauties in a jiffy bag! This is my first book in large print, and isn’t it lovely? I’m hoping many libraries will buy it so it can reach lots more people.
I love this cover. Seeing it on the finished book was the first time I’d seen this cover. That model is so definitely Kitty, though I suppose really she should be a little more gaunt around the face to be historically accurate. But let’s see her as she was before the famine, healthy and happy.
In other news, I’m now working on two books at once. Editing a second Irish novel, and starting to write another one, set in Dorset. The aim is to publish both next year, though neither has a definite title yet! You’ll hear it here first. Or ‘like’ my Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/KathleenMcGurl which I sometimes update earlier than my blog with news.
Who of you uses a library? I must admit I don’t, these days. I’m a compulsive book-buyer, and have so many in my To-Be-Read pile I don’t need to add to it with library books. Yet I think libraries are a brilliant service, and in the past I’ve used them a lot – especially when my kids were young.
17 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in Books, Uncategorized
To all those of Irish descent, and everyone else, have a wonderful St Patrick’s Day! If Ireland beat England in the Six Nations rugby this afternoon, thereby winning the Grand Slam, it’ll certainly be a joyous occasion in this house. My husband is a committed fan of Irish rugby. (If you read my books carefully you might spot references to Munster Rugby club in them – it’s the only way I can persuade him to read them.)
My Irish book, The Girl from Ballymor, is currently just 99p for the ebook – what better way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, especially given the awful weather forecast for the weekend, than curling up with a good read?
And if you’ve already read it, thank you! I’d appreciate a brief Amazon review, as those really do help sell books.
Whatever you’re doing today, have a good one, and Slainté!
