Archive for August 13th, 2009

‘Some of my best friends are homosexuals. I just didn’t expect my husband to be one too.’

A year after Antonia and Hugh move to Australia with their 4 year old son Tom, everything is going terribly well. They have a lovely house, they’re very popular - and then Hugh tells Antonia he is gay and has a boyfriend …

It’s only the arrival of Ant’s outrageous lavender-haired uncle Percy that lifts her out of her depression and sends her off to the gym - to combat the lardy thighs her comfort eating has given her - where she meets the mysterious James, and falls head over heels in lust.

Soon Ant finds she’s over Hugo - but by then her problems are only just beginning …

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Leah only posted the news of Colette Caddle’s new novel The Secrets We Keep yesterday, but I have found the book cover today on Colette’s website. It’s not due out until 29th April 2010 so there’s a bit of a wait but it sounds really good:

Four years ago Erin Joyce left Dublin under a cloud and bought a guesthouse in the remote, beautiful village of Dunbarra. The Gatehouse attracts a strange clutch of guests who, once ensconced, never want to leave. There’s Hazel, a shy artist, and her sweet, silent daughter Gracie. Sandra, a brash American, wants to know everything about everyone. Then there’s wise old easy-going PJ, who’s seemingly part of the furniture. But Erin’s fragile happiness is thrown off-balance by the arrival of A-list Hollywood actor Sebastian Grey.

Erin finds herself drawn to this handsome enigmatic man, who used to walk with a swagger but now prowls the country lanes with haunted eyes. What trauma could have brought about this devastating change? Sebastian isn’t the only one in the Gatehouse with a secret. Why is Hazel cast so adrift? Where does PJ go each week without fail, and what really brought Sandra to Dunbarra? As Erin finds herself embroiled in her guests’ secrets she starts to ask herself: will she be ready to reveal her own?

This week’s pick for our Author of the Week is none other than Sheila O’Flanagan. We posted our Author Interview with the lovely Sheila yesterday, and we felt she also deserved to be highlighted in our Author of the Week spot due to her brilliant contributions to the “chick-lit” genre! In 10 years, Sheila has written 15 books, with the latest of these, The Perfect Man, due out in September in the UK. I’ve read 2 of Sheila’s books, Someone Special and Anyone But Him and loved, and I know my mum highly recommends her work as well, so Sheila is another that appeals across the age ranges. Here’s a bit about Sheila:

“Sheila O’Flanagan pursued a very successful career in banking, foreign exchange dealing and treasury management before becoming a full-time writer based in Dublin. She also writes a weekly business column for the Irish Times and in her spare time plays badminton at competition level.”

Sheila’s 14 published books have all been huge sellers, and I am determined to read some of her older books as I’ve been told they are just as good as her newer book! For more information on Sheila and her books, visit her website at www.sheilaoflanagan.com

There’s another Irish author on the block! Tara Moore’s debut novel RSVP is due out through publishers Orion in January 2010, and sounds fantastic! It’s a real blockbuster of a book along the veins of the Bagshawe sisters, Lulu Taylor and Rebecca Chance, and is sure to be a hit. Here’s the synopsis:

“When Niamh Morrison becomes engaged to the love of her life, Rossa Granville, she sets in motion a chain of events that will see two wealthy and powerful Irish families clash as never before.

Niamh: Despite her privileged upbringing, Niamh Morrison has spent her life wishing she could escape from the shadow of her beautiful, charismatic stepmother, Coppelia. Now, on the eve of her engagement party, she may finally get her wish. After all, her fiancé Rossa is the perfect partner, and the Granvilles the perfect family…

Honoria: For Honoria Granville, her grandson’s engagement to Niamh Morrison represents the culmination of years of plotting, manipulation and deceit. But now the trap has been set - all she must do is wait for her prey…

Carrick: As the natural heir to the Granville estate, Carrick has struggled to balance the demands of duty with freedom. But when Carrick realises that he is about to be disinherited in favour of his brother, Rossa, he decides to act…

Coppelia: Sexy, ruthless and avaricious, Coppelia Morrison always gets what she wants. But when she discovers that her stepdaughter, Niamh, has become engaged to the grandson of her life-long enemy, she knows she’ll need to do everything within her power to stop the wedding…”

It’s due for release on January 21st 2010, so we’ve got a bit of a wait, but it sounds fab and I can’t wait!