Jen Gilroy's Blog, page 7

Magic, myths and miracles (and celebrating “The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls,” now available in audiobook)

Soon, many of us will mark Halloween and Samhain, and this week I’m also celebrating the audiobook release of The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, one of my sweet contemporary romances with magical elements.

As such, I’ve been thinking about psychic and other paranormal experiences—magic, rooted in myth or miraculous—that have shaped my life in ways I don’t try to understand but welcome and accept.

A sixth sense or second sight

Second sight has a long heritage in parts of Scotland, Ireland and in my Celtic family too.

My grandmother and father often sensed events before they happened and perceived things impacting distant loved ones.

From half a continent away, my grandmother woke on a winter’s night certain that my father, her son, then a young man serving in the Canadian navy, had been in an accident at sea.

Desperate for news, she called radio stations and military personnel, none of whom in that pre-internet era were yet aware that two vessels, one of which my dad was on, had just collided in Halifax harbour.

And although my dad was safely rescued from the icy Atlantic Ocean (if he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t be here), some of his friends weren’t so fortunate.

Magic and miracles

The last time I saw her, in Canada several weeks before her death, that same grandmother, to whom I was very close, told me she’d always watch over me and be there when I needed her.

Fifteen years later, in the wake of traumatic life-saving surgery, I saw her at the foot of my British hospital bed. Amidst the bustle of medical staff and beeping machines, her familiar gentle smile wrapped me in love, comfort and support—both reassurance and reminder that magic and miracles are all around.

Myth and cultural traditions

Magic, myth and the miraculous feature in my writing too, particularly The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls and A Wish in Irish Falls (both free in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited).

These sweet small-town romances (albeit a higher heat level than my Harlequin Heartwarming books) are set in a fictional Irish American small town in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.

Irish Falls has a wishing tree, one that in Celtic and other cultural traditions people make offerings to believing their wishes will be granted.

In these stories, and with a bit of wishing tree magic, my characters don’t always receive what they wish for but the happily ever after they need.

I’m delighted that The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls has just been released in audiobook by Blackstone Audio, with this gorgeous new cover too.

Narrated by Samantha Desz, it’s available on Audible (free with an audible trial) and all other sites. Find out more (and listen to a snippet) here.

As for me? 

I’m blessed to have a bit of that familial sixth sense too and have learned to trust my instincts and inexplicable connection with the spirit world.

Last month, with English Rose eighty miles away at university, I told a sceptical Tech Guy that something was wrong with her.

When she later called to report she’d torn several ligaments in her ankle, I was (unsurprisingly to me) proven right.

Wishing you your own magical times, spiritual blessings and a happy ‘spooky’ month. 

My blog made a “best of” list plus audiobook news & why I took a week offline

30 best women’s fiction blogs and websites

Like most bloggers, I often wonder if my posts resonate with readers. As such, it was both an honour and fantastic surprise to learn that this blog has been chosen by Feedspot as one of the “Top 30 Women’s Fiction Blogs” on the internet.

You can see the whole list here where “Jen Gilroy” is at number five.

It’s especially meaningful to spot author friends and colleagues like Laura Drake and Lainey Cameron from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) on the list too, as well as several bloggers (Bookish Jottings and Harlequin Junkie) who have generously read and reviewed some of my books over the years.

I have a range of new-to-me bloggers to follow as well.

Thanks to Feedspot for including me in this list of popular women’s fiction blogs and also helping me reach new blog readers.

Will you listen to The Sweetheart Locket in audiobook?

In case you missed it in my September newsletter, The Sweetheart Locket, my dual-time Second World War women’s fiction novel, will soon be available in audiobook.

Narrated by Polly Edsell and Regina Reagan, the audiobook is being released by Isis Audio on 1 October (primarily for the UK library market), and subsequently, on 6 October, by Orion Publishing Group for the general market.

From Isis Audio, the book has this new and gorgeous cover with a strong historical feel.

If you’re in the UK and spot a copy in your local library I’d love to see a photo.

The Orion trade audiobook retains the existing cover, and you can find it on Audible and all other sites.

Although it’s always odd to hear others read words that until now were only inside my head, I’m excited to hear these talented narrators, who sound as I imagine my main characters do, bring The Sweetheart Locket to life in a new way.

Why I took a week offline

If you follow me on social media (I usually post daily on my Facebook author page and Twitter), you’ll have seen a post from Tech Guy indicating I was offline.

Although I returned this week, I’m still pacing myself and having to take regular screen (and other) breaks.

Diagnosed with an inner ear problem, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), I’ve experienced severe vertigo, nausea and other not-so-fun things.

And while there is no identifiable cause, this episode seems to have been triggered by bending over to load the dishwasher.

Finally, evidence that housework can be bad for your health!

I’ll be back with a regular blog post in two weeks but, in the meantime, cosy October wishes to all.

If you don’t already receive my blog via email, sign-up via the “Subscribe to Blog” box on the right-hand side of my website here. You’ll receive an email notification whenever I share a new post about my life, family, writing and more.

 

The blessings of friendship in life & books

Returning from my blog hiatus, I welcome new subscribers and send warm wishes to you all.

Along with family, both my romances and women’s fiction celebrate the blessings of friendship.

The bonds I share with friends are amongst the most important in my life and I enjoy reading stories about friendship too.

Life friends

Loyal. Sympathetic. Trustworthy. Kind. Sincere.

Not only words that apply to Floppy Ears, they also come to mind when I think of my human friends.

The small group of trusted writer friends with whom I share the ups and downs of this career and who nurture me in life as well as work.

The high school friend who’s now a staunch support to “writer me,” buying and reading my books and popping up daily on social media to remind me I’m not talking into a void.

My sister-cousin who’s there for me whenever I need her, both practically and by lifting me up in prayer.

Then there’s the friend of thirty plus years who seems to have a sixth sense for when my life is in crisis. She always calls at just the right moment and not only offers emotional support, but pithy wisdom and an “attitude” that makes her both staunch ally and force to be reckoned with.

The older neighbour who’s become like a second mother, offering maternal wisdom along with home-baking and other “just because” treats.

And the virtual friends I’ve connected with through social media. Boosting and encouraging me in life and writing, they represent the best of the online world, and how it can help us make positive connections and learn from others far beyond our immediate circles.

These and many others make my life better and also shape how I explore friendship in my writing.

Friendship in books

As a reader, I’ve always been drawn to bookish friendships.

In L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Anne and Diana are “kindred spirits” and “bosom friends.” I first read the Anne books in childhood and Anne and Diana’s bond continues to influence how I approach female friendship in both my life and ficton.

And since I’ve recently been immersed in reading about England in the Second World War as background for a women’s fiction novel I’m writing, I’ve been struck by how important friendship was in those wartime years.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a 2022 release and Second World War women’s fiction novel set on the British home front.

I loved this heartwarming story of three women who, at a time of clothes rationing, come together through mending wedding dresses and, while helping others, change themselves and find love too.

The Railway Girls series by Maisie Thomas (a dear real-life friend) is also set in wartime England, and is about a group of women who ‘do their bit’ by working on Britain’s railways whilst the men are away fighting. Each wonderful book (the newest, A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls, is out this autumn) celebrates strong female friendships.

 I hope you have friends to cherish in life and books. Do you have a favourite book about friendship? 

The blessings of friendship in life & books

Returning from my blog hiatus, I welcome new subscribers and send warm wishes to you all.

Along with family, both my romances and women’s fiction celebrate the blessings of friendship.

The bonds I share with friends are amongst the most important in my life and I enjoy reading stories about friendship too.

Life friends

Loyal. Sympathetic. Trustworthy. Kind. Sincere.

Not only words that apply to Floppy Ears, they also come to mind when I think of my human friends.

The small group of trusted writer friends with whom I share the ups and downs of this career and who nurture me in life as well as work.

The high school friend who’s now a staunch support to “writer me,” buying and reading my books and popping up daily on social media to remind me I’m not talking into a void.

My sister-cousin who’s there for me whenever I need her, both practically and by lifting me up in prayer.

Then there’s the friend of thirty plus years who seems to have a sixth sense for when my life is in crisis. She always calls at just the right moment and not only offers emotional support, but pithy wisdom and an “attitude” that makes her both staunch ally and force to be reckoned with.

The older neighbour who’s become like a second mother, offering maternal wisdom along with home-baking and other “just because” treats.

And the virtual friends I’ve connected with through social media. Boosting and encouraging me in life and writing, they represent the best of the online world, and how it can help us make positive connections and learn from others far beyond our immediate circles.

These and many others make my life better and also shape how I explore friendship in my writing.

Friendship in books

As a reader, I’ve always been drawn to bookish friendships.

In L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, Anne and Diana are “kindred spirits” and “bosom friends.” I first read the Anne books in childhood and Anne and Diana’s bond continues to influence how I approach female friendship in both my life and ficton.

And since I’ve recently been immersed in reading about England in the Second World War as background for a women’s fiction novel I’m writing, I’ve been struck by how important friendship was in those wartime years.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a 2022 release and Second World War women’s fiction novel set on the British home front.

I loved this heartwarming story of three women who, at a time of clothes rationing, come together through mending wedding dresses and, while helping others, change themselves and find love too.

The Railway Girls series by Maisie Thomas (a dear real-life friend) is also set in wartime England and each wonderful book (the newest, A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls, is out this autumn) celebrates strong female friendships.

 I hope you have friends to cherish in life and books. Do you have a favourite book about friendship? 

The “dog days of summer” and a blog hiatus

It’s the time of year here in Canada that my mother and grandmothers called the “dog days of summer.”

Between late July and early August, life slows.

Road traffic isn’t as heavy. Email volume is lighter. Even social media engagement drops as life outdoors is more appealing than one via a screen.

It’s also when I usually go on holiday. If you subscribe to my monthly reader newsletter which went out several days ago, you already know I’m going to a lakeside cottage for a week, the same one we’ve rented for the past two years.

Lake life

Although I’m an avid traveller, I’ve come to appreciate quieter holidays too and am looking forward to the unstructured joys lake life brings.

Kayaking is a special delight because getting out on the water for a gentle paddle is one of the ways I refill my creative well.

I also love childhood pleasures like toasting marshmallows over a campfire, mid-afternoon visits to the local ice cream stand and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Vacation is a time for reading too and I’ve got a stack of books, physical and virtual, set aside.

Along with not writing, I go off social media and stay away from the news.

Instead, I watch waves lap against a sandy shore. I watch clouds as well and let my mind drift.

I also spend time with my family. With English Rose at university, the days of family vacations are limited—and precious.

A blog hiatus and writing news

After a busy six months, I need to stop, reassess and regroup. As such, I’m taking a hiatus from blogging until September.

In the meantime, and in case you missed it, I was recently interviewed by British author Paula Greenlees. Paula writes historical women’s fiction and her debut, Journey to Paradise, set in post Second World War Singapore, is a fantastic, thought-provoking read.

I chatted with Paula about why I’m now writing historical fiction (alongside contemporary romance), the best thing that’s ever happened to me, how I’d like to be remembered and more. Read that interview here.

The German translation of one of my backlist small-town romances, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, has also just been published by Penguin Verlag. Available in bookshops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and from all online vendors, I want to escape into this gorgeous book cover!

Eine Mitteilung an deutsche Leser über “Mein einziger Wunsch bist du” (A message from me to German readers).

Wishing you summer (or winter for those in the southern hemisphere) joys of your own.

“See” you in September!

Changing my sleep & changing my life

Some of us, like Tech Guy and Floppy Ears, can sleep anytime, anywhere.

That’s not me.

However, in the past month, I’ve slept better than I have in years. While I may never be a consistently “good sleeper,” I’m on track to becoming a “better” one.

Sleep restriction therapy

In May, when I had my first in-person appointment with my nurse practitioner (NP) post-pandemic, top of my list was sleep…or rather lack thereof. Having already tried a range of “sleep hygiene” remedies, I was desperate for help in falling asleep and waking up the next morning feeling if not refreshed at least more functional.

It was then my NP mentioned “sleep restriction therapy” offered by another NP at a nearby clinic.

I had nothing to lose and, potentially, everything to gain. In my foggy, sleep-deprived state, I said “sign me up.”

The first appointments

At first, it seemed counter-intuitive to restrict my sleep to sleep better but I was determined to try.

I began to keep a sleep diary to track my sleep efficiency, the ratio of total sleep time to time in bed. And then I’m given a sleeping and waking plan to improve that efficiency.

Bed…but no books

The plan has been hard. Much harder than I anticipated.

For the initial ten days, I was more tired than ever.

I was too groggy to drive a car or ride my bicycle. I took Tech Guy with me when walking Floppy Ears in case I nodded off mid-route.

With no naps allowed after ten in the morning, I forced myself to stay awake until my appointed bedtime. No matter how tired I felt, I also forced myself out of bed at my designated waking time.

Perhaps most difficult was the ban on reading in bed and having to enjoy books elsewhere.

In this new regime, bed is only for sleep (or sex!).

Just breathe…

In parallel, I was also referred to four sessions of a one-hour weekly meditation group focused on breathing and relaxation.

Together with my ongoing sleep plan, it’s helped, big time.

One breath, one night at a time

Six weeks in, my sleep efficiency score is much improved. I fall asleep more quickly and also stay asleep. Some mornings, I even feel, dare I say, “rested.”

I still have “bad sleep” nights but they’re fewer than before and meditative breathing helps.

Much like writing a 90,000 word book one word, one day at a time, when it comes to sleep I now focus on one breath, one night.

Although I’ll likely always miss reading in bed, it’s a small sacrifice for better rest and overall health.

And while I’m still “training” my family that reading elsewhere in the house doesn’t mean I’m constantly interruptible, changing my sleep is changing my life in ways that are good for all of us.

As for Floppy Ears? Her life—and sleep—are unchanged. We do, however, need to work on what she uses beds for, especially ones that aren’t hers!

Recipe from “The Sweetheart Locket,” a book tour & an unexpected angel

Instead of a regular blog post today, I have several bits of news to share, as well as an anecdote about an unexpected angel who brightened my day when I needed it.

Make a cake featured in the The Sweetheart Locket

Earlier this week, I wrote a post for Novel Noshing, a blog series organised by author and literary agent Susan Nystoriak, about food in books.

The Sweetheart Locket, my WW2 dual-time women’s fiction novel and first largely British-set book features food from my English life.

My favourite cake is the British Victoria Sponge and I mention it several times in the story.

My guest post for Novel Noshing offers a look-behind-the-book as well a recipe (UK and US versions) to make a Victoria Sponge for your own British-inspired afternoon tea.

Read the post here.

The Sweetheart Locket is going on tour…virtually

If you missed it in my June reader newsletter, The Sweetheart Locket will be on a virtual book tour from 28 June to 2 July 2022.

Find out more here and follow the tour schedule for reviews, exclusive book excerpts, interviews with me, giveaways and more.

Thanks to organiser Rachel’s Random Resources and participating bloggers for what will be a fun and busy time with 25 stops over five days.

An unexpected angel

As we all do, I’ve had some recent personal and professional challenges.

One day last week I took Floppy Ears for a walk in the hope that fresh air and exercise would bring clarity to certain situations and help me take a new start where needed.

Even at eight in the morning, it was already hot and humid, and Miss Floppy Ears huffed and sniffed and dawdled with typical canine obliviousness to my deadlines and long to-do list.

Rounding the corner of a nearby road, someone walked toward me from the other direction.

When crossing paths, we exchanged greetings and chatted about the weather.

I then tugged a reluctant Floppy Ears on our way, but the person turned back to me and said: “Have a blessed day, my dear.”

Only a few simple words between strangers but so powerful. In that instant, I felt “blessed” and had a new sense of hope in a way as profound as it was unexpected.

I was also reminded of “Angels Among Us,” a song originally recorded by the American country band, Alabama, Tech Guy and I included in our wedding ceremony almost twenty-six years ago to that day.

At a time I felt alone, frustrated, worried and tired, an angel was there when I needed them—and despite taking the same route daily, I hadn’t seen them before or since.

Coincidence perhaps, but I like to think someone was watching over me.

If you’re interested, listen and watch the official music video  of “Angels Among Us” on YouTube here.

From soya beans and a septic system to swatting mosquitoes in a schoolhouse: Connecting with my rural roots

There was an election in my Canadian province last week and I worked at a polling station to help the democratic process run smoothly.

As well as a fun day meeting new people, it was also a journey into my own past and Canadian rural life.

Smartphones, soya beans and a septic system

Farmers with smartphones chatted about spring seeding and delays in planting soya beans (soy beans) because of rain and wet fields.

Friends and neighbours caught up on family and local “doings” and a photo of a new baby was shared with everyone including poll staff.

Part of the job was monitoring parking to ensure voters didn’t leave vehicles on the lush green grass beside the polling station. Why? The septic tank (used for waste treatment in areas without a central sewer system) was beneath it.

And when one of the people who’d installed the septic system arrived to vote, soon followed by a local builder, both asked poll staff if we needed their help to pitch in and fix anything…just because they were there and had tools in their trucks.

Much like in my small-town romances, rural life is a connected life where people still say “hi neighbour” and look out for each other.

Swatting mosquitoes in a schoolhouse

The polling station was housed in a one-room schoolhouse, now community hall, built in 1875.

Near the farm where my maternal grandmother grew up, she’d have known the building well and may have attended classes there.

Along with the poignancy of seeing the old chalkboards and honey-wooden floor, I experienced something else that hasn’t changed since my grandma’s time.

Needing to leave the outside door propped open to welcome voters, I was swarmed by mosquitos all day.

Albeit more annoyance than health hazard, as one voter commented with typical rural Canadian wit: “At least you missed black fly season.”

My own rural roots

Ancestors on both sides of my mother’s family came to rural Eastern Ontario in the nineteenth century from Ireland, joining other migrants who flocked to Canada in search of a better life.

Almost two hundred years later, that family heritage persists in the names of roads, villages and farm properties where their descendants still live—evident when I checked current voter identification.

I also spotted names linked to my own family, and children (and grandchildren) of people I remember from summer visits to my grandparents.

And although now in decline, hearing remnants of the distinctive Ottawa Valley English dialect with echoes of Ireland took me back to being a child in my grandmother’s kitchen.

As I drove home that night, alongside fields long-ago family once tilled, I once again realized why I tell stories of family and community relationships.

They’re also stories I live and love—one day and book at a time.

Living and writing about mothers and daughters

Before English Rose was born, I didn’t know whether I was having a boy or a girl.

While I’d have loved a son as much as a daughter, part of me was relieved when the doctor announced the baby was a girl. As an only child with four girl cousins, I knew little about boys.

Yet, nothing in that feminine-centric youth prepared me for the wonderful but messy complexity of raising a daughter or the ‘mum’ part of the mother-daughter bond.

My daughter but not myself

From the start, English Rose and I were very different.

In many ways, particularly in terms of learning style, interests and personality traits, she’s more like my late mother than me.

Yet, my daughter is also her own person and I celebrate all of who she is, a great blessing in my life.

Ups and downs

Just as my relationship with my mother wasn’t without challenges, so too has my relationship with my own daughter had ups and downs.

Now I’m learning how to mother an adult daughter and navigating this new stage in our relationship. Beyond the turbulence of adolescence, it’s one where I hope I can be both mum and friend.

Mothers and daughters in my writing

As I explore mother-daughter relationships in fiction, my writing mirrors my life where matrilineal bonds have been singularly important.

From my Firefly Lake and Wishing Tree contemporary romances through to my Montana-set western romances and women’s fiction like The Sweetheart Locket, it’s not surprising that mothers, daughters and grandmothers take primary or secondary roles.

Reading about mothers and daughters

As a reader, I also gravitate to stories about mother-daughter relationships and have two stellar recommendations.

The Hourglass by Tracy Rees is a beautifully written dual-time story set in Tenby, Wales between the 1950s and 2015.

This moving novel about a mother, daughter and grandmother reminded me it’s never too late to change ourselves and our lives.

Among its many poignant messages is this one: “No matter how old you were, nothing was quite as comforting as being mothered.”

Find out more about Tracy and The Hourglass on Goodreads (at time of writing, the book is on sale on Amazon Kindle for 0.99 cents in the US & Canada, £1.99 in the UK) and connect with her on Twitter.

My second recommendation is another dual-time story, Anita Kushwaha’s Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters. Set in Ottawa, Canada, this lyrical and emotional inter-generational novel showcases family relationships alongside immigrant experiences. When I chatted with Anita about the book, she said:

“[It’s about] the ties that bind mothers and daughters together, and the secrets that tear them apart. I’m fascinated by the complexity of mother-daughter relationships…why we place such high expectations on each other and the cost of those expectations.”

Find out more about Anita and Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters on her website and read my interview with her here.

And finally, a friendly reminder that for a few more days the eBook of my mother, daughter and grandmother story, The Sweetheart Locket, is on sale in the US, Canada and UK for only 0.99 cents/pence at Amazon & many other vendors.

Reviewers have called it “one of my favorite reads this year” and “a wonderful dual timeline book with so much heart and courage.”

Get or gift a copy here. 

Back to bicycling..and a special 0.99 cent/pence deal on ‘The Sweetheart Locket’

As some of you know, I bought a bicycle in March, my first one in over twenty years. However, owing to a long and harsh winter, including snow in the last week of April, I wasn’t able to ride my new bike until last weekend.

Now, though, I’m trying to go for a short ride daily and am already seeing my neighbourhood, and myself, in new ways.

Up and down hills

A dear friend calls me “Jen up the hill” in reference to the distance between her home and mine.

However, until I got on my bicycle and felt the pressure in the backs of my legs when pedaling, I didn’t truly appreciate that the slow rise I encounter when walking Floppy Ears is indeed a hill.

I also discovered a new-to-me downhill slope by the stop sign at the corner of a nearby road and learned how to use my brakes in a hurry.

It’s like riding a bike

Although I was wobbly at first, both my muscle memory and balance soon returned and biking was as I remembered it with the wind against my face and joy of being on two wheels.

As a child, I learned to ride a bike using an older friend’s two-wheeler and still remember my excitement when the training wheels came off and I stayed upright while whizzing along the pavement.

I had the same feeling last Sunday afternoon, one of a skill learned long ago but never forgotten.

A new perspective

Having once been comfortable riding a bike with no hands, something that fills adult me with horror, so far I haven’t been brave enough to remove even one hand from the handlebars to wave at neighbours. 

And while potholes, pedestrians, dogs and squirrels are now hazards, I also now have a mental map of bicycle racks in my small town, am rejoicing in cycling trails I’d hardly been aware of previously and have even spotted cute bike-themed garden decor.

Cycling in middle-age

As a teenager too young to drive and in a one-car family, I biked to visit friends and get to places that would have otherwise involved a long walk or bus ride.

Nowadays, with a car in the driveway and many places I want to go in easy walking distance, I’m more conscious of biking to benefit my physical and mental health.

And while in my teenage years it wasn’t “cool” to have a basket, the salesclerk, close in age to English Rose, described my new bike and basket combination as “trendy vintage.”

It was only afterward I wondered if she was referring solely to me?!

A special limited-time 0.99 cent/pence deal on The Sweetheart Locket in the US, UK and Canada 

The ebook of The Sweetheart Locket is currently on an Amazon Kindle Monthly Deal for only 0.99 cents (or less) in the US and Canada, and the UK’s 0.99 pence promotion has been extended to match.

Readers are calling my new Second World War dual-time story one “of profound courage” and “warm, absorbing, and beautifully crafted” with “a satisfying ending.”

Find our more and get (or gift a book-loving friend) a bargain here.