Roisin Meaney's Blog, page 3

November 2023

Hello everyone,

November, the year is almost out. It’s true what they say – time does go faster the more of it you spend above ground! Seems like no time at all that I was looking forward to summer, and now the clocks have gone back and the leaves are falling and the days are shortening. As I look out on this first afternoon of November the sky is a mix of white and blue and the sun is doing its best to light us up. Five minutes ago heavy hailstones were falling, but now it’s dry. Gotta love the Irish weather. Storm Ciaran is on the way, so hatches will be battened down, stoves lit and hot chocolate made all over the place! (Must get some marshmallows…..)

The great news is that A Winter to Remember entered the top 10 Irish Original Fiction list at number 10 after just half a week of sales, (came out on a Thursday, tallying of sales for that week ended on Sat), so that was a terrific start. A week later it went to number 5, and I’ve just heard that it’s sitting at number 4 this week, so I’m thrilled. Thanks so much to everyone who helped to put it there. It’s really great to see something you’ve slogged over for several month going down well.

Apart from that, nothing much to report. My writing week in Italy was fine but I was too distracted to get much writing done, so now that I’m back I have the head down and I’m 5k words into the new book, and so far so good. Only another 90k or so to go…..!

Mind yourselves.

lovexx

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October 2023

Hello everyone,

Happy October – can you believe 2023 is that old? It’ll be a busy month for me: besides seeing A Winter to Remember safely onto bookshop shelves, and tackling all the associated fanfare that goes along with a new book arrival – signings, marketing, publicity – I’ll be making a start on the next, after the plot I’m still tinkering with comes together in a solid enough shape for me to work with it. In addition, October is Children’s Book Festival month in libraries throughout Ireland, and I’ve been booked to meet local schoolchildren in libraries in Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry, so I’ll be on the road a bit. All good – and everything will get done.

I was on the road in September too, a sunnier one than I usually walk on. The Portuguese Camino de Santiago trip with my pal Marita went really well. We chose the coastal path, so there were a lot of boardwalks and beaches, and coffees in cafes overlooking the ocean, and occasional dips too, when the mood took us. We really enjoyed it, and found the Portuguese people really lovely (and the Spanish too, it has to be said, on the two days we spent over the border). We didn’t make it to Santiago, we just didn’t have enough time, but next year, all going well, we’ll take a different route and end up there. Highly recommend for a holiday with a difference – and since you can walk as much or as little as you want each day, it’s not just for long distance walkers. All you need is some time off, a good pair of boots and an open mind. We met great folk, fellow walkers and locals alike. Everyone, it seemed, had time to talk.

And now the clock has reached bedtime on the last day of September, so I’ll bid you goodnight and God bless. Hope you enjoy A Winter to Remember if you’re of a mind to pick it up.

Mind yourselves.

lovexx

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September 2023

Hello everyone,

As I write this it’s the eve of September, my birthday month – on the third I will turn a new page as I begin another year on this earth. Older, but I fear not a jot wiser – and definitely more forgetful with every year. My 95 year old mother goes through her checklist each time I leave her house: have you got your phone? your keys? your wallet? Did you bring anything else? Yes, I said 95, and sharp as a tack. Maybe when I’m 95 I’ll magically become all the things she is. I can only hope.

August was a bit fraught. My house sale – did I mention I’m selling my Limerick home? – seemed to have hit a roadblock, with no move in the direction of contract signing from my buyer – but happily it’s all done now, and I’m just waiting for the official closing, and the satisfying thump of a wad of money into my bank account. I’m also house hunting, having decided that the holiday home I’d planned to move permanently into isn’t really up to the job. It’s a perfect holiday home but not equipped to handle year-round living, so I’m keeping an eye out for a more suitable one. How do I get any writing done?

And speaking of writing, here finally is the big cover and title reveal for the next. I love that cover – and big thanks to Carmel Harrington for the generous quote. A Winter to Remember will hit Irish bookshops – and Australian and New Zealand ones too – on October 12. My twenty-first offering, and as ever I hope it goes down well. I’ve moved on to the plot of my next, which won’t be published till 2025, so I have plenty of time to get it right. Here’s hoping. In the meantime, say hello to my soon-to-be-born baby.

Mind yourselves.

lovexx

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August 2023

Hello everyone,

On the last day of July, we’re all feeling a little waterlogged here in West Clare as the rain continues to visit us daily, sometimes hanging around for prolonged periods. Still, it’s Ireland and we’re used to wet summers, and it’s better than the awful heatwaves and wildfires they’re enduring on the continent….so I’m happy to live on our temperate little island, and wait for the occasional sunny day to come along. I’ve also booked a 10-day walking break in Portugal in September, so hopefully that’ll be a little less damp!

Today is Dad’s first anniversary. Doesn’t seem like a year since he left us. Happily, Mam is still doing very well, having celebrated 95 years in the world this month, and showing no sign of wanting to leave it anytime soon. She walks and gardens and reads, and has hung on to the positive outlook she’s always had. Long may she last.

In other news, I made a second batch of grapefruit marmalade today. The first batch tasted good but the pieces of rind clumped together because I’d cut them too thin. Today I didn’t make that mistake – but I think I may have been a little generous with the water, because so far it hasn’t set. I’ll check in the morning, when it’s cooled completely, but I’m not hopeful … Ah well, I can dip my toast into it!

On the writing front I’ve waved a final goodbye to the new book – next time I see it, it will have magically transformed into an actual book, with a cover and all. I was hoping to have the cover to flash here, but although I’ve seen it I haven’t been given the go-ahead to reveal it, so you’ll have to wait another while. Publication date of October 12 seems far away but no doubt it’ll be here in no time.

Look after yourselves; if you’re in Ireland enjoy the long days, whether they’re wet or dry!

lovexx

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July 2023

Hello everyone,

So 2023 is halfway over, its longest day has come and gone, and we’re into the second half – but I always think July is the show-off month of the year, with gardens in glorious bloom (pic shows my astilbe at peak fluffiness), mornings still breaking ridiculously early and daylight extending long after dinnertimes, and a wonderful softening in the air, even if the sun seems to have (hopefully temporarily) gone on its holidays. Here in Miltown Malbay, the 51st Willie Clancy summer School has just kicked off, with traditional music fans congregating from all over Ireland and beyond, enjoying daily music classes and workshops, lectures, singsongs, concerts, céilithe and more. It’s lovely to see the buzz around town, so many making the annual pilgrimage to the festival. It’s my first year to be here for it, as I let the house for this week every year since I bought it in 2017, so it’s a novelty to be in residence now and to witness the activity.

On the writing front I’m waiting for the winter/Christmas publication to come back from the copy-editor, when I’ll have two weeks to review and approve or reject the changes she’s made. After that it’s on to the proofreader for the final check. Publication date is October 12, which was Mam and Dad’s wedding day many years ago. Has to be a good omen! The other writing event in July is a workshop I’m attending in another part of West Clare, given by one of my favourite writers, Niall Williams. I’m really looking forward to it, and hoping it’ll give my writing a bit of a new boost.

Hope everyone’s enjoying the summer, and getting out in that softer gentler air.

Look after yourselves,

lovexx

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JuLY 2023

Hello everyone,

So 2023 is halfway over, its longest day has come and gone, and we’re into the second half – but I always think July is the show-off month of the year, with gardens in glorious bloom (pic shows my astilbe at peak fluffiness), mornings still breaking ridiculously early and daylight extending long after dinnertimes, and a wonderful softening in the air, even if the sun seems to have (hopefully temporarily) gone on its holidays. Here in Miltown Malbay, the 51st Willie Clancy summer School has just kicked off, with traditional music fans congregating from all over Ireland and beyond, enjoying daily music classes and workshops, lectures, singsongs, concerts, céilithe and more. It’s lovely to see the buzz around town, so many making the annual pilgrimage to the festival. It’s my first year to be here for it, as I let the house for this week every year since I bought it in 2017, so it’s a novelty to be in residence now and to witness the activity.

On the writing front I’m waiting for the winter/Christmas publication to come back from the copy-editor, when I’ll have two weeks to review and approve or reject the changes she’s made. After that it’s on to the proofreader for the final check. Publication date is October 12, which was Mam and Dad’s wedding day many years ago. Has to be a good omen! The other writing event in July is a workshop I’m attending in another part of West Clare, given by one of my favourite writers, Niall Williams. I’m really looking forward to it, and hoping it’ll give my writing a bit of a new boost.

Hope everyone’s enjoying the summer, and getting out in that softer gentler air.

Look after yourselves,

lovexx

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June 2023

Hello everyone,

June already, heading towards the longest day…..amazing. As I write this it’s a hot, hot evening and I’m home – or rather back at my rented room – after attending the opening ceremony of Listowel Writers Week 2023. I don’t know how they manage it, but Writers Week is usually sunny. I’ve been attending the festival for years and I think maybe twice the weather didn’t oblige. I love coming back to Listowel – even though we moved out of Kerry when I was six months old I feel like I’m back to the roots.  To get here today from Miltown Malbay I took the ferry from Killimer in Co Clare to Tarbert in Co Kerry, a short 20 minute crossing on the Shannon that cuts miles off the road trip.  What a beautiful day, an absolute scorcher. I’m very wary of the sun after my brush with melanoma last year but I still love to see that blue sky and feel the warmth. Puts everyone in better humour too. Stephen Rae was presented with the John B Keane Lifetime Achievement Award tonight – always had a soft spot for him.

On the books front I sent back the edited version of the next on Monday, so now I have a few weeks rest while the copy editor does her thing. And tomorrow – ta-dah – is the paperback publication day of Life Before Us, so I’ll be swanning around any bookshop I can find, checking to see if it’s on the shelves. I like the pretty colours on the cover. I’m waiting to see a cover for the next – always dying to find out what it’ll look like.

Look after yourselves, enjoy the sunshine and the great outdoors – and as Baz Luhrmann says, wear sunscreen (and a hat).

lovexx

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May 2023

Hello everyone,

Well, with May finally here summer’s definitely in the air, with lovely long days and more blue in the sky. The birdsong these times is deafening – I sit on my patio on all the dry evenings and soak it in, enthralled. I’ve migrated to the house in Miltown Malbay in West Clare, soon to be my year-round home as my Limerick house has just gone to sale agreed. It’ll be a wrench leaving it after 26 mostly happy years there – but trying to manage two houses was making me weary! And the cats won’t be sorry to be settled in one place – they do NOT like the car, or the carriers, or both – I never figured out exactly why they began complaining as soon as I turned the key and didn’t stop till we landed – I’m just glad that’s in the past! And we’re only an hour from Limerick, so I’ll be up and down to see Mam and catch up with pals etc. End of an era, but not a definitive end….

In book news, I have my editing hat on and I’m back in the book with my virtual red pen in hand as I root out the weaknesses and hopefully replace them with something stronger. It’s a daunting task at the outset but once you launch in and get going it loses its scariness and it’s just a matter of ploughing on till you’re back at the last page again, which I’m planning to get to by the end of May. Let’s hope.

Pic shows George and Paddy, my two not so little brother pusses enjoying a snooze in their ‘playground’. They have the life.

Look after yourselves, enjoy the great outdoors.

lovexx

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April 2023

Hello everyone,

Hope you’re all well and happy. I’m delighted to report that I sent off the first draft of the next book last week (after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing between me and my editor the title has been decided on, but I’m sworn to secrecy for another while) so I’m enjoying the brain downtime until it comes bouncing back with a list of the parts that need improving! I’m catching up on jobs that had to wait, like tidying up the garden after the winter (badly needed) and power hosing the moss and weeds from between the paving bricks (messy) and giving my poor neglected feet and nails some pampering (appointments booked) and just chilling in general. I’m also trying to get back into yoga after a long lazy winter, so I’m doing a 27 minute video before dinner each day – we’ll see how long that lasts! (The video, in case anyone is interested, is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mx24...) And the day after I handed over the draft, I indulged in a little retail therapy – a long-standing tradition, even if I only buy a few new smalls. It’s my pat on my head for getting to the finish line.

In other news, I’ve given up everything nice for Lent – wine, chocolate, cakes, sweets, crisps, biscuits, desserts – you get the idea. Amazingly, I’ve stuck to it like glue, apart from taking a break for St Patrick’s Day – apparently Irish people get a special dispensation on that day (!!) so I treated myself to a few sweeties. I’m going on a weekend away with pals on Friday though, and there’s just no point in saying I won’t drink wine with that lot, BUT I covered that by starting Lent two days before Ash Wednesday! I’m just so organised…

I’m LOVING the long stretch in the evenings since the clocks went forward on Saturday night. I do miss sitting out on a bright calm evening with a glass of vino…….lots of opportunities ahead hopefully, during summer 2023. Photo shows daffs from Aldi in a gorgeous vase a pal bought me on the publication of The Daisy Picker, way back in 2004. Can you believe I haven’t let it fall? (Of course I’ve jinxed it now….!)

Look after yourselves, enjoy the great outdoors.

lovexx

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March 2023

Hello everyone,

Well, I think we can safely say that spring has well and truly sprung in the northern hemisphere. Talk about a grand stretch in the evening – I’m rejoicing here at the myriad signs of spring all around. Every time I go for a walk I see everything busily budding, and I love it. Still chilly, still the occasional frosty morning, but a good share of blue overhead too, which always gives me a lift: I feel as if the sky is opening up and letting us all breathe more easily. And the birds in my neighbour’s garden – he has lots of trees – are in full voice every morning and evening. Nature’s choir, more tuneful than anything us mere mortals can produce.

On the writing front, I’m approaching the final furlong in the first draft of the new book. I LOVE when I can see the finish line – and even though I know there’s plenty of work still to come, it’s wonderful that the big slog of the first draft is drawing to a close. I reckon another week or ten days will do it, and after a further couple of weeks for the final read-through, I can tune out for a few precious weeks while my editor and agent cast beady eyes on it. I’m planning lots of walking, gardening and reading, and I can’t wait. I’ll be coming and going from Limerick to Clare – as summer draws closer I develop a real hankering to be on the coast, or near enough to walk to the sea, so the Miltown Malbay house will be dusted down and pressed back into service. I haven’t stayed there since December, so I’m really looking forward to being back.

Mam is doing well after her fall last month. Back walking the roads of Limerick – everyone on her route knows the little old woman with the stick – and she’s loving the longer days and budding gardens too. She’ll turn 95 in July, all going well. A hooley is planned! In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the always interesting Listowel Writers Week at the end of May, and a writing workshop later in the summer with the wonderful Niall Williams, in the hope that it’ll give my keyboard tapping a new sparkle! If you haven’t read Niall, I particularly recommend his latest novel, This Is Happiness. Pure reading pleasure.

Look after yourselves, enjoy the spring.

lovexx

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