Launch day minus five

Here’s the next instalment of that conversation between Frank and his sister.  

‘It’s Martin.’ Of course it was. Wasn’t it always Martin? ‘He’s gone missing. Well not completely missing. There’s been sightings.’ She stopped, her last word left dangling over a cliff edge waiting to be rescued.

Frank let a few more seconds pass but since no further words were forthcoming, he embarked on the rescue mission. ‘Sightings?’

‘Scotland.’

‘Scotland’s a big country, Siobhan. Any particular part?’

‘Glasgow. Cousin Finn bumped into him. He was half-cut.’

‘Finn, or Martin?’

‘Martin I think, but it could have been either. Or both. Anyway that’s where we think he is. Would you go and get him?’

Want to know what Frank does next? Check in again tomorrow.

One week to go

Calling Frank O’Hare will be landing on 1st April.

The countdown to the big day starts here. Are you ready to have your whistle whetted?

I thought I’d give you a few snippets from Calling Frank O’Hare this week.

Snippet no: 1 starts on the first page:

Satisfied with his stretch and his life, he selected the first tube of paint. It was a new one, as yet unopened. Frank loved a brand new tube of paint. There was so much potential in them, so many possibilities. He unscrewed the top and broke the seal. Time to get started.

Then the phone rang.

He checked the caller ID. It was his sister. Frank tutted and screwed the top back onto the paint. He was going to have to take this, whether he wanted to or not.

‘Frank, it’s Siobhan, your sister.’

‘I know who you are, Siobhan. What’s up? Is it the parents?’

‘Now why would you ask me that?’

‘You don’t usually call.’

‘I could say the same for you, Francis. They’re grand. There’s nothing wrong with them.’

‘What is it then?’

‘Who is it, you mean.’

‘Ah.’ There was no need to say more. He knew what was coming next.

Eager to know more? Tune in tomorrow to find out what was coming next…

Auction for Guide Dogs

I’ve donated a signed copy of Saving Geraldine Corcoran to this book auction in aid of the Guide Dogs charity.

The story doesn’t feature any labradors but it does have Minnie, a dog with separation issues, who is one of Geraldine’s unlikely guardian angels.

The auction closes on 14th December and the money goes straight to the charity. I’ll be sending the book out myself, to anywhere in the UK, before Christmas. So, if you fancy treating yourself or another book lover, put in a bid now. It’s for a great cause.

There are lots of fab books by fantastic authors to bid for so why not take a look?

Have you read Meeting Annette Grey yet?

‘Edie put on her mac and her favourite bucket hat. Her great-nephew, James, had once declared that she looked like an acid house stoner in it.

She’d assumed the part of innocent and slightly dotty old auntie for his sake and pretended to know nothing of such things. In fact, she was quite partial to a bit of Primal Scream. But James didn’t need to know that.

She merely told him it served its purpose and neglected to mention that it was highly likely she knew more about acid house stoners than he did.

She also failed to mention that she liked the way its bright green colour brought out the best in her eyes, when they weren’t hidden by the brim. At her age it didn’t do to admit vanity still reared its ugly head occasionally.’

Have you read Meeting Annette Grey yet? It’s short and sweet. Just like Edie.

Want to know what Frank’s story is about?

I’ve just finished the description of Frank’s story and wanted to share it with you. It might get tweaked a bit before publiction but here it is:

The past is only a phone call away.

It’s the Easter break and Frank O’Hare plans to spend it painting big, bold sunsets. Until he gets a call that changes everything.

His useless brother, Martin, has gone missing, although he’s been seen in Glasgow by hopeless Cousin Finn. Under orders from the family, Frank’s on a mission to retrieve the runaway and send him back to Belfast. But when Martin makes off with Finn’s campervan, Frank is dragged into a road trip through the Scottish Highlands with nothing more than an overnight bag, an ancient phone, and a whole heap of memories.

But not all trips are fun, and not all memories are good.

As the challenges get harder, so too do the memories. Frank is transported back to a time when, along with Finn and Martin, he and Billy Mac were the Band of Brothers, four young eejits trying to stay away from the kind of trouble that shapes your life forever.

All he wants to do is get home and avoid calls from his disappointed ma and his bossy sister. The trouble is, Martin seems intent on getting the gang back together again. But Billy Mac is conspicuously absent, no one wants to talk about it, and Frank would rather the Band of Brothers stayed in the past where they belong.

Because people change. Things happen. And some words are best left unsaid.

What do you think?

Right, now back to the writing.