It’s in the charts!
The Irish original fiction bestseller charts, that is! (Original fiction, for those of you not familiar, is what they term the large size paperback.) Delighted to report that after one week of sales (they work a week behind) The Reunion has gone in at number six! Which means that sales from the launch on Tuesday will feature in next week’s charts � fingers crossed they bump it up a few spaces! 
A huge thank you to all who contributed in any way to this, and thanks so much to everyone who put up with my incessant bleating over the last few weeks � I promise to ease off a bit now……for the moment!
Launch was wonderful � over seventy faithful souls turned up to pack O’Mahony’s bookshop to the rafters. Here’s me and Mam in the middle of the madness:
I told everyone in my speech that she was going to be 88 on the 15th � she was delighted, loves the limelight! (Think I might have inherited a bit of that…�!) Incidentally, the top I’m wearing was made especially for me by the wonderfully talented Caroline Mitchell, internationally acclaimed Irish knitwear designer based right here in Limerick. I approached Caroline when I was writing The Reunion and asked if I could pick her brains as I was planning to have a knitwear designer in the book (the fact that my character is called Caroline too is entirely coincidental, by the way.) The real Caroline agreed immediately, and was literally at my beck and call anytime I thought of a new question for her. Worth looking up � � if you want a really special garment made (don’t go by me � I’m SO not a model, and the snap isn’t showing the beautiful beading detail, and the pants are all wrong with it � I’m a celebrity, get me a personal stylist!!!!)
Oh, and we had a Gospel choir at the launch (excuzez-moi) thanks to Caterina, a member who works in O’Mahony’s, and Gretta, the very generous choir director. They blasted out the tunes as I signed and chatted: don’t they look the biz?
Among the local celebs who attended was my pal and co-writer Judi Curtin. Judi has written about a gazillion children’s books (well, maybe not quite a gazillion, but watch this space) and we co-wrote one in 2007 called See If I Care, aimed at 10-13 year olds. We had a bit of fun with a few snaps at the launch:
So life is calming down somewhat now � although I have two more bookish events in the next couple of weeks � Saturday next, 16th, in Gallagher’s Seafood Restaurant at Bunratty, Co Clare, an afternoon (2-4) of chat, music and nibbles, (and books for sale at a special price!) and Friday 22nd July in the bookshop in Newcastle West, Co Limerick, 5pm for a reading from The Reunion and a chat: if you’re in the area for either of these do come along, I’d be delighted to see you.
No rest for the wicked: I’ve been working on the next book, tentatively titled The Choir, for the past couple of months, and so far so good. It’ll keep me busy over the summer, which has turned out pretty blah weather-wise, after three weeks of glorious sunshine in May/June. Ah well, the small price we pay to live in beautiful green friendly Ireland!
Happy summer/winter, depending on your hemisphere!
Roisin xxx
