Dia dhuit a chara (Irish for hello friends!)
Spring has sprung! There’s definitely a hint of summer in the air. I can almost feel the warm breezes of a summer’s day … I don’t know about you, but I’m longing for a holiday, to escape somewhere by the sea…
For me the seaside, whatever the season, is always rejuvenating and calming – although the last time I was by the sea with my husband we had to run to escape the incoming tide!
It was on another spontaneous day out that I knew I’d found the perfect inspiration for the village in my book, The Moonlight Gardening Club. We’d gone for a spin on my husband’s motorcycle and stopped in a small seaside village in the south of Ireland for ice-cream and everything just felt right! It was perfect, I knew it. So much so, that I returned there a couple of times just to make sure I had the right feel of it, that I’d be able to convey its gorgeous cosiness, its sublime seascapes and its warm and friendly atmosphere, and so Castletown Cove was born.
I loved writing about the residents of Castletown Cove, and all they did at The Moonlight Gardening Club. Right from the beginning they were close to my heart – and I desperately wanted to tell them it would all be okay – but I couldn’t! They needed to work through their troubles and fears their own way, even if it made me cry a lot, which it did. Researching for the book brought me down so many avenues, and I learnt so much about the topics covered in the book. I hope that I’ve managed to explore them with sensitivity while remaining true to people’s experiences.
In The Moonlight Gardening Club, Ruby returns to Castletown Cove after the death of her husband. She’s struggling, but determined to live out the life they’d planned together. Heartbroken and lonely, she makes friends with young single mum, Frankie, and her son, Dillon. It’s not long before they’re the closest of friends, sharing everything – especially time together at the Moonlight Garden where they dig and share their hopes and dreams. But digging unearths the past, and a shocking revelation threatens their friendship. Can they salvage anything of the deep friendship they’d cherished – or will the past ruin everything for them both?
Oh, I’m almost crying again thinking about Ruby, Frankie, Dillon and all the gorgeous residents of Castletown Cove! They made me feel so at home, so warmly welcomed and wanting to know even more about them and all the magic that their future holds for each and every one of them! I want to be in the Moonlight Garden with them all, in my wellies and up to my oxters in dirt and plants, drinking tea, talking and laughing, and dancing to Kate Bush, Cyndi Lauper or Queen as the stars fill the sky above… sigh… can’t you just see it now?
There’s something magical about gardening that brings people together, or even back to themselves. I hope my book brings a smile to your face, and that you fall in love with The Moonlight Gardening Club just as I did. As for me … I’m away to google what my local garden centre has in stock … or maybe just drool over pretty seaside villages where I can read in the shade of night-scented jasmine while chatter drifts from the members of The Moonlight Gardening Club…
