Live From The Field

Hello all, and apologies for the picture no sound of recent weeks! I’ve been struggling a little with the ‘scooter debacle fallout’ and I am now acquainted with an impressive number of Australian health professionals in a variety of hospital settings. All of whom have been unfailingly charming and professional but nonetheless the wrist is still in trouble. Getting better however, so fear not!
Hilariously, though I am sure I am perfectly intelligible, dictation software wouldn’t agree, and my ‘lilting Irish brogue’ has all technology stumped! I have visions of little bots looking at each other scratching their little robotic heads going ‘what did she just say?’ I have tried to make it work as typing is exhausting on the broken hand but I spend more time fixing what I was sure was perfectly clear, so that’s not an option. Anyway, it will right itself eventually no doubt.
You might notice I’m getting all of my covers redone and I’m so pleased with the new ones. Check them out here if you’re interested.http://author.to/Jeangraingerbooks
I’m also getting my website overhauled – I am allergic to the backend of websites, coding etc, and only barely understand it. but thankfully a wonderful man is helping me. His name is Bobby and he’s a genius, and I’m sure I drive him nuts. Please bear with me in the coming weeks if the changeover is a little clunky, we’ll try to make it smooth but you know yourself, what can happen when the tech gremlins get to work.
Life down under is still wonderful, and thankfully the bush fires have all been extinguished at this stage, its been raining a lot. We have another four months here and then its home to the Emerald Isle for us. Its been, and continues to be, a fantastic experience, we meet so many people, see so many incredible things, and we’ve had up close and personal encounters with more animals in these eight months than in the last four decades of my life. It’s a year we’ll never forget and it is you my dear readers that I have to thank. I never imagined in a million years when I was a teacher that I would be in a position to do this, to write for a living, but I am, and you are the people who make that possible, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Speaking of books, I don’t know if this is good or bad news, but I was about two thirds of the way through a new Conor book when I got an idea for the third book in The Star and the Shamrock Series. Generally the ideas for new books have the good manners to wait their turn, until the current work in progress is ready for editing, but not so with this story. However much I tried to focus on finishing Conor’s story this other one would barge into my already messy mind, uninvited and unannounced, demanding to be told. So, I struggled with it for a while and now have no option but put Conor on the back burner and write this story. So that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m loving it though I must say. I wasn’t sure what was next for that whole family, but then I knew, and well…give me a few months and you will too!
The Sisters of the Southern Cross, my Irish nuns in Australia story is with the editors for a final polish up before hitting my advance team mid April I’d imagine. This book is not my usual subject matter so I’m hoping you like it. We’ll see.
So that’s all my news, I’m heading to California next month, Corona virus notwithstanding, to see my brother and his family so I’m very excited about that.
Thanks for sticking by me folks, I appreciate every single one of you. Below is a pic of me and my daughters, Éadaoin and Siobhán.
Le grá agus buiochas go deo,
Jean xx