It’s no secret I love visiting gardens. On our recent trip to Ireland, we once again wandered through the walled garden at beautiful Dromoland Castle, now a stunning hotel near Shannon Airport.
My photographing abilities don’t do the garden justice but hope you get the idea! 
Ireland’s Black Valley is one of our favorite spots to hike on our many visits to this beautiful part of the world. When I came up with the idea for my next Sharpe and Donovan installment, I knew part of it would be set in the Black Valley. Tentatively titled Return to Declan’s Cross, it doesn’t have a pub date yet but I’m working on it. I’ll be offering a “sneak peek” in the coming weeks.
Here’s a photo I took on our first hike in the Black Valley. The cottage ruin is a well-known site on the Kerry Way, a marked hiking trail we crossed on our own route. … Read More
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We’re home after almost a month in Ireland. We’re back to weeds in the gardens, fuzzy stuff in the fridge and gorgeous New England fall weather and foliage. We stacked a cord of wood delivered on Saturday and have a visit in the works with my mother. And I had a great chat with my fabulous agent on Monday.
Hard to believe last week we were hiking the Irish hills!
Tomorrow (September 30) is the final day to enter my Sharpe & Donovan 10th Anniversary Giveaway. In addition to signed copies of the entire Sharpe & Donovan series, one lucky winner will receive Irish beeswax cand… Read More
With gyms and just about everything closed, many of us are tying on our walking shoes and heading outside for a wander. I love to walk, whether at home in New England or on our travels. I’ve come up with countless scenes and descriptions for my books while I’m off in the Irish hills. Here are photos of some of my favorite trails. I find them inspiring and soothing during this challenging time, and I hope you do, too.
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Just popping in with a few photos from my “hideaway cottage” on the southwest Irish coast. I’m here with Joe for a few weeks to hike, read by the fire, enjoy the wonderful people and surroundings and write. Rain, wind, sun, whiskey, cows, stone walls, great food, great scenery…and Halloween. We’ll see what comes of all this creative inspiration!
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Exploring country roads is one of my favorite activities on our visits to Ireland. We love seeing the sights–we’ve toured museums, distilleries, historic houses and castles–but there’s nothing quite like taking off down a twisting lane, wondering where it goes and what we’ll see along the way.
Maybe my love of twisting country roads goes back to my rural New England childhood. My folks would pile all seven of us kids into the car and go for a drive, often to the nearby Quabbin Reservoir. It’d be harder to pull off these days with so many people needing se… Read More
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Rival’s Break hits stores on August 27, just a couple of weeks from now. (It’s currently 30% off in hardcover at Amazon and B&N online; I don’t know for how long so grab your copy today!) We’ve done up a fun Sharpe & Donovan Trivia Quiz (my kids love trivia), and you can read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Rival’s Break at the same time.
Click here for the quiz, excerpt and more info.
And don’t forget Impostor’s Lure is in paperback now!
Fun fact: the photos above and below feature the Cliff Walk in Ardmore, Ireland, where a scene in Rival’s … Read More
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We’re deep into our Vermont winter, with snow and a frigid temperatures in the forecast. I do love New England winters (except when they drag into April!), but I find myself dreaming of spring at the moment. I spent most of the day writing by the woodstove and now I’m thinking about what I want to plant this spring, and where we want to go.
Joe and I love to travel in early spring. It’s an amazing time to take long walks on Irish lanes, with lambs prancing through grassy fields and colorful wildflowers popping up everywhere. The photo with me in my orange Irish raincoat was taken on a … Read More
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Like so many book lovers, I enjoy giving books as Christmas presents. Paperbacks novels make great stocking stuffers, so I’m always on the lookout for the latest by a favorite author, but I also love to wrap a special gift book that a friend, colleague or loved one might not buy for themselves…but would love to own. Here are three I own on Irish country houses, life tips from an Irish gentleman and the iconic Ring of Kerry. I’ve included Amazon links but you can order them from your favorite bookstore.
On our many visits to Ireland, we’ve stayed in e… Read More
We’re just back home after two weeks on the southwest Irish coast. We loved every minute! Enjoy these photos and short video of one of our more peaceful outings, to a favorite spot on the Beara Peninsula.
