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 seatbelts and car seats, but what great memories I have of those wanders. I still love wandering in New England, too. Of course! But I can’t wait to be back in Ireland, on another winding Irish road…

Note: I’m the New York Times bestselling author of more than 75 novels, including Rival’s Break, featuring FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, in stores now. You can read more about me here.