Last year I promised my publishers that I’d write a book – the only problem was, I had no idea what it was going to be about.
Then my daughter asked me to go with her while she was having her nails done. While she was working, Sheena, the lovely nail technician, told us the most beautiful story. Here it is:
One day Sheena was feeling sad and she decided that the only cure would be to visit her granny – who lived in a nursing home a hundred miles away in Mayo. After work Sheena jumped in her car and started to drive. When she got to the nursing home, it was all locked up for the night, and everyone was in bed. Sheena knew the security code for the door though, so she let herself in and tiptoed upstairs, where she snuggled up in bed with her granny, and slept for the rest of the night. Very early next morning, Sheena went to the kitchen and made tea and toast for herself and her granny, and they chatted for a long time. Then, before anyone else woke up, Sheena tucked her granny back into bed, and got back in her car and drove home for work.
I loved this story so much, I asked Sheena if I could use part of it for my new book, and she very kindly agreed. Then with another story strand about an asylum seeker, and with some help from my writing friends Sarah Webb and Oisin McGann, my book began to take shape.
Here’s Sheena with the first copy.

This post first appeared here: www.girlsheartbooks.com