What is Country Girl at Heart about?
Country Girl at Heart shares the story of a city girl who moves to rural Ireland. She has broken up with her long-term boyfriend and wants to revisit her childhood summer visits to her aunt and uncle's farm. However, moving there in January is very different to the memories of her summer holidays. Her visit starts with her car nosediving into a snowdrift. But don't worry, local accountant Hugh and neighbouring farmer Steve are on hand to help her.
She's an English teacher (surprise surprise, I used to be an English teacher too) and she's expecting her farming to be limited to standing in a gap and enjoying walks across the fields. However, as her uncle has a heart attack and is brought to hospital, Kelly is left holding the fort.
How does she manage? Is she left with egg on her face or can she cope with milking Becky the goat, and Megan going into labour? Not to mention the isolation of being snowed in and of feeling she's in a goldfish bowl as everyone comments on her actions.
In terms of genre, Country Girl at Heart is probably best described as a romantic comedy or rural life humour. I was interviewed recently on the Another Chapter podcast and the two ladies described it as "If you love books that make you feel like you're right there in the countryside, or want a mix of Bridget Jones Diary and Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling, don't miss this one." Yes, there is a love triangle albeit with a matriarchal goat as a problematic matchmaker.
Ray D'Arcy viewed it as quite nostalgic. I can understand why he saw it like that but to me, this is what rural life is like. There's the goldfish bowl, the inquisitive but good-natured and caring neighbours, the cups of tea, the crowds of people coming to Irish wakes and funerals, the meitheal (when farmers / neighbours help each other), the baking, the cattle breaking out and lots more. Ray described it as having a Sunday evening television feel to it, Ballykissangel or Monarch of the Glen.
When you read it, let me know what you think. What would you compare it to?
Who inspired Country Girl at Heart?
I've long been inspired by all farming women but to be honest, it's the farm women who came from town backgrounds who have inspired this book. Many get fully involved by milking cows and driving machinery. Others stand in gaps and do the bookkeeping. All put up with the not-so-nice realities of farming life - the late meals, the absent spouse at events, the lack of holidays, the spending of money on machinery rather than a new kitchen or bathroom, the mud, the smell of slurry at times, the feeding of contractors, the flies. Yes, of course farming is a lovely life, the perfect place to go for walks across the fields and to bring up children but it can take time to adjust. And sometimes you have to laugh or you'd end up crying. I wanted to write a series of novels where a woman comes from a city background and we see her adjusting to different challenges as time goes by. The good, the bad and the ugly, as well as the funny.
The main character, Kelly, falls in love with walking along the lane near her aunt's farm. She loves the smell of honeysuckle, the primroses and bluebells in the hedges, picking blackberries in August, the grass in the middle of the lane, the solitude. And yes, that lane is inspired by Garrendenny Lane that divides our farm. Before my daughter left for Oslo, I took some photos of her to use on social media to promote the book.
And yes, Becky the goat in the novel is inspired by a real Becky the goat who outfoxed me many a time.
Social Commentary
I hope people will also enjoy this book for its represenation of rural characters - whether it's Mrs Peabody and her baking (and her questions), Flat-Out with his distinctive characteristics, kindly Larry Kearney, the practical no-nonsense Rita, competitive Stella Richardson, and so many more. There's also the personalities of the animals - Becky the goat is probably the main secondary character!
I deliberately set the novel in 2017. There's a few reasons for that. EU Dairy quotas came to an end in 2015 and dairy expansion took off. The majority of dairy farmers increased their herd size and many invested in new milking parlours, slurry storage and more calf housing. There were thousands of new entrants to dairy too, farmers who had been doing suckler, tillage, beef or mixed farming. Dare I say it, but dairy farming began to get a bad name as 350 cows and more became the new goal. There was concern about water pollution, calf welfare, mental health, shortage of labour, financial pressures and much more. As this will be a series, covering the years 2017-2026 with four or five novels, each book will be showing some changes in dairying as time moves on.
Who will enjoy Country Girl at Heart?
I hope all farmers, male and female, will enjoy the humour, the portrayal of rural life and of course, the personalities of humans and farm animals. I particularly hope that women who came from town backgrounds will empathise with Kelly and laugh along with her. And as Ray D'Arcy enjoyed it, I hope all non farmers interested in the country way of life will enjoy it too.
So will there be a Second Book?
Yes, there will. I'm working on it at the moment (56,000 words and counting). I'm hoping to get it to a stage that I can send it to my editor when calving starts as I won't get anything done on it in February and March. If so, it'll be out next June, all going well. I'll share my writing process with you in another post.
Where can I buy Country Girl at Heart?
Irish readers: It's in stock in some Irish bookshops, and on my website (free postage until Christmas). If you're in Northern Ireland, I'm afraid my shopify shop sees you as UK so it won't let you purchase but I can post you a copy so email me and I can send you a paypal invoice.
UK readers: Due to Brexit and VAT, I'm not able to sell directly to readers within the UK. You can choose between Amazon, Waterstones and The Great British Bookshop.
Rest of World: You can choose between Amazon and The Great British Bookshop.
Thank you - and do let me know what you think. I'd particularly love to hear who is your favourite character.