Why I Had to Return to Tom and Niamh
When I wrote The Galway Girl, I never saw it as just one book.
From the beginning, I knew Tom and Niamh's story was bigger than a single novel. Their lives stretched far beyond that summer in Galway, and there were still questions to answer, journeys to take and moments waiting to be written.
That's why I'm so excited to finally be able to share that London Calling, the second book in The Galway Girl Trilogy, will be released on 1st August in both Kindle and paperback.
The Kindle edition is available to pre-order now, and I honestly can't wait for readers to continue the journey.
If you're new to the series, The Galway Girl is available now on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. It begins in the summer of 1986 when fifteen-year-old Tom Carter visits Galway with his family and meets Niamh O'Sullivan. What starts as a chance encounter becomes a friendship that leaves a lasting mark on both of their lives.
When I finished writing that first novel, I realised I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters. They had become real to me. I wanted to know what happened next. Fortunately, I was the one writing the story.
London Calling follows Tom into adulthood as life takes him in directions he never expected. It's a novel about memory, love, friendship, family, photography, music, and the choices that quietly shape our lives. Above all, it's about how some people become part of us, no matter how much time passes or how many miles lie between us.
As both a photographer and a writer, I've always believed that the smallest moments often become the ones we remember most. That idea runs through this book, just as it did in The Galway Girl.
People often ask about the title. London Calling isn't just a reference to a city. It's about the pull of the lives we build, the places we call home, and the choices that call us in different directions. It's also a quiet nod to a great album, because music has always been woven into these characters' lives.
Writing this book has been an absolute joy. There were moments that made me laugh, moments that made me stop and think, and moments that surprised me, even though I was the one writing them.
I hope you'll enjoy returning to Tom and Niamh's world as much as I enjoyed going back there myself.
Thank you, as always, for supporting my writing. Every book purchased, every review posted, every recommendation shared with a friend and every encouraging message helps an independent author far more than you might imagine.
I hope you'll join me on 1st August for the next chapter.
The Galway Girl is available now on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.
London Calling is available to pre-order on Kindle now, with both the Kindle and paperback editions releasing on 1st August.
