What do these two lovely ladies have in common? Nothing, except for Ireland, their country of origin, and me, and my fertile imagination. The aristocrat in the portrait is Oonagh Guinness, The Honorable Baroness of Oranmore ect. One of the famed “Golden Guinness Girls” of the Guinness brewing dynasty. The much-loved photo on the right is my paternal grandmother, Mary Ellen Sherlock Hogan, who immigrated to the U.S. as a penniless orphan, at the age of twenty. I saw the strikingly lovely portrait of Oonagh several years ago, after it sold at auction, here in Atlanta. Something about her enigmatic expression captured my imagination. And the seed for a story took root and became my newest novel, ROAD TRIP. My story is not the story of Oonagh, and it is not my grandmother’s story either. But there are threads, woven throughout my book, that were inspired by both these women. It’s a story that took me on my own road trip to Ireland, and to the place where my fictional story would eventually unfold. We launch ROAD TRIP a week from today, in Atlanta, with @thebookbirdae. Join me here, or at any stop on my big azz tour. Link in bio to see the tour. #roadtripnovel #buymybookdammit #irishpride #summerbeginswithmka #beachbooks
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