Good morning everyone today I have a wonderful guest post to share with you from the lovely Faith Hogan to celebrate the up coming publication of her new book The Ladies’Midnight Swimming Club.
However before I share the guest post with you, here is a little bit about the book.
Book Synopsis:
Three women. Three different stages of life. United by one thing: the chance to start again.
‘Uplifting, emotional and brimming with warmth and humour’ – Cathy Bramley
When Elizabeth’s husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, the only person she can turn to is her friend, Jo. Soon Jo has called in her daughter, Lucy, to help save Elizabeth from bankruptcy. Leaving her old life behind, Lucy is determined to make the most of her fresh start.
As life slowly begins to return to normal, these three women, thrown together by circumstance, become fast friends. But then Jo’s world is turned upside down when she receives some shocking news.
In search of solace, Jo and Elizabeth find themselves enjoying midnight dips in the freezing Irish Sea. Here they can laugh, cry and wash away all their fears. As well as conjure a fundraising plan for the local hospice that will bring the whole community together…
From bestselling Irish writer Faith Hogan, The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is an emotional story about finding new friends and living life to the fullest, that will appeal to fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Heidi Swain and Liz Fenwick.
The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is out in ebook and paperback on the 4th May 2021. You can purchase your copy by clicking on the buttons below.
Guest Post:
Laughter and Hope – The Secret Ingredients of Faith Hogan’s Latest Summer Read…
I don’t know if you’ve heard that I’ve written a book called The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club, from that simple sentence, you would just assume that I’m simply a writer with an over active imagination who has written a book with a catchy title.
But it turns out, a lot of people assume that because I’ve written a book about open sea swimming, I must be a committed enthusiast.
Let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be one of those women who hurtles’ bravely into the water in all weathers. I really felt that when I met some of our local open sea swimmers I could have found my tribe – these are women who know how to laugh. They’ve lived, loved, been pulled down by life and managed to pull themselves back up, stronger and better than before. These are the sort of women I write about, the sort of women we all want to be, the sort who get through and make sure everyone else gets through also.
It’s not a fear of the cold that keeps me from doing so. Rather, believe it or not, it’s a fear of heights. I’ve always been a total scardy cat when it came to climbing on anything much higher than the naughty step. The vaguest possibility of being out of my depth sends cold fear spiking along my spine. The notion of heading out into crashing waves that may be covering over fathomless black holes sends waves of terror through me like I can’t even begin to explain. And no, I’m not planning on swimming towards the Celtic Shelf or the Bermuda Triangle, this is just the nature of my writers imagination running riot – the only holes I’m likely to encounter are ridges created by the last retreating tide!
So, why on earth did I write a book about three women who take to the cold Atlantic Ocean to wash away their cares in midnight swims and sponsored skinny dips?
Well, mainly because I thought it would be fun.
And you know it was. I wrote the book from the comfort of my writing chair, with my imagination on full power and the raucous laughter of three women whom I’ve grown to love, ringing in my ears.
It’s exactly the sort of book we all need to read right now. It’s feel-good, uplifting and hopeful. I didn’t start out writing it so it would lift your spirits, but Lucy, Elizabeth and Jo were set on their own path, and even if things started out quite badly for them, they were determined to make things better.
I’m not saying that it’s all laughs; after all, it has been compared to the Calendar Girls. In places, there are emotional tugs on characters that you may become very fond of – I warn you now; there may be ugly tears while you’re reading this book. But there will also be laughter, lots of laughter, love and yes, ultimately – that one particular ingredient we all need after the last year – there’s hope. There’s a great big bundle of hope from me and all the Ladies of the Midnight Swimming Club, just waiting for you when you pick it up as your summer read.
The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club is out on May 13th in Bookshops and from May 6th on all Ebook retailing sites. I can’t wait for you to meet Elizabeth, Lucy and Jo, even if you don’t decide to go swimming with them, you’ll still enjoy the journey!
Over The Rainbow Book Blog: Sounds like a great book Faith I can’t wait to read it myself. Thanks for the guest post!
About The Author:
Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of five contemporary fiction novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women’s fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel good and inspiring. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!
Faith’s latest book, ‘The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club’ is out in May!
Over The Rainbow Blog 
This sounds like a book that I would love, it is calling my name. Great post Joanna.
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