Who were the Magdalenes in the Magdalene Laundries? Where are the Monument Track and the Milford Track? What’s so special about Gorgona Island?

These and other questions are answered in Book Three of the Gallagher Girls Mystery series. I wanted these stories to be based in my family history. The very first story, A Haunting at Hawthorn, began with a writing prompt in a zoom meeting for a writers’ group. The prompt was, “There is a locked door …” I wrote the first chapter from that prompt in thirty minutes.

I set the story, A Death Down Under, in New Zealand as I had recently been on a trip there and fell in love with the place. My husband and I hiked the Milford Track on the South Island. I had to do plenty more research than re-reading my journals from that trip for the story though. It was fun researching the Kiwi slang for a change from the Irish.

Buried Secrets was a tough one to write. Based as it is in recent Irish history, the things I learned in my research were heart-wrenching. I got the kernel of the idea for it from an incident in my family history where one relative was in a convent for several years but came home and was quite changed. She developed a mental illness and was taken advantage of by unscrupulous men. She became pregnant and gave up her child to adoption. I googled “Irish convents, illegitimate children” and my browser exploded with stories and testimonials from the victims of the Magdalene laundries. I’d found my story.

Gone But not Forgotten is taken almost verbatim from my Canadian ancestors. You can read their story here in the blog post ,“Siblings Reunited after Decades Apart.”

And finally, Bad Blood is entirely made up. I wanted to bring back Giulio, though, and explore Italy. I’ve been to Italy twice, once with my husband and two children back in 1982, and again in 2010 with my daughter, Vanessa, as a reward trip for her graduating college. I loved it both times for different reasons, so thoroughly enjoyed “visiting” it this third time with Moira and Deirdre. A shout out to author, Nicole Sharp, for her help with the Italian language and culture.

I hope you enjoy it as well and learn a few things perhaps you didn’t know before reading. Maybe you’ll pick up a few tips on genealogical research, learn a bit of Gaeilge or Italian, or gain a greater understanding of how things work on the Otherside!

Happy reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments below for a chance to *win a bottle of Hawthorn oil extract. (Learn about its remarkable properties in the first story of A Haunting at Hawthorn).

*Winner will be drawn on January 10^th, one week after Launch Day, so be sure to include your email.