HOW WILL I KNOW? (B FORMAT) by Sheila O'Flanagan
Sheila O'Flanagan . Unknown Year . English
Sheila O'Flanagan's bestselling HOW WILL I KNOW? is a heart-wrenching and life-affirming read that should not be missed by readers of Marian Keyes and Freya North. It was love at first sight for Claire and Bill Hudson. They met at Claire's fifth birthday party and they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives. When baby Georgia came along, it was the icing on the cake. So when a tragic accident snatched Bill away, Claire felt like she'd lost everything - except Georgia. In the three years since, Claire has devoted her life to Georgia; she knows no man could ever replace Bill, and the child needs her all her attention. Now Georgia's a teenager, though, and there's one thing Claire can't advise her on: dating. And so, purely to help her lovely young daughter in her journey through the teenage years, Claire sets out on some serial dating. And destiny is watching, again... What readers are saying about How Will I Know?: 'Brilliant! I loved every page of this book' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Sheila O'Flanagan at her best. The book is sensitive but also light-hearted. I really would recommend this book to anyone!' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars 'Light, fun and highly enjoyable - the only disappointment comes when you finish the last page' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars
Categories: Literary Fiction
About the Author
I've always loved reading and when I was a child I used to write stories for my younger sisters as a bribe to make them do my share of the housework. It usually worked! Ireland is famed for its writers, but for me growing up most of the novels were rural in both their settings and their points of view. I wanted to read books about people like me, who lived in the city and struggled with the chaotic bus timetable and had dreams and ambitions that had nothing to do with the farm. I also wanted to read novels in which the women were the heroes of their own stories. Too many women in the novels I read were there as a wife, mother or daughter and their role was to develop the storyline for the male character. I wanted to hear those women's stories and tell them myself. Although I was constantly writing, the idea of being a novelist was a bit of a pipe dream. I had to earn a living and so I got a job in finance. It was the complete opposite of anything I'd ever expected to do but - at least for a time - I enjoyed it and I did well. Nevertheless the dream wouldn't go away and in my thirties I decided that I would make a real effort to write my novel. Eventually, after a couple of false starts, Dreaming of A Stranger was written and published and became an Irish bestseller. Since then I've written more than 25 novels as well as 3 collections of short stories and 2 novels for children all of which have been bestsellers both in Ireland and overseas. They include The Hideaway, What Happened That Night, Isobel's Wedding and Suddenly Single and my sales have topped 9 million copies around the world. In most of my books, I put women in situations where they have to dig deep inside themselves to find their inner strength even though sometimes they struggle to realise it's there. Readers often ask who my favourite characters are, but every one of the women in my books is as close to me as a member of my family. (For the time when I'm writing a book they're even closer because they're in my head 24/7. At least with the family I can walk out of the room or put the phone down!) Regardless of who my readers are, I always try to do three things when I'm writing: Tell a good story Make the reader feel like they know the characters Make each book better than the last I've been very lucky in having so many books published and hearing from readers all around the world. And I'm glad that, when times were tough, I remembered the quote that 'a professional writer is an amateur who wouldn't quit" I'm a passionate avocate for increasing literacy and helping people who have come to reading late in life so that they can find the same pleasure in reading as I've had. I've taken part in a number of different televised projects to help people who've struggled with reading and writing and I've contributed to both the Quick Reads and Open Doors series of novellas for new readers. I'm also a board member of Fighting Words, the creative writing centre set up by Booker prize-winner Roddy Doyle where I've worked with teenagers to write their own published stories and retired people who are working on their memoirs.
