What Happened That Night by Sheila O'Flanagan ** Blog Tour Guest Post **
In celebration of the Hardback publication of What Happened That Night, I'm delighted to welcome Sheila O'Flanagan to Books, Life and Everything to talk about her favourite jewellery. Jewellery is an intrinsic part of the book and integral to how some of the characters act and view themselves and others. Before we hear from Sheila, let's find out a little more about the book.
Can we ever put right the mistakes we made in the past?
One thing's for certain: nothing stays a secret for ever.
Lola Fitzpatrick is bright and ambitious but she's also headstrong and stubborn. When one evening, out of the blue, she has to make a life-changing choice, she decides quickly and rashly. And without a piece of vital information that might have changed everything.
Lola's daughter, Bey has inherited Lola's determined nature. Yet her impulsive reactions place her in danger, leading her to run away from what she wants most. And then, one night, she's standing in front of the man she loves, with her own choice to make...
For both Lola and Bey, everything changes in a moment. But their biggest mistakes might also turn out to be their greatest opportunities...
Without further ado, welcome Sheila to Books, Life and Everything and over to you!
I can’t honestly say that I
have a favourite piece of jewellery. Rather like shoes, different pieces work
with different outfits and I like to mix and match as much as I can. I
don’t mind whether it’s High Street or something a little more expensive once I
like the design. But I do like it to sparkle whenever possible!
Of course my most sentimental
piece of jewellery is my wedding ring. My husband and I married after more than
thirty years together, so I wanted my ring to be both a wedding ring and a
symbol of our already long relationship. That’s why I actually chose an
eternity ring to wear – it seemed like we’d already been together forever!
Until I got married I always took off all my jewellery at night and when I was
working on the keyboard so wearing a ring all the time has been quite a change
for me.
I like chains rather than
necklaces and one of my favourites is a little rose-gold flip-flop that I
bought in San Francisco. It’s really intricate and cleverly made and every
time I wear it I think of walking along Pier 39 with the sun shining and the
seals honking in the distance. It’s perfect for wearing in the summer – and in
the winter when hot sunny days are a distant memory.
I also have an old ring with a
tiny garnet stone that belonged to one of my aunts, and an almost matching pair
of garnet earrings that belonged to her sister. Both of these pieces connect me
to members of my family who have passed on, and I feel close to both of them
whenever I wear them.
Like Bey, in What Happened That
Night, there’s something about the fact that the precious stones were formed
millions of years ago that totally fascinates me, and I love to think of
jewellery being handed down from generation to generation and forming a part of
family history. Since writing the book I have a greater appreciation of the
care that went into designing and making them too and so all my jewellery is
more precious to me now than it was before.
Thank you so much for this, Sheila.
My Thoughts
I loved the two central characters, Lola and Bey for their independence and determination to forge their own way in life. I also found the dynamics between the other characters interesting and how they related to these two. I particularly liked the way the narrative goes back to different times and you keep meeting the characters at different times in their lives.
The story carries you along but you know that events in the past will not stay hidden. The consequences of Lola's decisions will have a bearing on her daughter. Secrets will out.
In short: a page turner romance which keeps you hooked to the end.
About the Author
Sheila O'Flanagan is the author of many bestselling novels including The Missing Wife, My Mother's Secret, If You Were Me, and Someone Special. She worked in finance for several years, but always dreamed of writing fiction, and she is now a full-time writer, with over twenty bestselling novels published. She lives in Dublin with her husband.
You can also read my review of The Missing Wife here.
Thanks to Becky Hunter and the publishers at Headline for a copy of the book via Bookbridgr and a place on the Blog Tour.
You can follow the rest of the Tour here!
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