** BLOG TOUR ** Mad About You by Sinead Moriarty plus ** GIVEAWAY**

I'm really happy to be the final host for the special six-stop BLOG TOUR for Sinead Moriarty's novel Mad About You. There have been some great blog pieces from fabulous bloggers during this tour. Check out the tour poster on the left to see who the other hosts have been, and do visit their blogs and read their posts too.

Penguin Ireland are delighted that the Richard and Judy WH Smith Book Club picked Mad About You by Sinead Moriarty as one of their summer titles.  The Book Club started reviewing and discussing Mad About You on August 15th

Mad About You was published in paperback by Penguin in May 2014, and is Sinaed Moriarty's ninth novel.  I reviewed her novel This Child of Mine here on Random Things in October 2013.

Emma and James Hamilton have weathered lots of storms in their ten-year marriage. From the heartbreak of infertility, to the craziness of then becoming parents to two babies in one year, to coping with James losing his job, somehow they have always worked as a team.

However, the pressure of moving for James's new job puts them under stress like never before. So when James starts getting texts from a stranger - texts that show startling insights into their lives - Emma is not sure what to think. She is far from home, isolated and before long finds herself questioning everything about their relationship.

Somehow she has to get a grip, but how can she do that when a stranger seems set on driving Emma out of her home and her marriage?

 'A perfect mix of intrigue, emotion and humour, this is a really gripping and enjoyable read****' Closer

'The inevitable comparisons with Marian Keyes are justified and well deserved - Moriarty's characters are likeable, well developed and funny****' Heat

'One of the brightest voices in modern women's fiction' Bella

(From www.sineadmoriarty.com)   Sinead was born and raised in Dublin where she grew up surrounded by books. Her mother is an author of children’s books. Growing up, Sinead says she was inspired by watching her mother writing at the kitchen table and then being published. From that moment on, her childhood dream was to write a novel.

After university, she went to live in Paris and then London. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London that she began to write creatively in her spare time – after work, at lunch times … and, truth be told, during work hours.

After a couple of years toying with ideas, she joined a creative writing group and began to write The Baby Trail. The bitter-sweet comedy of a couple struggling to conceive hit a nerve in publishing circles. It was snapped up by Penguin Publishing in the UK and Ireland and has, to date, been translated into twenty-five languages.

Since writing The Baby Trail, Sinead has moved back to Dublin where she lives with her husband and three children.

Her second book A Perfect Match has been published worldwide. The US version of A Perfect Match is called The Right Fit. Her third novel – From Here to Maternity – is the final instalment of the Emma and James trilogy. Her fourth book – In My Sister’s Shoes – is about two sisters who help save each other. Her fifth book has been published under two different titles: Whose Life Is It Anyway? in Ireland and Keeping it in the Family in the UK.

Her sixth book, Pieces of my Heart, about a family dealing with a terrible crisis, went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Her seventh book – Me and My Sisters – went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and remained in the top five for 13 weeks. It was also nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Her eighth novel, This Child of Mine also went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts.

Her ninth novel, Mad About You was chosen as a 2014 Richard & Judy summer book club read.

Her tenth novel, The Secrets Sisters Keep went straight into the Irish charts at number 1.

Find out more about Sinead and her books at www.sineadmoriarty.com and her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @sinead_moriarty

I'm thrilled that Sinead Moriarty has written a guest post for Random Things today.  Sinead tells us all about her writing experiences - I hope you enjoy reading her thoughts.

I also have a copy of Mad About You to give away to one lucky entrant.  Entering is simple, just fill out the Rafflecopter widget below - easy peasy.  Good Luck and thanks for joining me on the blog tour today.

"You would imagine that writing books would get easier. You would think that writing your ninth book would be a breeze. You would think that your confidence would grow with each book. You would imagine that facing a blank screen is no longer daunting…you would be mistaken! 

            In the strangest way, each book becomes more difficult to write. Why? I think it’s because as a writer you want each book to be better. You strive to grow as a writer. You want to engage your reader. You want to grab their attention and keep it. You want them to turn the page and the next one and the next one… 

            Starting a new book can take a while. You often hear of writers, cleaning out their offices, clearing their desks, tidying their attics. We have so many avoidance techniques. The sight of a blank screen or blank page is just as daunting now as it was when I started my first book thirteen years ago. 

            My first two attempts at novels were turned down by everyone. But instead of letting it stop me in my tracks, I dusted my very bruised ego down and started a new book. I think it’s very important to keep writing. When I’m working, whether it’s on a novel or a column for the Irish Independent, I’m happy. I find I’m quite grumpy when I’m not working on something. I need writing; it’s like eating and drinking to me. I realise that may sound a bit ‘hippy-dippy’ but it’s how I feel. 

            I am happiest and calmest and most at peace when I’m in the middle of a book and consumed by my characters, my plotlines and my writing. There is no greater feeling than the one after a constructive writing day. But every high has a low and there is no worse feeling than the one after one of the days when the words just will not flow. Those days when writing is like dragging blood from a stone. You go to bed feeling depleted and despondent. 

            But…the good news is that often, you’ll wake up the next day and find the words will flow and you will once again be in your happy place. Writing, like all jobs involves a lot of hard graft. It’s not all creativity and inspiration, it’s a lot of hard work, focus and discipline. 

            My new book, Mad About You, deals with the theme of trust. How much do you really trust your partner? What would you think if your husband began to get sex texts from a strange number? When he protests his innocence and seems genuinely upset, would you believe him? Or would a seed of doubt be planted in your mind? Would that seed grow bigger and would it eventually destroy your relationship? 

            The couple in Mad About You, Emma and James, have been married for over ten years and have two children. Their marriage has become a bit stale. They take each other for granted and they’ve stopped making an effort with each other. Like so many marriages, when children come along, your relationship takes a backseat. Children can be all consuming and suddenly you find that weeks (and even months) have gone by during which you haven’t had a proper conversation. So when James begins getting sex texts from an unknown number, the trust in their marriage is tested to the limit. 

            Whenever I have a book published I always want to run away and hide. A month in the Witness Protection Programme sounds like a good idea. Even though this is my 9^th book to be published, the nerves never subside. I think they actually get worse. 

            But the book is finished and it’s printed, so I have to set it free and just cross my fingers and hope for the best."

Sinead Moriarty - August 2014  

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