Since publication earlier in the year, I've been travelling around Britain a bit. Last week I was in Sheffield, where, in case you're not quite sure, the book begins. Previous to that I was in York (chapter four) as my Dad now lives there.

In June I was pleased to go to Wolverhampton (not in the book) to discuss it with members of the Lay Community of St Benedict. I'm very grateful to all those who came and took part in the conversation which was most helpful.

I'm currently planning a trip to Scotland via Hadrian's Wall. Chapter seven of the book follows the length of the wall from east to west, a route I took myself when I walked it in 2017. It's a great walk, easy to follow and full of interest.

In 2026 I'm also planning to visit the two places in the book I've not actually been to myself: Rathlin Island and Islay, one in Northern Island and one in the Hebrides, Scotland.

The best news of all, however, is that Wild Goose has agreed to publish the book. This will be their first full length novel, and more than I ever hoped for. It does mean that from 1st September it will be unavailable for a while as I have to take it down from our self-publishing site while they work on it. You could say the book is going on a bit of a road trip itself. But it will soon be back and available from ionabooks with my other work.

My thanks to everyone who has read the self-published version - it has really helped. Look out for more blogs about the road trip and I'll let you know when the Wild Goose version is available.

Janet Lees, in Longdendale, Derbyshire, August 2025