Is it a writer’s dream? Or a writer’s nightmare?
It starts as a spark of an idea that grows into something more concrete. As I start to write, imagined worlds appear on the page. The words become something else as characters step out of a fog and take form.
The story evolves and the things I put in place begin to change as the people speak through me and begin to find their way through the places I’ve constructed through my words. The more I write, the less control I have over the direction the story is taking. My papery people tell me where they want to go. I’m no longer the captain at the helm. I’m a passenger.
There’s a story behind every story. Writing is like that. It leads you to unexpected places. And on a tiny Greek island, the world gave me Sunday Reilly, the heroine of my latest novel. ‘Sunday Reilly is All Out of F*cks to Give’ is a funny, sweary holiday read about a woman of a certain age who upends her life and takes off for the Greek islands.
And in two weeks, Sunday Reilly makes her debut. We don’t know whether to be giddy with excitement, or wracked with existential horror. Perhaps a fair bit of both. I do mean, “we”, because my characters are on this journey with me.
But there’s no backing out now. We’re committed. On the 20th of January, Sunday goes live.
I mean, sure. We do have reason for optimism after some ripper early reviews…
Sunday Reilly early reader reviews
“Funniest book of 2025. 5 stars for sure!”
“Sunday Reilly is eminently relatable… Filled with laughs from the opening page, tears and plenty of WTF moments, this is a fun summer read that is tempered with poignant moments… This book had me laughing from the opening sentence. Loved it!” Goodreads
“I am absolutely in love with Sunday! This book is one of those rare gems that makes you laugh out loud on public transport and not even care who’s watching.” Goodreads
“Sunday is the kind of character you instantly want as your best friend—flawed, funny, real, and so incredibly relatable. Her voice feels authentic, like she could walk off the page and into your life.” Goodreads
“A laugh out loud fun story, easy to read, relatable characters and well written. Felt like I had a holiday in Greece – it was so atmospheric. Do yourself a favour and just dive in. Great holiday read.” Goodreads
“I found myself nodding along, thinking “YES, exactly!” more times than I can count.” Goodreads
“Meaghan’s writing style is at a fast clip, with an awesome FMC who has life fighting against her. It’s wickedly funny and had me laughing out loud.”
“Has you doing pelvic floors and weeping with laughter!”
Whatever else, I can promise you a sweary, funny holiday read. If you want to meet Sunday Reilly in person, pre-orders for the e-book are live now (link to preorder, and sample chapters, below), and you can order the paperback from 20 January.
I hope you love Sunday as much as I do. As the world goes to hell in a hand-basket, Sunday Reilly may well be the heroine we all need.
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