Dear lovely reader,
Hello again! Or maybe you’re new? Either way, thank you so much for reading – you really are a superstar and I feel so incredibly lucky that you chose to read my book. If you want to keep up to date with details of my writing, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
I really hope you laughed with Lucy. She’s featured in many of my other books and we’ve been laughing with her for so long so it was a relief to finally let go of the reins and release her into the world so we could tell her brilliant story. An important note from me about this book: I didn’t visit a sex club to research this book. I watched Sex/Life quite a fair bit on Netflix (Episode 3) and a few raunchy films and documentaries too when the kids were in bed. Seriously, I research my books thoroughly but even I have my limits. (I also would have had to have shaved my legs… Who has time for that?)
If this is your first fling with the Callaghan sisters then you’ll also be glad to know that they all have their own books. Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? (Meg), Can I Give My Husband Back? (Emma), Did My Love Life Shrink in the Wash? (Beth) and How Much Wine Will Fix My Broken Heart? (Grace) are all available as e-book or paperback. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than if you were to go and catch up with the other sisters.
LUCY! Aren’t you a gem of a character? You’re funny, free and wild and I think you may be an inspiration to us all to live life to the fullest without worry, care or shame. That said, you also love people so hard and throw yourself into everything with all your being. I hope you’ll always be like this. Don’t change.
Am I Lucy? Well, I’m a little bit of all the sisters but since we first met Lucy in Emma’s book, my husband has noticed a change in me. I was once the diplomat, the people pleaser, but since creating Lucy and bringing her to the page, it’s been transformative. I mean, I’ve got some way to go but I’m much better than I once was at calling people out and telling them to piss off. And sometimes, we all need to do that. God, if Lucy has taught you anything, it’s that life is really too short to put up with people’s nonsense. So that mum on the school run who talks behind people’s backs? Tell her to her face to behave better. That guy at work who makes the borderline misogynist comments? Shut that shit down. Be more Lucy in every way. She embraces life so madly and fully so, please, do the same. I hope I don’t come across like some crazed motivational speaker now but, seriously, promise me her story has inspired you. Go out there and try everything, be strong as tits, do what you love, do who you love and don’t look around for validation or an excuse. Do it for you.
That said (and this is hard to say out loud), this book marks the end of the Callaghan sisters’ adventures for now. Don’t be sad because I’m sobbing as I write this so I’ll do all the crying for us. Hopefully, in the last five books, we’ve been able to show you a snapshot of ten years of their lives and all the comedy, drama and adventure that’s come with being a modern woman. What can we learn from these sisters? That there’s no real way to exist as a woman these days, it’s a constantly evolving beast. You can be happily married, but you can also be divorced, widowed, live in supposed sin or just stay single. Have kids, don’t have kids, adopt kids, have a career or stay at home, have both? Be gay, be bisexual, be straight. Defy convention about what a woman can be or what box she is supposed to be in. All the sisters’ stories ring true with me in some ways and point to times in my life where I’ve learnt, grown and become. It hasn’t been linear, it’s come with a multitude of complications, emotions and setbacks, but the important thing is to always emerge on the other side, a little more ready to take on what life throws at you.
What I’ve loved about the Callaghans too is how their stories just resound with love. I never tell people I write romantic comedies because, to me, romance is kinda corny. It’s more than meet-cutes and bunches of flowers. What I do write are books about love and the many infinite forms in which that can exist: a love for family, mundane love between couples who’ve been together for years, lost love, new love, maternal love, platonic love, a love for friends, unconventional love, a love for life. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading their stories because the love has been there in spades within this marvellous family and I hope this may be why people gravitated towards them so much. Crikey, I will miss writing about them so very much but I will hold them close for a really long time. Love, always.
OK, enough with me being all soppy! I will sign off here. Before I go, I’d be thrilled to hear from any of my readers, whether it be with reviews, questions or just to say hello. If you like retweets of videos of people falling off things then follow me on Twitter. Have a gander at Instagram, my Facebook author page and website too for updates, ramblings and to learn more about me. Like, share and follow away – it’d be much appreciated.
And if you enjoyed Am I Allergic to Men? then I would be overjoyed if you could leave me a review on either Amazon or Goodreads to let people know. It’s a brilliant way to reach out to new readers. And don’t just stop there, tell everyone you know, send to all on your WhatsApp groups (just be careful if you are attaching images…).
With much love and gratitude,
Kristen xx
