Hello readers!

Welcome to the first of these little missives about giveaways, events, and updates on my debut novel, The Blue Bath, as it makes its way out into the reading world. 

As I write this, advance copies of The Blue Bath are landing on the desks of reviewers, booksellers and librarians, a milestone that makes me think about how this journey began.

One of the questions I am asked most is what was the inspiration for The Blue Bath.  It all started with a face glimpsed through a window. A small moment of connection in a crowded city.  I was living in London at the time, rushing to or from somewhere. As I passed by an art gallery, I caught sight of her behind the glass, mingled with the reflection of the buildings across the street.  For an instant we locked eyes as the city rushed past us. And then I did what most people in that situation would have done.  I kept walking—hurrying on to wherever it was that I needed to be.
 
But she wasn’t so quick to let me go. There was something in her face that I couldn’t shake. I started to think about who she was and about what it must feel like to be the subject of a portrait, to be examined so closely. And then I started to think about the artist and about the act of looking at someone that deliberately.  It seemed so intimate. I started to think about all of this and then I started to write about it. 

To me The Blue Bath is a reminder to pay attention to the small moments of beauty in my daily life.  Not only for what they are, but for all that they might become.

Thank you for reading!

Mary