Already so many stories to tell. Where to start? How about with my home away from home for the next week.
Harveys Guesthouse is located in the City Centre of Dublin. It was built in 1787 by Lord Mount Gardiner, who was responsible for developing most of the Georgian houses built in the area. Today it is owned by the Harvey Family.
My room is on the very top floor of this stately home. It is a space that many might consider small and simple, but I absolutely love it. It’s my ideal of a writer’s garrett…an ideal that is reinforced everytime I climb the 70 steps to get there!
I arrived here around 11 am after a 6 hour flight in which I did my best to sleep, but mostly watched movies and played games. However, I knew that giving in to thoughts of sleeping during the day would only make the rest of my week upside down. So after unpacking I set out for Connolly Books, where I will be doing an author presentation and signing copies of Beauty & Grace on Thursday.
Laura Duggan is the store manager at Connolly’s and after emailing with her over the last few months, it was great to finally meet her in person. I gave her a copy of Beauty & Grace to put on display, and we made plans for my presentation.
Within minutes after leaving the bookstore, my phone started buzzing with social media notifications. Stopping to check them, I found Connolly Books promoting my signing on FB, Insta and Twitter. Have to admit, it was pretty thrilling.
Mid afternoon and I was fading fast. Lunch sounded like a good idea so I headed to the nearby Temple Square area of shops and restaurants. The options were many but I finally decided on an outdoor restaurant, as the day was sunny and warm.
I know a lot of people are uncomfortable eating alone in a restaurant, but it’s never bothered me. However, restaurants often treat single diners differently. A bit of that happened when, after seating me, the hostess returned and asked if she could move me to a table where I might be, “…more comfortable.” Basically, I was sitting at a table that could seat four, and a table for two had just opened up. They didn’t want to shortchange their ability to feed more people.
Anyway, I agreed to move, no big deal, but this is where the story gets interesting.
When the hostess re-seated me, there were two women sitting to my right. I can’t quite recall how we started chatting but within minutes we were sharing stories of travel and family, as if we were old friends. Then came the real clincher, these women, mother Joann Bradvica and her daughter Daniela, have written a successful Christian children’s book, illustrated by another of Joann’s daughter’s, Rafaela.
The book is titled, Donuts After Mass and what makes this collaborative project even more remarkable is that Joann lives in California, Daniela lives in Maryland and Rafaela lives in the Maryland/D.C area.
The book is a longtime dream of Joann’s and she has ideas for more to come, with both of her daughter’s ready to support her.
Needless to say, my lunch for one turned into a wonderful visit with new friends as we shared our varied book experiences. And as we left and went our separate ways, I was grateful for that hostess who offered me a table where I truly was, “more comfortable.