I’m not sure if I can conjure the words to express what an unexpected, crazy journey the last few years have taken me on. My life, and in all the ways I defined it, mother, daughter, lover, boss, employer, friend, sister and Hunter’s human, were all changed, reimagined or permanently altered for good. In short, without these labels that I had dressed myself in, I had no idea who I was. None.

It’s funny when you are presented with change. At first, you resist it, much like getting that suspicious mole checked or online dating. You push hard against it and do whatever you can to make it stop or, at the very least, slow it down. Change can be terrifying. But as we know, change is the only constant in our lives. So the question is not “will this change” but rather, “what are you going to do with the changes?”

Me, I wrote a book.

And I am thrilled and honoured to share with you, my loyal readers, friends and fabulous humans, that In Search Of Mr Darcy ~Lessons Learnt In The Pursuit of Happily Ever After is now available for pre-order.

Permit me to tell you a little bit about it.

In Search of Mr Darcy is a dating memoir that spans four decades. A humorous, super-honest, sometimes emotional account of my search for love, friendship and, well…Mr. Darcy, the literary Prince Charming we were all but promised in fairytales, books, and movies. It is a witty, unfiltered coming of middle-age journey, filled with a load of uncomfortable, relatable truths.

It explores the colourful, intimate story of marriage(s), divorce(s), affairs, friends and frenemies, day-drinking, addiction, body image, sexual predators, navigating the murky man-filled waters of advertising and the often thankless task of single-parenting and step-parenting, a job as potentially life-threatening as that of a Chilean coal-miner.

In short, a real-life Sex and The City.

It’s about the extraordinary life lessons I’ve learned that can only come from living life with all your heart. Lessons that taught me resilience, independence, confidence, empathy, self-love and acceptance, and even how sometimes, if you’re lucky,  a one-night stand can be more effective than years of therapy. It’s about learning to date again as a single working mother in her forties. Only the last time I was actively dating Ronald Reagan was President…, and it’s no longer in the era of crowded bars when copious amounts of alcohol and poor judgement decided my man future (sigh). Everything is online, thus making all my ‘80s dating experience as relevant as an 8 Track tape in the world of Spotify.

It’s about learning the real definition of friendship, our most incredible girl squad, our real soulmates, who hold you all together when you’re falling apart, stop you from drunk dialling your ex at one in the morning or simply are a welcome dispenser of wisdom, wine, and alibis. But most of all, it’s about how I came to learn one of the most important lessons life can teach, to fear love is to fear life. So drive your heart like you stole it and love with everything you’ve got, because...love is never, ever the mistake.

For all of you in the UK, Australia and most of the English-speaking world, you will find this book as of April 20th in all your favourite places you buy books. But it is available now for pre-order at places like Waterstones and Blackwell’s. And available online in places like Amazon, Book Depository and, of course, Audible. Speaking of Audible. If I knew when writing my book that I’d be narrating it one day, I would have stayed away from three-syllable words. Yikes! Not exactly sure if this was my calling. Here’s a peak behind the scenes video in the recording studio.

For my Canadian and American friends, as the North American release date is later than the rest of the world, it won’t be readily available on the shelves of your local Indigo or Barnes and Noble …yet. However, do not despair. You can order the book online and have it shipped free of charge.

I am proud of this book, and I am completely chuffed that people are saying nice things. What are they saying, you ask…?

Yes, I am uncharacteristically beating my own chest, screaming from the rooftops. I want you to read it. I want to share my exploits, hope, unfiltered laughter, sordid details and extraordinary life lessons. Because, after all, when we allow ourselves to share, we discover that we always have way more in common than we first realize.

For all those who have wondered if there is life after divorce, sex after forty or who have been violently in love, have had their heart ripped from their chest and wondered if it will ever beat again.

The answer is, damn straight…to all of it.

Please visit my Amazon author’s page here and Happy Reading!