From the very first moment I had the idea for Annie and Siobhán’s story, I knew I wanted to take them to Ireland.
Siobhán is originally from Ireland, although she’s been living in Boston for a number of years. The first book, “A Brighter Palette” covers their time in Boston, a city I have visited several times. The second book, “The Greenest Isle” gave me the opportunity to have them go to Ireland.
There was a two year gap between the releases of these two books and in that time, I was able to take a trip to Ireland myself. It gave me so much material to work with. It added richness and depth to the story and was a wonderful opportunity that I am so grateful I had.
I hope you love both books in the “Colors” series as much as I do.
Here are the blurbs for both books and an exclusive excerpt from “The Greenest Isle”.
“A Brighter Palette”:
Annie Slocum is a bisexual woman struggling to make a living as a freelance writer. Stuck in a rut, she feels bored with her career, her relationships—her life. A chance meeting with Siobhán at a gallery adds a bright spark to her dull life.
Siobhán Murray is a lesbian Irish painter living in Boston. She loves her career, loves her life, but she’s missing the one piece that will make her life complete—a partner. She falls hard for Annie and is delighted to realize Annie inspires her work. But a string of failed relationships has left her wary of bisexual women and wondering if she can trust that Annie won’t leave her.
When Siobhán’s past comes back to haunt them, they’ll have to decide if the new relationship is something that will burn bright and end quickly or if it’s meant to last.
“The Greenest Isle”:
When Siobhán Murray gets a call from a neighbor saying her estranged father, Patrick, has been admitted to a hospital after a serious heart attack, she’s desperate to get to Ireland. Her girlfriend, Annie Slocum, books the first possible flight to Dublin for both of them.
Despite their difficult relationship, Siobhán wants to help her father, so she and Annie move in with him during his recovery. Although Annie loves Siobhán and Ireland, and wants to be supportive, she feels out of place and disconnected from Siobhán.
Patrick hasn’t been the same since his wife’s death fifteen years ago, and it takes time and patience for Siobhán and him to work through their issues.
Things slowly begin to improve as Annie figures out a way to expand her Boston-based blog to include some Irish content, and Siobhán’s spark of creativity re-ignites after lying dormant for more than a year.
But there’s one more hurdle they must overcome, and that decision will shape their entire future.
“What do you think of taking the train into Bray tomorrow morning?” Siobhán asked later that evening. She was home late from the hospital again, and she looked tired and strained. Sorcha was apparently spending the night with her boyfriend Garrett—who lived in Dublin—so Siobhán had picked up takeaway fish and chips on her way back. Annie had enjoyed them, but Siobhán had picked listlessly at the food and thrown more than half away.
“Sure, that would be nice,” Annie said with a smile as she wiped off the table. Perhaps they would get a chance to see a little of the area while they were here. The thought lifted the heavy mood she’d been carrying with her all day.
“I want to take a look at the place and see if there’s anything I need to do before Da’s released.”
“Your childhood home or a rehab facility?”
“My childhood home. He’ll be doing phase two of cardiac rehab as an outpatient. They’re doing phase one in hospital now.”
Oh, right, she remembered Siobhán telling Sorcha he’d be doing that. Though she hadn’t gone into details. Annie sank into the chair across the table from Siobhán. “What will that entail?”
“The phase two part?” Siobhán looked down at the paperwork she’d been studying. “It looks like they’ll be teaching him about proper exercise procedures, how to monitor his heart rate and exertion levels during exercise. Basically, returning him to functional mobility.” She glanced up at Annie again. “The facility is here in Dún Laoghaire, actually. I’ll have to drive him three times a week.”
“For how long?”
“Six weeks.”
Annie blinked. “Six weeks?”
“Well, I don’t know for sure. It’ll be dependent on what his cardiologist and cardio physiotherapist say. But it could be that long. And after that, he’ll move to phases three and four.”
“Do you plan to stay for all of that?”
“Well, I can hardly leave him. I am looking into finding a carer if need be, but I’d like to be here for at least the phase two part.”
Annie’s thoughts flashed back to the customs agent telling her that she was allowed to stay in the country for ninety days. If Siobhán’s father was in the hospital for a week and they stayed until he was out of phase two of his cardiac rehab, that time would be half over. Not to mention the fact that Annie hadn’t planned on being here that long. She’d thought perhaps they’d be here for a few weeks. But nearly two months?
It wasn’t that she minded the idea of being in Ireland for an extended time, but she hadn’t prepared herself mentally. And how would that impact her work on the blog? How on earth could she run a Boston-centered blog when she was on an entirely different continent?
Would she have to go home and leave Siobhán here?
—
Both books are available in eBook and paperback formats and are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time author. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
Her books range from short stories to novellas to novels. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
Published Work:
Pride Publishing
(Totally Entwined Group)
—Standalone Short Stories—
The Soldier Next Door (Right Here Right Now Anthology)
—Tidal Series w/ K. Evan Coles (Novels)—
Wake
Calm
—Speakeasy Series w/ K. Evan Coles (Novels) —
With a Twist
Extra Dirty
Behind the Stick (Summer 2019)
Two Peninsulas Press
(Independently Published)
—Standalone Short Stories—
Baby, It’s Cold Inside
Geeks, Nerds, and Cuddles
Love in the Produce Aisle
Not So Suddenly
Sunburns and Sunsets
The French Toast Emergencies
—Standalone Novellas—
Between the Studs
Corked (Wine Tasting Series Re-release)
Doc Brodie and the Big, Purple, Cat Toy
Three Shots
—The Equals Series (Novellas)—
Equals
Partners
Family (a holiday novella)
Husbands
––Colors Series (Novellas)—
A Brighter Palette
The Greenest Isle
—The Midwest Series (Novels)—
Bully & Exit
Push & Pull
Touch & Go (Summer 2019)
—Standalone Novels—
Trust the Connection
–The West Hills Series (Novels)–
The Ghosts Between Us
Lost in the Black (Fall 2019)
Off Topic Press
(Independently Published w/ K. Evan Coles)
—Standalone Short Stories—
Inked in Blood