No woman is ordinary...and neither is her story.

HAVE YOU MET SHIRLEY?

HAVE YOU MET  Shirley?

The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan

When Shirley Sullivan signs her elderly husband out of the dementia ward, she is determined to take him on one final not-exactly-legal road trip.

On the run from the police and free from Frank’s memories of who she once was, will Shirley finally let go of the past and embrace her true self?

what are readers saying?

ACCESS HIDDEN CHAPTERS

Do you really know what happened to Shirley at the end?

The story behind the story

The Story Behind the Story...

Two separate events led to the development of the novel.

Many years ago, I came across an article about an elderly couple who had escaped from their nursing home and gone on the run. They evaded authorities for days – even slipping out of police custody at one point! I was captivated by this story. I kept wondering where they were running to. I knew I wanted to write about these gutsy octogenarians one day and I kept the idea percolating away at the back of my mind for almost a decade.

Then, in 2018, I discovered a box filled with my parents’ old love letters. These were written in the early 1960s and were filled with fascinating details of day to day life at that time. It occurred to me that I could use these letters as the inspiration for the elderly couple’s back story.

Add to Goodreads
author and writing mentor lisa ireland

Join Lisa's newsletter

Receive exclusive content, news & writing advice.