Laois author and dairy farmer, Lorna Sixsmith has proudly launched her debut novel, ‘Country Girl at Heart’.
The novel is a romantic comedy about finding love in unexpected places, rediscovering oneself in the most ridiculous situations, and embracing the life you never expected.
Written in a diary format, Country Girl at Heart follows Kelly O’Sullivan, who leaves London with a broken heart and all her worldly possessions for her aunt’s farm in rural Ireland.
Kelly finds herself embroiled in a love triangle with suave accountant, Hugh and her neighbouring farmer on big red tractor, Steve.
Unexpectedly thrown into the farming deep end, Kelly’s dreams of a peaceful rural retreat become a comedy of agricultural errors.
Sixsmith was raised on her family’s dairy farm in Crettyard, which she and her husband took over in 2002, providing the inspiration for her writing.
“I was a teacher, my husband was a scientist – he was brought up on a farm as well,” the author told LaoisToday.
“We were living in England; my younger brother didn’t want to farm, so my dad offered it to us.”
Sixsmith began a farm blog in 2009 and from there her writing career began.
“I wrote a blog post, something like: ’10 Things Anyone Marrying a Farmer Should Know’, and that went viral,” she said.
From there, she went on to self-publish three nonfiction books about farming life, the first in 2013 titled ‘Would You Marry a Farmer?”
Sixsmith describes the book as “a humorous but realistic look at what marrying a farmer is like, both in the past and in the present.
“My degree is in history, so I was looking back to the 1950s and comparing what life was like then to now.”
‘How to be a Perfect Farm Wife’ was published two years later, which is filled with humorous, tongue-in-cheek tips.
2016’s ‘An Ideal Farm Husband’ followed a similar line, but from the opposite point of view.
In 2018, she penned a farming memoir called ‘Till the Cows Come Home’, which was published by Edinburgh-based company, Black and White Publishing.
But the author says she has chosen to return to self-publishing for Country Girl at Heart, as being in control allows her to better manage and balance her time between writing and farming.
“With farming, it’s just too difficult to stick to publisher’s deadlines,” Sixsmith said.
“I planned to have this book out three months ago, but with the wet spring and getting cattle in and everything, I just didn’t have the time to spend on it.
“During calving I don’t get any writing done. We’re spring-calving, so that’s February, March and April out of the way.
“But because it was such a wet spring, it was the middle of May before I was regularly sitting down at my desk.”
Now that she has turned her hand to fiction, Sixsmith says that she plans to make her debut novel part of a series.
“I’ve other genres planned as well,” she said. “But I went with romantic comedy because I enjoyed writing humour with the first three books.
“I’m just aware of so many farming women that originally came from towns and cities; and obviously it’s a different language, it’s a different culture.
“So I wanted to write a novel that reflected that experience – make it funny, but also make it relatable.”
Country Girl at Heart goes on sale at €14.99 paperback and €5.99 eBook.
SEE ALSO – Allegations made against seven Laois schools in the historical sexual abuse Scoping Inquiry
