I first met aspiring Irish writer Niamh McAnally in the depths of winter in Swedish Lapland in 2015. She was curious, gregarious and lots of fun, and I could tell she was a doer. We then kept in touch whilst she sailed around the world, met a lovely bloke, and got married.

I was thrilled to hear her dreams had also become a reality as a published author, and even more thrilled to be asked to write a blurb for her first book – alongside Jeremy Irons and Mark Knopfler…cripes! Dire Straits was the first album I ever owned, because Mum said I wouldn’t have the Twisted Sister album. Brothers in Arms was played over and over until that little tape wore out. So, if writing a blurb for a book alongside Mark is the closest I’ll get to meeting him, I’ll take it!

Anyway, back to the book…’Flares Up – A Story Bigger Than The Atlantic’ is a remarkable tale of two chaps rowing across the Atlantic ocean, ‘a true story of adventure, tenacity and the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over adversity’…much like Niamh herself to be honest.

It’s also being published in Australia and is available for pre-order here.

Do yourself a favour and order a copy!