Exclusive extract from LONG STORY!
Don't say I never give yiz anything
Today marks one month until LONG STORY is out in the world, and to say I’m incredibly excited is a massive understatement. To have a second novel come out just over a year after my debut is an enormous privilege, and it’s thanks in huge part to you fine people and all your support.
So as a way of saying thanks and, let’s be honest here, to encourage you to pre-order the book from one of these lovely Irish booksellers HERE, the lovely folks at Penguin have allowed me to share a sneak peek of the novel with my wonderful subscribers! But it’s not all altruism - anyone who pre-orders from Eason will be in with a chance of winning a night away at the wonderful Farnham Estate for up to EIGHT people complete with cocktails and pizza, spa access and brekkie the next morning.
By way of introduction, this extract is from chapter one in which we’ve just met one of our two heroines, Tara O’Toole. An Irish actress known as a rom com darling, she’s married to an American action hero movie star called Rory Vaughan, and she’s just seen some paparazzi photos of him out to dinner with his latest co-star. Tara isn’t naive though, she knows it’s all about building the lore of the movie. She’s on set herself in London, which is where we find her here….
I strolled on to the sound stage, ready to get back to work. The movie was set at a newspaper in the 90s so I was rocking my natural curls, with brown lip liner and a lot of trouser suits. Chris was playing my older boss who was trying desperately not to fall for me and failing. He was doing great, considering this was his first romcom – he’s usually more of an action man, but getting on a bit now for the high- intensity stuff.
Our pairing was providing just the right amount of sexual tension; that much was apparent in the dailies. Too much chemistry, and the audience would suspect you of pulling a Brangelina. Too little . . . well, I don’t know. That’s never happened to me.
The director was giving Chris a pep talk, explaining how he was going to edit the sequence with flashes of me strutting through the office in slow motion, and how no man alive could possibly resist my radiant allure. ‘Just give in to desire, Chris,’ he was saying. ‘Every man and woman in the movie theatre will totally understand where you’re coming from.’
These things might go to someone else’s head, but not mine. I learned a long time ago that who I am on the outside has very little to do with my true self. I put what I’d seen online out of my head. Focus. It was time to work.
I was gearing up for my big parade through the office when a hush descended on the sound stage. The bright lights were blinding me, so I couldn’t see what everyone was suddenly looking at off camera. Then I made out a tall figure hugging Chris.
Was that . . .
‘Ohmigod! Rory!’ I shrieked, and ran full speed at my husband, work forgotten. He’d flown from LA all the way to London to surprise me! Forget pink roses, forget phone calls, this was what it meant to be a great husband!
Rory gave me a quick hug, but I could tell he didn’t want to interrupt the shoot. He’s incredibly professional, and known for it in the business. He leaned down to murmur in my ear.
‘Finish what you’re doing,’ he said softly. ‘We can catch up after.’
Knowing my husband was sitting watching the monitor behind the camera added more than a bit of sparkle to my final two scenes. I felt like I could burst with happiness, realizing only when he appeared how much I’d really been missing him.
Once the takes were in the can, I endured the cake, champagne and multiple rounds of applause that come with a star’s last day on set, dying to be done and alone with Rory but never, ever rude to the crew. I listened to their speeches, accepted their gifts and was as gracious as my mother always taught me to be.
’Finally!’ I exclaimed as I threw open the door to my trailer. ‘Just the two of us!’
Rory followed me inside, oddly quiet.
‘I can’t believe you got the weekend off and came all this way,’I was prattling as I shimmied out of my costume and pulled a T- shirt over my head. I still couldn’t quite believe that Rory was there, and I was fizzing with excitement.
I realized then that he didn’t have any kind of bag on him andthat he was shuffling nervously near the door. ‘Hey, sit down, relax, I won’t be long,’ I said, gesturing at the heavily cushioned sofa by the window. ‘Did you leave your stuff in the car? You remember, I had planned to spend Sunday and Monday with Alex, but I’m sure she’ll understand me changing our plans because you’re here. Or maybe I can even move a few things around and go with you to LA!’
I chattered on nervously because I was sensing a strange vibe from my husband. Something wasn’t right.
Rory sat heavily on sofa. ‘Tara, come here.’
I did what I was told and sat down next to him. Even after twelve years together, I find how gorgeous Rory is shocking, especially when I haven’t seen him for a while. My husband is a fine specimen of a man, tall and thick and strong, and his energy takes up a lot of space in a room. He looked exhausted up close, though, and seemed jittery. When I went to plant a kiss on his lips, he shunted his body so I missed his mouth.
Okay, so that was it. He was still mad at me. Had he come all this way to keep fighting?
’Tara, we have to talk.’
‘I know, but at least let me give you a kiss fir—’
‘Actually, I need to talk. And I need you to listen.’
I forced a breezy laugh. He was definitely still pissed at me,so I decided to play it cool. ‘Okay, if you want to play it like that. I’ll listen attentively, like a good girl.’ I sat up straight and prim and batted my lashes at him – coquettishly, I hoped.
‘Knock it off, Tara,’ he barked. ‘I’m not joking.’
My stomach lurched. He never spoke to me like that. ‘Rory, what’s going on?’
‘Uh . . . I came to see you in person because I’ve made a decision. This will be difficult for you to hear, but I’m going to do what has to be done and be the one to end things. It’s over, Tara.’
My vision blurred and I heard myself laugh from what felt like very far away. I could feel the high of the surprise ebbing away, a cold, nasty feeling in my chest replacing the euphoria.
‘What? What’s over?’
‘Our marriage. I’m done with pretending, with playing games.’
He looked at me coldly, and I felt a shiver deep inside. I’d never seen his eyes look like that when trained on me. It was like I was watching Rory perform, not having a real- life conversation with him. He looked like my husband, sounded like him even, but in all the time I’d known him, he’d never been this icy. Was this a pod person? An alien wearing Rory’s skin?
‘I don’t understand,’ I managed. ‘Has something happened?Something I’m not aware of?’
Rory blushed then, a deep red that crept from his neck all the way up his face. It’s always been his tell, when he’s trying to keep a secret or when he’s embarrassed. It’s one of the most adorable things about him, this big, strapping guy who blushes like a six- year- old. Suddenly, I remembered the Instagram post and a sickening clarity began to descend on me. Rory was so moral, so upstanding. Surely he couldn’t be . . .
‘Oh my god,’ I blurted as I leapt up. ‘It’s true, isn’t it? You’re sleeping with Allegra!’
He wrung his hands, and I knew in that instant I was correct.
‘I’m not sleeping with her, it’s . . . I’m in love. I’ve fallen in love with Allegra.’
The statement hung in the air, which immediately felt thin, and I gasped for breath. Rory grabbed my wrist and guided me back to the sofa next to where he was sitting, and I went as if on autopilot. I was blinking hard, as if trying to wake myself up from a nightmare.
‘Look, Tara, I didn’t want it to come to this. And I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else. It was important for me to come and tell you face to face.’
‘What, that you don’t love me anymore?’
He drew his lips in a thin line. ‘My feelings for Allegra are very powerful. I couldn’t keep that from you.’
My brain was scrambling to make sense of what Rory was saying. Okay, so he’d slipped and shagged his co- star. It happened, especially when it was a sexy film. Rory was such an ethical guy he wouldn’t be able to live with a lie. So he’d been honest, he’d told me. I could deal with it. It didn’t have to be the end of us. I was formulating the right thing to say in my head, but what escaped my lips was more like a desperate plea.
‘Don’t be so hasty, Rory. It’s just a crush, it will pass. These things happen when you get a bit older . . .’
‘It’s not a crush, Tara. I’m a forty- eight- year- old man, not a schoolboy.’
‘Then why are you acting like a hormonal teenager?’ I roared,shocking us both. Go easy, Tara, I told myself. Don’t push him away. ‘Look, it could be a midlife thing. I get it. You’re not in love with somebody else. You can’t be.’
But when I looked in Rory’s eyes then, all I saw was pity. And that’s when I clocked him, right in the chops.
OOOOH, drama!!! Is your appetite WHET? I sure hope so.
LONG STORY is the tale of Tara and her best friend Alex (an Irish writer and podcaster), who find themselves squabbling over a mutual old flame - the mysterious rock star Sean Sweeney, who they both met and fell for at stage school in Dublin. Only thing is, Alex has no idea about Tara and Sean’s history - and the timing when she finds out is less than ideal.
Set primarily in New York City, it’s a book about friendship, betrayal, secrets and simmering sexual tension, and I had an absolute ball writing it. If I do say so, it’s fresh, funny and the perfect summer read. If you buy the book, read it on your kindle, listen to the audio version or borrow it from your local library, THANK YOU.
But don’t believe me! Here’s what other legends have to say about it…
‘So much emotional intelligence and warmth. I LOVED the glamour. I enjoyed it so, SO much!’
MARIAN KEYES
‘‘A deliciously page-turning novel with a heart of gold. A roller-coaster book about life… [Vicki Notaro has] the sharpest turn of phrase around.’
CATHY KELLY
‘Glitz, glam, friendship and betrayal – hugely entertaining. Loved it’
PATRICIA SCANLAN
‘Glamorous and sharp, yet warm, funny and full of heart’
ANDREA MARA
‘Deliciously emotional’
SARAH BREEN
'Wildly entertaining. I LOVED this book. Assured, so well-paced and so good on modern love and female friendship in the era of social media. I couldn't put it down.’
EDEL COFFEY
The countdown is on!