From the Heart

by Sheila O'Flanagan

From the Heart reveals the unexpected tales that lie beneath the surface of every-day lives, through a memorable cast of characters all in search of their own happy endings. A hot date gets off to a disastrous start; a young couple long for peace and quiet as they prepare for their first Christmas as parents; two eavesdropping passengers realise they share more in common than they had thought; a couple celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, wondering if it's all a sham; and Isobel from Isobel's Wedding encounters an unexpected reunion in a luxurious Caribbean getaway.

A touching and heart-warming selection of stories taken from Sheila O'Flanagan's bestselling collections Destinations, Connections and A Season to Remember, available together exclusively in this digital-only edition

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Short Stories

91 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

As you can see, a Dubliner all my life. My parents owned a grocery shop in the Iveagh Markets, in the Liberties area of the city and I guess city blood runs through my veins.

As a child I enjoyed reading and telling stories and everyone thought that I end up in a job which had something to do with books and literature. But though I applied for a job in the library all of the job offers I got were in commerce.

I turned down lots of them before my mother accepted one for me (I was on holiday at the time). It was in the Central Bank of Ireland and that’s how my career in financial services began.

I started out in administration and then moved jobs until finally I was working as a dealer in a commercial bank. Eventually I was promoted to Chief Dealer (the first female CD in the country). I traded lots of different things – foreign exchange, swaps, options, bonds…all of the kind of things you read about in the papers and that sound very technical and difficult. Of course once you’re doing it, it’s not half as technical as it sounds.

But I still loved reading and writing (which I did in my spare time) and I desperately wanted to write my own book. I guess I never quite got over the fact that I was never offered the library job! In my thirties I decided that it was now or never and I sat down, stuck Chapter 1 on a page, and started. I wrote the whole thing before sending it off.

I was offered a publishing deal (with no advance) by an Irish company but only if I wrote a different book! So back to the drawing board, I started again. It was another two years before it was published. It wasn’t until I’d written a few books and was offered a contract (this time with an advance!) from another publisher that I felt able to give up my trading job and write full time. So, even though it took a long time, I eventually realised my dream of being a full-time writer.

And now I also write a business column for the Irish Times.

When I’m writing a book I want to do three things:

* Tell a good story
* Make the reader feel like they know the characters
* Make each book better than the last

I don’t write for any particular audience but I suppose I must have people like me in mind – people who have busy lives and who like to escape into someone else’s for a while.

I love writing books. I hope you enjoy reading them.

Reviews

[Hannie]

Was ooit gratis te downloaden, nu niet meer kunnen vinden. Evt. berichtje aan schrijfster sturen.

[Sheila D W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first from Sheila O'Flanagan. I enjoyed the short stories, particularly because the writing was soothing for me. Looking forward to reading more from her :)

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first

[Jan Burkinshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

That’s life

From the heart is a series of short stories, following the love lives of different women. I am sure we can all empathise with at least one of them.

[Helen Chester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly these have been printed before as other titles. Pity... They are great stories and should get 5 stars.

[Margaret Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Collection of short stories. Do not like format. Did not finish.

[Mrs Helen Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for the soul

This book warms your heart
Very easy reading
Perfect for a rainy day curl up on the sofa
Laughed out loud in place

[Susan Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Sheila O'Flanagan and would buy any of her books. However, I am not a great fan of short stories. I am pretty sure I paid 99p or similar for this, although I see that it is now free on Amazon. It should be no more than 99p, as, if, like me, you don't read the synopis properly, you might be disappointed that the stories are already told elsewhere, although I really enjoyed the few new(to me) stories that it contained. Also, as one of the stories is a sequel to her previous novel, Isobel's Wedding, it's a spoiler and indeed a waste of time if you haven't read Isobel's Wedding. Lastly, the last 20% of the book is the trailer for her new book. So, I guess what I am saying is, if you are a Sheila O'Flanagan fan and you have to pay a little for it, do. If you see it free on Amazon, snap it up. But if it ever goes to £3 or so, it's not worth it. Looking forward to reading her new novel, however.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published: 17/06/2012
Author: SHelia O'Flanagan
Recommended for: fans of chick lit
Edition: Kindle

I love this type of book and this one definately didnt disappoint me! It had everything in that you would expect from a 'chick lit' type novel. It was uplifting, funny in parts, sweet and the characters were very easy to relate to. Shelia O'Flanagan writes amazing books and this one adds to the list of great books she has done. It is the perfect pick me up if you are feeling a little down. Perfect must read for fans of the 'chick lit' genre.

[Marlene Bate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of good, warming short stories. Anyone want to know what happened to Isobel after "Isobel's wedding" is in for a treat!

A nice little undemanding read. I prefer Sheik O'Flanaghan's books through, as her characters are so well drawn. That said, a lovely little, gentle read.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really into short stories, but these were okay. Plus it was a free download, so rude to complain! For anyone who enjoys a quick read and likes Sheila's stories, this would be worth a look.

[Caroline Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

read on kindle.
Hadnt realised this was a book of short stories, but each was lovely; however being short stories i felt i just got into the characters when the story ended. But nice, gentle easy reading.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories from as ever a fantastic author !

[Gail]

after seeing the reviews im not bothering with this as not a fan of short stories and hadnt realised this was...dissapointed as love her books

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough but I'm not a fan of short stories generally

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice selection of short stories!

[Cassandra Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved the short stories in this book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little too chic lit no brainy for me but nice to read modern lit set in Ireland. fast read nothing taxing

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realise these were in fact a few short stories then extracts from 2 of the authors books
A bit of a disappointment

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, light easy to read stories, enjoyed this

[Kathryn Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five great short stories that will leave you wanting more, great if you only got a few minuets to read on the train.

[Frenchorchidea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice short stories from one of my favorite women's fiction author! Really really lovely!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, not one of my better reads

[Istiningdyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories are actually good. I enjoyed reading them.
Full review

[Toni Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixture of short stories.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a series of short and sweet romance storeys.