Authors [ C ]

 

Dawn moved back to Belfast after nine years in Edinburgh where she worked at a variety of jobs as a student including barmaid, waitress, shop assistant and in the editorial department of The Stationery Office, formerly the HMSO.

 

Dawn started off in the family business as a sales negotiator and then moved into marketing. "I enjoy the business but we are dealing with people at a very stressful time so we try to make it as painless as possible. On a lighter side you get to see snap shots of people's lives when you show prospective buyers round homes. I have dealt with everything from drunken vendors to opening bedroom doors to reveal people in an unsuitable state, to arriving to a showing with the owner still in the shower. The most fraught perhaps was when a family dog went for a viewer and sent him running in tears. In my current role I am responsible for marketing new homes, writing editorials for newspapers, advertising and liasing with designers for sales brochures."

 

Dawn's father Eric is a well known businessman and is heavily involved with many charities. He is currently chairman of MAC - Men Against Cancer - which aims to set up prostate cancer screening units both in Belfast and Dublin. Eric is also an auctioneer and auctioned the last Delorian cars to be built in Northern Ireland back in the 80's. He is regularly involved in charity auctions.

 

Now that he realises that Dawn is not going to be either a vet or a pilot, he, along with the rest of her family, is 100% supportive of Dawn's writing career.

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For fans of Dawn Cairns’ best-selling debut novel Tulips, Chips & Mayonnaise comes her second witty and engaging novel Goose Eggs & Hoover Bags. Yet again, Dawn is a perceptive observer standing on the sidelines as her almost effortless writing ability creates real characters infused with sharp dialogue that capture the imagination and holds it in its grasp until the final chapter is played out.

Dawn Cairns’ talent as an author lies in her ability to paint a picture that we believe we can see. Her descriptive powers set the scene for her warm and enchanting novel; a hardware store that is so much more, it is an Aladdin's Cave of wonderful and strange objects, hence the amusing title of the book.

As the story unfolds, Dawn's gift for combining serious moments with sheer humour makes you want to burst out laughing and makes her story all the more lifelike and entertaining. For Alice Watson, 29 year-old successful solicitor, it's discovering that she has inherited a hardware shop and house from her recently deceased aunt. But could she give up her life in London to make a go of the business back in Ireland?

For Maggie, 36-year-old lady of leisure, it's finding her husband up close and personal with her neighbour! When he leaves her for his new-found love she takes drastic action. For Isabel, 36 years old with twins, it's the discovery that her husband has just gambled their life savings on the stock market and lost.

Nothing is ever straightforward; what with stolen diamonds, an attempted kidnapping and an unsolved murder, selling everything from goose eggs to hoover bags is going to be more of a challenge than anyone thought!