Jo was still floating on the high of ‘incredibly accomplished’ that the talk of plot strands didn’t seem at all intimidating. ‘Sounds really helpful. I really appreciate your effort,’ she said. ‘As for Buncrana, it’s like a second home to a lot of Derry people, so I’ll be more than happy to do a walkabout with you. I’m fairly familiar with it. It’s probably the Main Street and the shorefront that will interest you. Some of the wee villages close by might be worth seeing too. And Mamore Gap is definitely a must. Why no one has set a crime novel there yet is beyond me. It’s the perfect location.’

‘I thought so. Thought it was time to move things out of Scotland for a bit, you know but keep it Celtic.’

‘I’m all for that. There’s something here that begs to be written about,’ she said, aware that her own book made ample use of the Inishowen landscape.

‘There is, and you do it well yourself. Maybe I could learn from you,’ he said with a smile.

She wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t taking the piss, so she just smiled and nodded.

‘Jo, relax a bit. I’m not flattering you. I’m being honest,’ he said.

‘I’ll try, it’s all just a little overwhelming at the moment. A week ago, I’d have died to think anyone was reading my work. Never mind that a successful author was reading it and liking it.’

‘Well, I’m glad you didn’t die, and I’m glad I read it. Tell me, what’s your usual read? Your book is a great domestic noir, so is that your normal thing?’

She shrugged her shoulders. ‘I just enjoy good storytelling. I don’t really factor genre into it, not when reading. I love the kind of books where ordinary people do extraordinary things, I suppose. Be it that they love completely, or they make sacrifices, or overcome great obstacles. Or that they hate completely and are properly twisted. I’ll read anything. My to-be-read pile is mountainous and it’s only gotten bigger since Libby opened her shop.’

‘So it’s about the story for you?’ he asked, his eyes on the road.

‘Very much. Just whatever I’m in the mood for. But it has to feel real. It has to have heart. I have to think the characters are one hundred per cent real and genuine and I could bump into them in the street. I mean, maybe not the murderers… but everyone else.’