The Angelica Touch
Angelica, 14, has reached three conclusions. Firstly, her mother Molly, who manages a rundown hotel on the wild Drisogue peninsula in Donegal, is desperately lonely. (She’s not.)
Secondly, it’s entirely her fault that Molly is still single. (It might be.)
Thirdly, since she can hardly have a boyfriend of her own if Number 2 is true, it’s up to her to find her mother a man. (It really isn’t.)
Given her dangerously impressive gift for matchmaking, Angelica’s solution is to develop a dating website for her mum. With the questions devised by Angelica and best friend, Grace, what could possibly go wrong?
“Off the wall and gorgeous. I love every word!”
– Maria MacDermottroe, actress
I loved it, it was warm and funny. Angelica is a lovely character. It reminded me of a cross between Moone boy and Mamma Mia.
– Caroline Farrell, Author of Lady Beth, winner of the CAP prize for fiction 2017.
Published by Janey Mac Books in 2018. Film & TV rights currently available
The Angelica Touch is the magical story of what might happen if you were a single parent and your teenage daughter decided to organise your love-life. It’s an upbeat and humorous romantic rollercoaster set in Donegal during the first three months of 2010. It’s about doing something for the very best of reasons that makes everything worse… until it doesn’t.
“…Another gift of joy from Sedgwick, the Angelica Touch is filled with heart and warmth. With a setting and characters that fire the imagination, the reader gets sucked in to Angelica’s world immediately and pulled along on an incredible ride of the emotions. While Angelica is trying to grow into her own true self (and doing a marvellous job), the give and take in the relationship with her mother is at once unique and typical, deeply touching and completely grates. Both are guilty of getting it utterly wrong and completely right. This hits at the soul of what it means to be a teenage daughter.
“Each and every character is a real gem; quirky, well described and fully realised. Their own stories of past and present weave many coloured threads throughout and make the core story all the richer. Pitch perfect and with a great pace, just when you think this story can only end one way, a surprise twist brings an even more satisfying conclusion. This is a wonderful, imaginative tale that will leave you smiling. “
The Angelica Touch is available online on Amazon and in public libraries all over Ireland and America, including Library of Congress, Harvard University, Notre Dame University, Boston College and New York Public Libraries.
The cover was designed by the amazing Aoife Henkes.
Dad’s Red Dress
Thirteen-year-old Jessie only wants life to be boringly ‘normal’. It’s not going to be easy – her kid sister thinks she’s been adducted by the Virgin Mary not once but twice, her step-Mum Eva makes erotic, feminist installations and her dad , who has always been Mandy behind closed doors, is about to transition.
Described by readers as ‘joyous, loving… truly unique among the vast canon of coming-of-age stories…a delight to read’.
When I picked up Dad’s Red Dress, I expected a book that was quirky, entertaining and funny. What I did not expect was a novel that spoke to the heart of what it means to grow up. Filled with vivid, genuine characters and complex, conflicting family drama, it is joyous, loving and truly unique among the vast canon of coming-of-age stories. Each character is intricately drawn. Difficult subject matter is handled with great sensitivity. The dialogue is realistic and relatable for any young person. And while the situation may be unusual, the emotional impact is not. It gives the reader much to consider about life, friendship, who we really are and what makes a family. Dad’s Red Dress is indeed humourous; a delight to read. Simply wonderful. – Childrens Books Ireland review
From Amazon sites:
One of the best
It’s a beautiful story excellently told…one of the best novels I’ve read in bloody ages. – Patrick Chapman, author of Slow Clocks of Decay
Wonderful, just wonderful
What a great story, filled with complexity – original and believable, every character so well developed and totally three dimensional. I loved the intricacies of each one, and Jessie is just a delight, I was with her all the way! A beautiful relationship with her Dad, and her little sister! It’s wonderful, just wonderful!! – Caroline Farrell, author of Arkyne and Lady Beth.
Lindsay Sedgewick is a genius…I couldn’t put it down from once I started. The vibrant characters, the imagination, the joy of turning the next page…I loved it. Looking forward to the sequel….! – Puffi/ May 9, 2017/ Amazon
Five Stars:
I felt that Lindsay got into the head of Jessie very well. She is a sensitive and imaginative teenager who has ordinary everyday teenage problems to deal with as well as her dad’s transsexuality. The character of the school principal who is attracted to ‘Mandy’ adds plenty of humour to proceedings as does Laura, Jessie’s sister with her quirky ways and her unusual pets. There are plenty of humorous moments, one particularly hilarious one where Mandy’s chicken fillet comes flying out at a rugby match springs to mind. She balances humour and tension perfectly throughout the novel.
This book should appeal to all teenagers – Jessie is a typical teenager in many ways and as the novel progresses we get to know and like her better. We sympathise with her love for her father and her struggle to come to terms with ‘Mandy’. I became involved in her world where clouds take on a significance and her colourful way of thinking.
I would recommend this quirky and entertaining novel to anyone. It highlighted the problems that the children of transsexuals can encounter when their parents are transitioning. without preaching or making judgement. – April 25, 2017/ Amazon.com
A humorous and very original book – highly recommended
This is a very entertaining and engaging read written in an original and imaginative way. And it deals with quite a difficult subject really well through humour.
From the beginning of the book we become aware that Jessie’s family are not quite main- stream – Eva , Jessie’s stepmother is a breast sculptor, Laura, Jessie’s sister has a fixation with the Virgin Mary and insists on wearing a veil the whole time. But it not until we are into the second chapter that we become aware that Jessie’s father likes to wear women’s clothes and wants to have a sex change. And because the family have just moved to Ireland from LA, Jessie has a lot to cope with. – Apr 25, 2017/ Amazon
What a great story – sometimes sad, deeply thought provoking and often laugh out loud funny. – Apr 20, 2017/ Amazon
I found “Dad’s Red Dress” sparkling, charming and a …
I found “Dad’s Red Dress” sparkling, charming and a very entertaining book. – Mary 18, 2017/ Amazon
Alternative in many ways, and yet, so relatable…I’ve read this twice, as an advance reader copy, and as an ebook on my kindle. It’s a great story for young adults, a coming of age themed novel, filled with complexity and featuring a wonderful family of characters, alternative in many ways, and yet, so relatable. Original and believable, every character is well developed and totally three dimensional. I loved the intricacies of each one, and Jessie is just a delight, having a beautiful relationship with her Dad. Jesse has a lot to deal with now that her family has moved to Ireland from the USA…weird little sister, new school, new friends, boys, bullying – oh, and did I mention her Dad? Read on…! – The Librarians Chair, Feb 9, 2017
A sparkling and rewarding read
From the very first paragraph, I was sucked into the colourful and crazy world of young Jessie Keane. Her exotic family exudes warmth and togetherness. and the reader is left in no doubt that this is a loving and safe environment for her and her sister. However, there is a ‘secret’ within the family, that is clear from the title of the book, and that secret threatens to unsettle Jessie’s life and bring the bullies back to taunt her – again. This serious subject matter is dealt with sensitively by L.J. Sedgwick, and even better than that, it is uproariously funny. I found myself re-reading sentences and entire paragraphs over again, in pure joy. I haven’t enjoyed a novel as much in years. – P Groves, author of Petticoat Rebellion, The Story of Anna Parnell, Feb 9, 2017
Vivid characters, excellent story
Dad’s Red Dress is a story for our times, and one that can be enjoyed by all of the family. The characters are vivid, the story is fresh, and the dialogue is sparkling. I can heartily recommend it. – Feb 8, 2017/ Amazon
Lindsay J. Sedgwick 