The Company We Keep

A Note of Gratitude and a Look Ahead

Dear Friends,

As Confluence approaches its conclusion, I find myself reflecting on how grateful I am for each of you.

When I began sharing stories on Substack, I had no idea where the journey would lead. What started as a place to publish my writing has become a community of readers from around the world—people who have welcomed Callum, Wyatt, Ben, Karl, Peter, and so many others into their lives. Some of you have been with me from the beginning. Others discovered these stories somewhere along the way. However you arrived here, thank you.

Your comments, emails, recommendations, and simple acts of reading have meant more than I can adequately express.

Many readers have asked why I have never placed my work behind a paywall. The answer is simple: I wanted these stories to remain available to anyone who wished to read them. That remains my intention. Nothing is changing. My fiction will continue to be freely available to all readers.

That said, I would like to make a small request.

If you enjoy my work and are in a position to do so, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber.

This request is less about supporting me than it is about supporting Substack itself. Substack receives a percentage of paid subscriptions, and those subscriptions help sustain the platform that allows independent writers to reach readers without traditional gatekeepers.

To make this effort something larger than myself, I will be donating my earnings from paid subscriptions each month to charity.

Rather than choosing the charities on my own, I’ll solicit your recommendations. Each month, subscribers will have an opportunity to suggest organizations, and I will select a different charity to receive that month’s proceeds. Together, we can support causes that matter to our community while also helping sustain the platform that brings us together.

Whether you choose to subscribe, remain a free subscriber, or simply continue reading, please know that my gratitude remains exactly the same. Your presence here is what has made this experience meaningful.

And now, a brief look ahead.

When Confluence reaches its final chapter, another journey will begin. My next serialized novel is titled A Man’s Reach.

Set along the rugged coastlines of Northern Ireland and the waters of the Irish Sea, it is a story of longing, broken promises, and the dangerous pull of love. It explores the distances we place between ourselves and the people we cannot forget. The sea plays as important a role as any character, carrying both promises and secrets between the shores it touches.

I look forward to sharing that journey with you in the months ahead.

Until then, thank you for reading, for your encouragement, and for being part of this remarkable community.

Mile buiochas,

Daire xx