Happy Imbolc! Today is the first day of Celtic spring, a tradition known in Ireland as Imbolc. This weekend we’ve had snow, we’ve had torrential rain, we’ve had wild winds, and we’ve had fog… it certainly doesn’t feel spring-like, and I wonder if the seasons have gradually slipped out of sync with the calender. Today […]

It’s been a difficult week; two children sick at home, and now I have contracted the dreaded lurgy myself. It’s not conducive to sleep, writing or creativity. However, I got all my re-writes done, and have just started the final edit before sending my new little book-baby out into the kind (I hope!) hands of […]

So the chalice she’s holding has bunches of grapes on it, but that’s not what’s inside, oh no. Come a little closer, and I’ll share with you a secret. It begins with bees… In ancient times, Ireland was renowned for its abundance of honey. In fact, Gerald of Wales,who was arch deacon of Brecon (C12th) […]

I did it! The first draft of Swanskin is complete! I wrote a mighty (for me!) 7033 words, and on Wednesday, the job was done. Swanskin is just a little book, my first novella. I anticipated around 30K words, and it came in at just under, but that could change. There are a few areas […]

A few days ago, I received the following sketch in a message, with the words, “Thanks for the inspiration for this.” Seamus McArdle is an Irish author and artist who has featured on this blog before. You can read about him in my post, The Friday Fiction with Artist and Author Seamus McArdle. I have […]

Originally posted on Tara Sparling writes:
We all know about book prizes. We know how important they are, and yet how unquantifiable. There are basically two kinds of book prizes: those which are decided by a panel of estimable judges, and those which are decided by public vote. Both are problematic. So What’s Wrong, Ya…

So last week I set myself a challenge of adding four thousand words to Swanskin, and guess what? I did it! I finished last week on 15,629, and I have actually added 5470. Here is the picture to prove it… Only another 10, 000 or so to go… first draft could be complete in a […]

For a #championsaward by the lovely Hugh Roberts, thanks Hugh! I met Hugh last summer at the Bloggers Bash in London, although we had already spoken several times on the phone as part of Sacha Black’s Bloggers Bash hit squad. I adore his blog, Hughs Views and News, as not only does he write very […]

The Voyage of Bran, as told by the Queen of the Isle of Women The new priests came to Ireland, preaching their foreign stories of a single God, and we were curious, but not afraid. We did not see the danger in their words until it was too late. They blamed the women for all […]

I’ve been fairly quiet lately. Some of you may even have missed me, lol! It’s because I am burying my nose in my latest WIP. It’s a novella called Swanskin, and it’s a YA love story with a difference… it’s based on Irish mythology, of course, particularly that which surrounds swans and shape-shifting. I have […]

Now on Amazon for $2.99! LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: THE MERCENARY PRINCE Delvin Cunningham has left the champions. Lost to his tribe in the Yagervan Plains, fear and shame have kept the former Mercenary Prince away from his homeland. With his confidence crumbling, he has decided to return and bring closure to his past. Reuniting with […]

Seeing in the New Year seems to be one of our best loved and most popular public holidays, marked with breath-taking firework displays as the stroke of midnight enters different time zones around the world. It seems the most natural thing in the world to usher in the New Year with festivity and merriment. Yet […]

Originally posted on Jane Dougherty Writes:
I’ve done this before, and will possibly do it again. Possibly. But why wait? If you don’t know The Green Woman series, now’s your chance to get acquainted for free. For the next five days The Dark Citadel, first volume of the series, will be free here: Amazon US…

Originally posted on Daily Echo:
A reblog of a story from a Christmas past… “I must be mad.” A wry smile played amongst the wrinkles as she heaved the top half of the faded tree into place. Not a large tree… about the same height as its owner. Taller, probably, these days, she thought. She…

Happy Christmas! Peace and love to all from aliisaacstoryteller xxxFiled under: Uncategorized Tagged: Happy Christmas

My tree does not have an angel on top. No, what it has is a rather plain, very slightly sparkly silver star. But it does have angels on it. Four of them. These smiley faces belong to the angels on my tree. Their names are Craig, Jacob, Brody and Charlie. They had the same syndrome […]

I watch my children launch themselves gleefully at the pile of presents under the tree, but take no pleasure in their joy. My heart feels cold and hard as a stone, and the bitter taste of guilt catches and won’t wash away in the back of my throat. Sarah is the oldest. Always the thoughtful […]

“I’ll take them,” I hear myself say, and suddenly, my heart is fluttering randomly like a butterfly in my chest. “I’ll keep them on.” The two young sales assistants exchange snooty glances, rolling black-rimmed eyes at each other. One of them goes to get a bag for my old grey trainers, while the other processes […]

I first met Seamus Mc Ardle on facebook, and fell in love with his beautiful drawings. He creates stunning intricate prints full of fine detail and symbolism based on Irish mythology, many of which are available to buy from his website. He has also just written his first picture book for the younger reader, but […]

We have no nativity to attend this year. It is the first year in a decade that we have not attended a nativity. Our little Carys is now too grown up to be in a nativity. She will be ten years old in one week. How the time has flown! Double figures, and no nativity. […]

It is customary to decorate our homes with evergreens at Christmas; love it or hate it, it is a tradition we are all familiar with. Yet whilst these evergreens have become symbolic of the Christian faith, it is interesting to note that their use at mid-winter stretches even further back in time to our earlier […]

It has started; the Christmas decorating. In this house, it takes a week, and finally culminates in the dressing of the tree. And year on year, the same symbols abound throughout the festive season; Santa, the reindeer, the stable and the manger, hanging up the stocking etc, to name just a few. But have you […]

Boann strides up the path, her face composed with fierce determination, her little dog Dabilla trotting faithfully at her heels. The way is winding and covert, meant not for the feet of the uninitiated, but Boann has learned its secrets; thus she feels she has earned the right to visit this most sacred of places, […]

Followers of this blog will know just how inspired by obsessed I am with Irish mythology, and how I can lose myself in it for hours at a time. I call it research, but really, it’s my guilty pleasure; how lucky I am that I can indulge in it on a daily basis as an excuse […]

You may not have been aware of it, but a few months ago, a mighty battle took place. It has been happening every year since time began. And though you didn’t know it, you will have felt the consequences; how slowly, slyly, the shadow of night encroached upon the day and stole its light; how […]