Happy New Year!

Best in 2019!

From me to you...

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam...

Irish Blessing

The Joys of Research

The Irish blood running through my veins has always tapped a foot, waiting for me to get my arse to Ireland. It took a WIP set in Ireland to finally get me on a plane, and thanks be to St. Patrick himself, I'm glad I did.

                           Glendalough

The country is magic pure and simple. 

I adored the people who by their own admission "Irish it up" which translates to bend the truth as far as you choose to tell a good story.

There aren't enough paint chips or color swatches in existence to cover the myriad of greens in Ireland.               

Druid's Cave - Blarney Castle Rock Close

And yes, I drove a stick shift on the left side of the road and got by with only one popped tyre (Irish spelling) and a wee dent. (I highly recommend the "walk away" insurance.) 

The real treasure of the trip was the research. I've always believed places give off their own unique "vibe." Walking in my characters footsteps, seeing through their eyes, and experiencing that sense of place as they would took my breath away. All the extensive digging I did while writing paled to actually existing in the the realm of my story. 

Ferns Cathedral Ruins

It was also fascinating to see where I was pretty spot on and where I missed the mark.

The beauty of the land, the people, and the Guinness stew - sigh.

I can't wait to write new stories set in this place that beckons me home. 

Charleville Castle

Charleville Forest

Carrick-a-Rede - Northern Ireland

I is for Ireland

Twenty-Six Days of Creative Inspiration

photo credit

A long time ago in Ireland, when potato farmers were facing failure, my O'Sullivan ancestors came over to America.

Cut to many years later and I'm sitting on a plane next to a lovely woman from Ireland. Turns out she was from County Cork where my Irish family had lived. I asked her a million questions which she patiently answered. She shared that the O'Sullivans were  a well thought of family, AND...

wait for it...

There is actually an O'Sullivan Castle.

How cool is that? There's a castle in the family. Apparently it has turned into a fixer-uper (see above picture), but I am dying to see it. I want to walk through that stone arch and explore. I'll bet story ideas will ooze from every stone.

I've always been drawn to Ireland to visit the place my family hails from. The pictures I've seen of the countryside look like a slice of perfect. It's the land of leprechauns, and best of all - no snakes. Who could ask for a better point of origin?

It's time to load my backpack with a sketchbook, camera, and journal and head over to the Emerald Isle.

Is there a special place from your family's history that you have the itch to go visit?

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