Always a pleasure to welcome back Pat McDermott. If you're intrigued by ancient Ireland and fairies, you do not want to miss her books!
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Blending Folk Tales, Boosting Glimmer
by Pat McDermott
When I started writing my
young adult adventure series featuring Ireland’s fairies, I knew that at some
point, I’d be dealing with leprechauns. They appeared at last in the third
Glimmer book, A Pot of Glimmer. How to describe these famous sprites
without making them sound like the run-of-the-mill gremlins on cereal boxes and
in tourism ads proved challenging.
A Pot of Glimmer opens in medieval Ireland, 1014 AD, just before the
historic Battle of Clontarf in which High King Brian Boru defeated the Vikings.
My patriotic commando leprechauns, led by one Awley O’Hay, rob a Dublin mint to
provide silver coinage for King Brian’s troops. The theft leaves Steng the
Money Master a tad annoyed with Awley.
“Irlander insect! I will
hunt you down and find you! I will burn out your thieving eyes and leave your
corpse for the crows to devour!”
Awley isn’t worried. How can
a mere Norseman capture a leprechaun?
“You and your kind
couldn’t catch the plague! King Brian will send yez back where yez came from!”
The unfairness of Awley
wielding his magical glimmer while Steng lacked a comparable gift compelled me
to even the playing field. My investigation into Viking mythology offered a
fabulous way for the money master to take his revenge. From past research, I
knew a good deal about Vikings, but I’d never heard of a draugr, an
undead creature who leaves its grave at night to feed on men and cattle. Awley
finds himself in serious trouble each time the money master-turned-draugr
turns up to haunt him. There’s little he can do, however, for draugrs
can only be slain by mortals. Yet he’s not without resources. More than once,
he’s turned to Becula, a powerful fairy witch, for assistance.
“’Tis fine to see you,
ma’am. I find I’m again in need of your help. Your latest Draugr Confinement
Spell has kept the essence of Steng beneath the ground for two hundred years.
He’d no doubt be there forever, but for the Yank ambassador.”
“The American ambassador?
Ambassador Gleason?”
“You know him?”
“I do. His young
granddaughter is a friend of mine.” Becula narrowed her eyes. “’Twould
displease me if anyone tried to harm her. What’s this all about?”
“The ambassador’s hired
diggin’ machines. I don’t know why, but those gizmos are pokin’ too close to
the stone we set over Steng’s coffin box. If they disturb it before we can move
him to a safer place…”
Awley’s dilemma casts
American teen Janet Gleason and her royal friend, Prince Liam Boru, into a web
of unthinkable horror. In the first two Glimmer books, Janet and Liam’s budding
romance suffers from fairy mischief, but fighting a draugr together
takes the cake.
“Are you saying there’s a
dead Viking monster buried in my grandfather’s putting green?”
Liam and his royal clan are
descendants of High King Brian Boru. Liam’s lineage impresses the leprechauns,
yet he has no time for formality: the draugr has kidnapped Janet.
“We have to do something.
Draugrs eat mortals, and my friend is a mortal!”
Melding elements of two
unique oral traditions entertained me enormously as I wrote. The characters
seemed to dictate to me, guiding me through their struggles with danger and romance
(leprechauns fall in love too). These classic story ingredients, commonly found
in the folklore of every culture, gave the world its first great sagas. May
folk tales ever inspire us!
Blurb:
Ireland, 1014 - Leprechaun Awley O’Hay robs a Dublin mint to help
King Brian fight the Vikings. The money master’s vengeful ghost troubles Awley
for centuries.
Ireland, 2015 - The fairies have not only plagued American teen
Janet Gleason since she arrived in Dublin, they’ve also hindered her romance
with Prince Liam Boru. When Janet’s grandfather, the American Ambassador,
throws a Fourth of July celebration, Liam stops by. Also attending are several
uninvited guests whose appearance plunges Liam and Janet into a nightmare they
never imagined. Nor did they imagine that real leprechauns are nothing like the
“little men” of Irish lore.
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A Pot of Glimmer, Book Three in the Glimmer Series, is available in
print and eBook from Amazon.
Learn more about Pat and her
books on her website.
I'm delighted to be visiting you and Jester Harley's Manuscript Page again, Anne. Thanks for the warm hospitality!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you, Pat!
DeleteOne of the things I enjoy about reading is discovering, and Pat's books always hit the mark in this regard. She does it within the natural ebb and flow of her stories, and never in an "attention: here's something you probably didn't know" sort of way. All seven of Pat's entertaining stories are full of Irish history and folklore, I love them! Thank you Pat, and I look forward to more of your artistry.
ReplyDeleteYour kind words are much appreciated, David. I'll be smiling all day! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteNever annoy a leprechaun, eh?
ReplyDeleteNever, Miriam, and I wouldn't annoy a draugr either. Thanks for stopping by!
Delete