Halloween Is Upon Us!

 

 The Night the Fairies Walked Among Us

In old Ireland, Halloween was a night when some people thought twice about travelling alone after dark.

According to Irish folklore, Samhain was a time when the mysterious Otherworld could draw close to our own.

Among its inhabitants were the aos sí, meaning "people of the mounds", supernatural beings often described as the fairy folk.

These were not necessarily the gentle, winged fairies of children's storybooks.

They were mysterious and sometimes dangerous beings, associated with ancient hills, burial mounds and places known as fairy forts.

Many of these fairy forts were actually the remains of old settlements, but generations of Irish people believed they belonged to the fairy folk and warned against disturbing them.

On Halloween night, when spirits were believed to be especially active, travelling alone through the countryside was considered unwise.

I'm incredibly caught up in everything Irish right now, because I'm working on my new fantasy novel, Ailionn. It's set in ancient Ireland in AD 1, and contains many references to pagan and mystical rites, as well as seasonal festivals that were prevalent within the Irish culture at that time. Halloween seems like the perfect time of year to be writing it.

So... with Halloween upon us, I'll wish all of you around the world happy Halloween—and watch out for those fairies after dark! :)

🎃

UPDATE: My New Fantasy, "AILIONN," With An Excerpt From Chapter 8!

  

"Black Headed-Gull with Sky Background (2)" by Wildlife Boy1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

This novel is a fantasy set in the past—AD 1, in ancient Ireland. My goal is to write it in a way that gives readers a sense of that moment in Irish history while still making it a fictional, fantastical tale. I have always been a fan of Jean M. Aule's book The Clan of the Cave Bear and wanted to write something in that vein. My new book, Ailionn, will hopefully be such a book.

Of course, Aule’s book was not fantasy. It was a wonderful work of prehistoric fiction that, besides being a great story, also demonstrated what life might have been like for humans and Neanderthal's during that time. Ailionn will hopefully do the same for the humans living in Ireland around AD 1, while still being a unique fantasy. It uses life during the "Iron Age" as a backdrop, as Celtic-speaking people moved across the island of Ériu—the “old Irish” name for Ireland—living in small settlements or clacháns (pronounced klah-khens).

Before starting to write the book, I had to do a lot of research, including research into the main character’s name. Ailionn (pronounced AH-lin), could actually have been the name of a female living in Ireland at that time. Now, I am well into writing the novel, and I continue to research many topics. Not only am I learning a great deal, but I'm also thrilled that what I'm learning is adding so much depth and texture to the story. It’s exciting!

Just today, I completed Chapter 8 and will share a short excerpt with you. As always, thank you for reading my blog and being interested in my work. And for those of you who have read one or more of my six published novels, I will work as hard as possible to make Ailionn one of my best!

Excerpt from Chapter 8 of Ailionn!

(In the excerpt, there are old Irish words you won't know that have been explained earlier in the book. To make it easier for you to read, I will put their definition in parentheses beside the words. Also, dair is pronounced dahr and teach is pronounced tyak.)

Ailionn continued along the trail, glancing to her left as she looked for a good place to enter the woods to hunt. Then it dawned on her: the fog had lifted even more, allowing her to see better. She kept going until she found a promising spot, then left the well-used trail for the wilds of the ancient forest.

As she moved deeper into the forest, she was initially distracted by the dense, varied growth of plants and trees, with the dair (oak) and coll (hazel) trees being the most prominent. Both were very important to the people of Ériu. Dair trees, which were much larger and sturdier, provided wood for tools, furniture, and even boats—Colm’s and Fionn’s boats were both made mainly of dair wood. The trees’ nuts, which ripened and fell to the ground during harvest time, were collected, boiled to remove the bitterness, and eaten or sometimes fed to cattle. Coll trees were smaller, and their branches were thinner and much more flexible. They were woven together to make the wattle for building a teach (house). Their nuts, which also ripened and fell at harvest time, were eaten and enjoyed by practically everyone.

Bringing her attention back to the job at hand, Ailionn started looking for signs of animals in the area: tracks or other indications of movement, such as broken branches or disturbed foliage, and droppings or the smell of urine. She also listened to the sounds of the forest and watched for the behaviour of certain smaller animals that might indicate a larger predator stalking them. To be an effective hunter, Ailionn had to engage every one of her senses as she moved farther into the forest.

As she did, it became obvious that animals were plentiful in this area, judging by the signs she saw on the ground and among the low-lying shrubs, as well as from the varied sounds all around her. As she continued to hunt, she realized that it was getting harder to see. The fog was returning, growing heavier and denser the farther she walked into the forest, and the rain had picked up.

Ailionn stopped for a moment to consider what she should do. She did not want to get caught in a heavy downpour, unable to find her way back through the fog. As she was considering her options, she heard the wings of a large bird beating rapidly overhead as it moved through the air. Then, right in front of her, she saw its shadowy figure inside the fog, swooping down and zig-zagging through the trees...

Heritage!

 

Before I ever started writing my fantasy trilogy, The 

Alban Saga, which takes place in present-day Scotland, or my new fantasy novel, Ailionn, set in Ireland in AD 1, I had traveled to both countries several times. From my first visit to each, I felt at home—a sense that I belonged there.

My brother sent this image, which features a saying about heritage. After my experiences, it struck me as incredibly true and poignant. I wanted to share it with you.

A New Reader's Comments About "Merlin & Arthur: The Awakening" & An Update About My Latest Book, "Ailionn!"

   

Below are some running comments I was sent from a new reader in Juneau, Alaska, about my sci-fi/fantasy book

Merlin & Arthur: The Awakening.

(I've left out a couple spoilers)

First Comment

“I'm enjoying your book. I'm just over half through and enjoying how the characters and storyline are developing. Arthur, Merlin, and their knights are reunited and..."

Second Comment

“Just finished your book and enjoyed it! I've never read a fantasy novel before. Loved the...ending!"

Update about my new fantasy book!

"Black Headed-Gull with Sky Background (2)" by Wildlife Boy1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

I have been spending time almost everyday since moving into my new place in Seattle working on my new fantasy novel, Ailionn. It takes place long ago in southeastern Ireland, beginning in AD 1. The title is the name of the main character—an ancient Irish name pronounced AH-lin. I'm more than 6,000 words in and am having a great time writing it, as well as conducting the considerable research necessary for a book of this type.

Progress On My New Book "AILIONN" With A Short Excerpt Included!

 

"Black Headed-Gull with Sky Background (2)" by Wildlife Boy1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

The cover is tentative as is the title, but it represents my thoughts at this point in the writing of this new book! It will be another fantasy and will take place not in the current day or in the future but in the past—120 AD, in ancient Ireland. That time period is referred to as the Irish Dark Ages, which lasted from 100 AD to 400 AD. It is my goal to write this book in a way that gives the reader a sense of that moment in Irish history while still making it a fictional tale, fantastical in nature.

I have already done a tremendous amount of research for the book, and the main character, Ailionn (pronounced AH-lin), could actually have been the name of a female living in Ireland at that time. I am extremely excited about the project, but I am very aware of the amount of work it will take to write such  a book in a way that does Ireland, the characters, and the story justice.

Not only have I already done a lot of research for the project, but I have also begun writing it. I will share with you the first few paragraphs of Chapter 1 to provide a small window into Ailionn.

As always, thank you for reading my blog and being interested in my work. And for those of you who have read one or more of my six published novels, I will work as hard as possible to make Ailionn one of my best!

Excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1 of Ailionn!

Pleased with the hunt, Ailionn stepped into the darkened úam—the limestone cave she had inhabited and flourished in over the past several seasons—and placed the two long-eared giorria, dangling lifeless from her hand, on a pelt alongside the fire at the entrance. The fire’s embers were still glowing, providing warmth and minimal light inside her home. She could see that no other creatures had entered while she had been out hunting, so she laid her spear and knife against the wall and removed her hooded mantle and leather shoes.

More comfortable, Ailionn sat down by the fire, sighed, stoked it with fresh wood, and took a drink of sweet miodh from the leather flask looped in the sash at her waist. The taste hastened the realization that it had been a very long time since she had carried anything in that flask but miodh.

Shortly after arriving at her new home, Ailionn recalled becoming severely ill. She could not eat or drink and was alone, suffering terribly. As luck would have it, however, the next morning, a healer named Niamh from the nearby clachán, or small settlement, of Cluain-Dabhail was out collecting herbs. She passed by Ailionn’s úam and heard someone moaning. Upon entering, she discovered a young woman sweating and gravely ill. Niamh took pity on her and immediately reached for the herbs she had been collecting, making a tea to help calm and treat the poor girl.

As the days passed, Niamh visited Ailionn many times. She continued her treatments and, because of the danger Ailionn had put herself in, explained that water from streams and lakes could sometimes cause this illness, whereas lionn, a strong drink made from grains, or miodh, made from honey-water, were much safer to drink. Ailionn had come to trust Niamh and take her advice, especially when it came to the deadly sickness she had just endured. She asked whether Niamh could teach her how to make one of the drinks. Niamh said that she could and that miodh would be the better choice because of its healing properties and because it would be much easier for Ailionn to make.

From that time until the present, Ailionn had religiously brewed the miodh, locating and gathering the honey she needed from the abundant honeycombs near her home. She also used her skills as a hunter-gatherer to trade with the people of Niamh’s clachán for a few clay jars in which to ferment the miodh. But she did something else as well: drawing on her knowledge of wild herbs, fruits, and plants, she added her own blend to the honey-water mixture to create a miodh better suited to her taste, resulting in a much heartier drink. It was so much better, in fact, that Niamh and many others from her clachán began trading with Ailionn for the miodh she made. 

Remembering all this brought a smile to Ailionn’s lips as she continued to sip from her flask and catch her breath after her early-morning hunt. She relaxed just a little more before skinning and preparing the two giorria for cooking and noticed that the fire was burning strongly now—strongly enough to catch her eye. Its multicoloured flames moved and danced to their own rhythm. As they did, Ailionn once again saw something she had noticed several times over the seasons: floating among the flames were what looked like two piercing dark eyes, staring at her intently—almost as if they were attempting to pull her in and capture her there forever.

In the past, before this happened, she had never been warned as to when or why it would occur, and this time was no different. However, she somehow always seemed to know how to make the eyes go away: she would shake her head and blink hard several times until she could no longer see them.

Ailionn understood that seeing those eyes was probably just her imagination playing tricks on her—or possibly the effect of drinking miodh while tired after a long hunt. Either way, it could not be anything mystical or real—the eyes always faded from sight eventually. Nevertheless, their appearance consistently left her confused and wondering—until the next time…