Tag Archives: Irish

News & Contests

St. Patrick’s Day Giveaway!

Don’t forget to come learn to Talk Like the Irish this week!

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up! With an Irish heroine in my newest book, I have to celebrate the most Irish holiday—and what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway?! Scroll down to learn more about the Irish prize pack!

SAINTS & SPIES

SaintsSpies_CVR_MEDWhen she finds her priest murdered, Molly Malone, secretary of their Catholic parish, vows to never let it happen again. She’ll use the full force of her Irish will, and her previous stint on the Irish police force, to protect the new priest from the congregation’s rumors of criminal activity.

Falling in love wasn’t part of her plan. However, young, handsome and — dare she even think it? — flirtatious, Father Tim O’Rourke is nothing she expected. But Father Tim is also nothing like he seems to Molly: he’s Special Agent Zach Saint, an LDS FBI agent undercover to root out the mob that’s hiding in the parish.

And Molly isn’t helping: every time Zach gets close to the mob, Molly manages to get in the way. Falling for her is the last thing he needs. Now Zach must find the murderer and catch the mobsters before his feelings for Molly blow his cover and add another murder or two to the mobsters’ docket.

Buy now | About the book | Excerpt

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To celebrate Saints & Spies and St. Patrick’s Day, I’m giving away an Irish prize pack!

irish accent gum front1024x577irish accent gum back576x1024

In the pack, one lucky winner will get to enjoy Paddy O’Connell’s Instant Irish Accent Gum, homemade barmbrack (okay, it’s more Halloween appropriate, but not many foods ship well, folks), and, my favorite, two handknit prizes: a shamrock pin and a very special set of mittens.

Hand-holding mitten in action:

wp-1457959909214.jpg

wp-1456979290800.jpgThese aren’t just any mittens, my friends. They’re hand crafted with a Celtic knot cable design on the wrists. There are actually three mittens in the set: two individual mittens, and, perfect for any romantic, one mitten designed so you can hold hands! The real wool mittens use two colors: one called “Molly” and the other called “Father Tim”! (Okay, so it was really called “Father Time,” but close enough!) Even I’m surprised at how beautifully the colors meld together in the hand holding mitten. They’re cozy and sure to keep you and your beloved warm through long, wintry walks or professions of love on snowy back porches, if either of those are in your future.

Okay, I love these things. And all this semi-kitschy, super fun Irish stuff. And I’m giving them to you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Physical prizes shipped to US addresses only. Entries must be received before March 19, 2016. No purchase necessary.

Want to have the first chance to enter future giveaways? Be sure to join my readers’ group!

News & Contests

Come learn to talk like the Irish!

irish accent gum front1024x577Are you ready for St. Patrick’s Day? In honor of my Irish heroine from Saints & Spies, Molly Malone, I’m visiting three libraries in Utah for a fun night (or afternoon) of Irish language, culture, food and possibly even dance!

Kissin’ the Blarney Stone: Talk like the Irish!

Join me for a fun time and celebrate your Irish heritage (or lack thereof!) by learning about Irish English, slang and culture today. The craic will be rapid! There may be treats and even dancing!

March 16, 2016
1 PM 		March 16, 2016
7 PM 		March 17, 2016
7 PM
Millcreek Center Library
2266 E Evergreen Ave
East Millcreek, Utah 		Pleasant Grove City Library
30 East Center
Pleasant Grove, Utah 		American Fork Public Library
64 S 100 E
American Fork, Utah
Children’s library

Come join me!

Works

Announcing Saints & Spies!

2 Comments

It’s here! After SEVEN! LONG! YEARS!, I’m finally ready to share this story, and on its actual seventh birthday, no less:

SAINTS & SPIES

SaintsSpies_CVR_MEDWhen she finds her priest murdered, Molly Malone, secretary of their Catholic parish, vows to never let it happen again. She’ll use the full force of her Irish will, and her previous stint on the Irish police force, to protect the new priest from the congregation’s rumors of criminal activity.

Falling in love wasn’t part of her plan. However, young, handsome and — dare she even think it? — flirtatious, Father Tim O’Rourke is nothing she expected. But Father Tim is also nothing like he seems to Molly: he’s Special Agent Zach Saint, an LDS FBI agent undercover to root out the mob that’s hiding in the parish.

And Molly isn’t helping: every time Zach gets close to the mob, Molly manages to get in the way. Falling for her is the last thing he needs. Now Zach must find the murderer and catch the mobsters before his feelings for Molly blow his cover and add another murder or two to the mobsters’ docket.

Buy now | About the book | Excerpt

And if you buy Saints & Spies this week, your ebook will include over 80 pages of bonus features, from recipes to character profiles to deleted scenes & alternate versions!

But you MUST purchase the book by Saturday to get this exclusive content. Some of these features will NEVER be shared again!

To celebrate the release of Saints & Spies (can I say that again?!), I’m giving away a reader prize pack!

readerpack

In the pack, one lucky winner will get to curl up with hot cocoa (don’t worry, I’ll ship it as powder), a reading-themed mug (I like “Reading is my super power”), ALL SIX BOOKS OF THE SPY ANOTHER DAY SERIES (Kindle or ePub format), and cozy handknit socks (women’s mediumish, ankle height, reversible, knit by yours truly!).

Okay, I’m crazy excited about these socks. The name of the yarn color is “Molly.” AND the sock pattern’s designer was actually my Irish consultant on the novel. She’s awesome! And I decided to make them ankle high, and then I remembered this scene:

Molly.

Even if he could cover his gun before she found him, Zach would look really suspect—and really stupid—hiding under her desk. He tried to force himself further into the shadows. Good thing she had a deep desk, and she hadn’t bothered to switch on the lights, either.

But wouldn’t any normal person with a legitimate reason to be in their own office after hours switch on the lights first thing? Was she here for something illegal? . . .

In the silence, Molly shifted her weight from one attractive ankle to the other—he’d never realized ankles could be pretty. . . .

He waited until he was sure Molly would be gone before he returned to the parish house. As he walked through the parking lot, he took note of the maroon sedan parked across the street. But he was more worried about the owner of a pair of pretty ankles.

Okay, I love these things. And cocoa. And reading mugs. And my books. And I’m giving them to you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Physical prizes shipped to US addresses only. Entries must be received by October 24, 2015. No purchase necessary.

Hot cocoa photo by meg

Works

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is probably my favorite pointless holiday of the year! There are two basic reasons for this—and neither of them is my rich Irish heritage. (Incidentally, I do have Irish heritage, but considering those people died in the US a century before I was born, I don’t really have a strong attachment to the culture from them.)

No, my real reasons are at least half ridiculous:

1.) When I was in college, I spent Thanksgivings with my aunt. Randomly one year when we got up silly early for Black Friday, we began speaking in an Irish accent. These things only make sense before 5 AM.

2.) I wrote a trilogy featuring characters from Ireland. Over the years, I’ve spent approximately 1,000,000 hours studying Irish language, slang and culture 😉 .

But the real reason I’m extra excited this year on St. Patrick’s Day is because it’s official. After a long journey, that series is now free to be published! So <drumroll>

Saints & Spies is coming this fall!

After the Spy Another Day series concludes, I’ve got another fun adventure on deck. It starts with Saints & Spies, which follows an FBI agent going undercover as a Catholic priest to root out the mob in the parish.

To celebrate, I’m going to share a little “true” Irishness with you.

Eight Myths about Irish Culture and St. Patrick’s Day Dispelled—complete with tips on brushing up your Irish accent and how best to celebrate this weekend!

Irish Potato Candy—real!

Complete with recipe!

Irish Flag Apron—kinda kitschy, but real!

Complete with instructions—and it only cost me $5!

Photos all by me! Okay, and my husband.

Reading

Giveaway: Awakening by Christy Dorrity

3 Comments

I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of Awakening. It struck me as a unique take on YA paranormal romance (sweet & believable) and Celtic culture. It also incorporates elements of Irish dance and sign language, both of which I studied in college. Plus, the writing was wonderful, so this book was very much a win for me!

About the Book

. . . because some Celtic stories won’t be contained in myth.


A little magic has always run in sixteen-year-old McKayla McCleery’s family—at least that’s what she’s been told. McKayla’s eccentric Aunt Avril travels the world as a psychic for the FBI, and her mother can make amazing delicacies out of the most basic of ingredients. But McKayla doesn’t think for a second that the magic is real—it’s just good storytelling. Besides, McKayla doesn’t need magic. She recently moved to beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming, and already she has a best friend, a solo in her upcoming ballet recital—and the gorgeous guy in her physics class keeps looking her way.

When an unexpected fascination with Irish dance leads McKayla to seek instruction from the mute, crippled janitor at her high school, she learns that her family is not the only one with unexplained abilities.

After Aunt Avril comes to Star Valley in pursuit of a supernatural killer, people begin disappearing, and the lives of those McKayla holds most dear are threatened.

When the janitor reveals that an ancient curse, known as a geis, has awakened deadly powers that defy explanation, McKayla is forced to come to terms with what is real and what is fantasy.

A thrilling debut novel based in Celtic mythology, Awakening is a gripping young adult fantasy rife with magic, romance, and mystery.

Awakening (The Geis, #1)

Praise for Awakening

“AWAKENING is a wonder and a delight. Christy Dorrity is a talent to watch.”

~David Farland, New York Times bestselling author of Nightingale

“I thoroughly enjoyed AWAKENING, a captivating and unique debut novel that creatively integrates Irish dance.”
~ CHRIS NAISH, Riverdance member and Creative Director of Fusion Fighters Irish dancers.

About the Author


Christy Dorrity lives in the mountains with her husband, five children, and a cocker spaniel. She grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming, and is the author of The Geis series for young adults, and The Book Blogger’s Cookbooks. Christy is a champion Irish dancer and when she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.

Purchase Awakening by Christy Dorrity:
Purchase Kindle Book
Purchase Nook Book 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Works

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

1 Comment

I know it’s a little early

St. Patrick’s Day is probably my favorite pointless holiday of the year! There are two basic reasons for this—and neither of them are my rich Irish heritage. (Incidentally, I do have Irish heritage, but considering those people died in the US a century before I was born, I don’t really have a strong attachment to the culture from them.)

No, my real reasons are at least half ridiculous:

1.) When I was in college, I spent Thanksgivings with my aunt. Randomly one year when we got up silly early for Black Friday, we began speaking in an Irish accent. These things only make sense before 5 AM.

2.) My first novel, due out next year, features a character from Ireland. I just finished a round of edits on the sequel, which features even more characters from Ireland (6!), so I’m up to my neck in Irish accents and slang and culture. I’ve spent approximately 1,000,000 hours studying it 😉 .

So to celebrate, I’m going to share a little “true” Irishness with you.

Eight Myths about Irish Culture and St. Patrick’s Day Dispelled—complete with tips on brushing up your Irish accent and how best to celebrate this weekend!

Irish Potato Candy—real!

Complete with recipe!

Irish Flag Apron—kinda kitschy, but real!

Complete with instructions—and it only cost me $5!

Photos all by me! Okay, and my husband.

Works

St Patrick’s Day Blogfest!

12 Comments

Last year for St. Patrick’s Day, we dispelled some Irish myths. I learned a lot about modern Irish culture as I wrote about Irish characters. Once, they even got to be the villains—and that’s what we get to see today as part of The St. Patrick’s Day Blogfest hosted by Colene and Alexia!

In this (never ever edited and heavily compressed) excerpt, Mark is trying to find the bomb Grace and Pearse have planted on a St. Patrick’s Day parade float the night before the parade. Mark has been investigating them separately for a while, using different cover IDs with each of them (one of which is Southern).

That’s about to come back to bite him.


They could kill hundreds of people tomorrow. Thousands.

On the second row of parade floats, Mark spotted a pile of clutter in the pristine warehouse. If he found the bomb, the bomb squad could be here by the time he finished his sweep. It’d take two minutes to check. It was only a small risk.

He jogged to the toolbox and tools. They were definitely coming back. He glanced at the float. Along the bottom edge, clothespins held a few inches of long green fringe around a small, white translucent plastic cube.

They’d started installing it. Mark jammed his gun into his waistband, grabbed a flashlight from the toolbox and slid beneath the float. The wires hung there, exposed. He could end it now.

He crept from under the float, but before he moved, Mark heard a gasp behind him. He drew his gun, but a flashlight blinded him.

“Jason?” Grace.

A less experienced operative would’ve broken cover and confessed all. A better operative would play his cover even harder. “Grace, what are you doin here?”

“I should be askin’ you the same thing.”

“What’s this, then?” A man’s voice rang out behind him—Irish accent, familiar.

Pearse? Mark turned around and was again blinded by a flashlight.

“Jimmy?” Definitely Pearse.

“Now, y’all, let’s don’t go jumpin—” A blow to the back of his head cut Mark off mid-sentence.

And it gets worse. Hooray!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Technique

Language and narration

3 Comments

I heart languages. I majored in Linguistics in college, and as part of that I studied two foreign languages. I’m super excited that my library offers free online language courses (and am frustrated that they don’t use more technical terminology. I want to conjugate, darn it!). I transcribe things into the International Phonetic Alphabet. For fun.

But it wasn’t on a conscious level that I began using characters who spoke other languages in my works. I started with a native English speaker—but a native Irish English speaker.

This might actually be trickier than using a foreign language, because it’s easy to forget all the subtle differences between American and Commonwealth English. I mean, I speak English, how hard could it be, right? (Not as easy as you think.)

I think my next project will feature a character who speaks Russian as her native language. This will have more challenges for me because I want to learn all I can about the language to make her voice (in English) more authentic.

For example, in Russian, you can reorder the phrases of a sentence without changing the meaning. “To the store I went” and “I went to the store” are both perfectly acceptable. Moving a phrase to the beginning of the sentence adds emphasis. (So “To the store I went” is like saying “[No,] I went to the store.”)

Which brings me to a dilemma: in English (or just in “good writing”), we tend place emphasis on things at the end of sentences. So what do you think? Should I use the Russian emphasis pattern to stay truer to the way my character would think, or should I conform to the writing standards of English?

And if you have any questions about any of your foreign (or not-so-foreign) characters’ use of language, feel free to ask me!

More fun facts about language and meaning this week from Livia Blackburne

Photo by Eric Andresen