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I am doing my 20’s for the third time so I am getting closer to “that age” for retirement. In my opinion, retirement is a thing that died out with pensions and my parent’s generation. I know, not the entire generation is gone. My mother is the last in my family from her generation. It is the Baby Boomers who are now retiring. Or, trying to. I think the word may, one day, fall into disuse being categorized by the…
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I had to giggle – just a little bit – when I first learned about Mt. Snaefell (see this map for location). When I looked at photographs of the mountain I scratched my head and thought, “That’s not a mountain…it’s a big hill.” I live near the Rocky Mountains and am used to the high peaks here (12,000-14,000 feet). The joke’s on me because it really is classified as a mountain; it stands tall at 2,037 feet. There are a…
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Rhumsaa is the Manx term for Ramsey which is located on the northern end of the Isle of Man. It was named by the Norse (hrams-á) as the “Wild Garlic River” due to all of the wild garlic that grows nearby. Ramsey is the second largest city only bested by Douglas. It is also where Donal and his mother have a home. When I was looking for a destination for Kailtlin when she arrived to the Island I turned to…
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On the Isle of Man they have a delicacy called Queenies. I have never tried them, but when I get to the island it will be one of the first things I’m going to taste. What are they? They are Queen Scallops also called Manx Queenies. The scallops are fished around the island starting in June, locally processed and sold either fresh or frozen. There are many ways to cook Queenies and doing a quick Google search I found several…
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Located on St. Patrick’s Isle, Peel was built in the 11th century by Vikings under the rule of our favorite king, Magnus Barefoot. Initially the castle was a Celtic religious site, but when Magnus’ forces arrived they replaced those with wood battlements. The sandstone walls did not appear until the 14th century. There are so many things that I want to tell you about Castle Peel and the role it plays in The Manx but the spoilers would pile up…
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Today’s post introduces you to Osran. Many of the characters in The Manx have at least a tiny bit of grounding in the real world whether it is the use of a real name, a mythical being, or a historical figure. Osran comes fresh from my imagination. Her realm is in The Between. This is where the past, present, and future meet. Osran is the guardian of The Between making sure no one (magical or human) crosses from their own present into the…
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In choosing names for The Manx I used surnames that were listed in the census logs of the Isle of Man. I went as far back as I could find records for so that the names were as authentic as I could make them. Kaitlin Manning is named for the island, Mann (as it is sometimes spelled). Her first name is not of Manx origin, but she was born in America so I leaned toward something that would fit here…
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Manannan Beg was son of Leirr, He was the first the e’er had Mann; But as it seemeth unto me, He himself was but a heathen. ‘Twas not with his sword he kept her, Nor with his arrows, nor his bow; Bur when he would see ships sailing, He hid her right round with a fog. He’d set a man upon a brow, You’d think there were a hundred there; And this did wild Manannan guard That island with all…
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The Little People have been a part of Isle of Man’s legends since the beginning. The Little People (Mooinjer Veggey), also known as Themselves, stand a good foot high. Much like gnomes, they dress in green with red caps, yet they are slender, more like a human. They are usually seen hanging out under the “Fairy Bridge”, but are also known to be just about anywhere riding on the back of a corgi. Kaitlin (who I introduced yesterday) will, of course, have…
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I have been anxiously waiting for the letter K to come up so I could introduce you to my main character Kaitlin Manning. She was born outside Denver, Colorado, and grew up in Agate; population….just over 500. School was not her favorite pastime. The kids stayed in town for elementary school, but the upper grades involved a 30 minute commute, one way. She was traveling with her father more than she was in school so she never quite fit in.…
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