Tag Archives: #atozchallenge

April 5, 2018 · 1:17 am

E is for Eclipse

As a writer, I lean toward historical accuracy whenever I can, but when I really want a certain something to happen in a story, I make it up. That is the beauty of being a fiction writer…I get to make stuff up. There are many aspects of The Manx that hold true to the facts whether it is something that takes place today, or in the past. There are real people in the book like King Magnus and his family. The castles are all real too (Peel and Douglas in particular). But, there are also many instances that things come straight from my imagination.

Case in point; the lunar eclipse. I really wanted a lunar eclipse to happen at the same time as at least one of the motorcycle races. Through my extensive research (ok, I Googled it) I couldn’t make the eclipse sync with the TT. So, you got it, I put a lunar eclipse in there anyway. It is critical to the story, but not to history. I say to all you factoid fiends, “Suck it up.” I’m putting the lunar eclipse right where I want it. You may also cringe when I make up the names for any TT drivers, or when I put mermaids in places they shouldn’t be. I’m a fiction writer. I can do these things. 🙂

This post inspired by — E

F is for Faerie

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April 4, 2018 · 2:45 pm

D is for Donal Kennaugh

I would like to introduce you to Donal Kennaugh, one of the main characters in The Manx. I have enjoyed writing Donal’s character because there are  many secrets behind him. Throughout the story these secrets will come to light as he is forced to face  his past.

He lives in Ramsey with his mother, Brigid. He and his father were a sidecar team in the motorcycle racing circuit. During the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race (also known as the TT), the bike went out of control. His father was killed, and Donal has not raced since, but still loves to ride on the rare days the sun shines on the island.

The main character of The Manx is Kaitlin Manning. She and Donal are first maternal cousins and spent childhood summers together adventuring around the Isle of Man. Donal took her to all of his secret places and they made up wild tales of kings and queens, knights and princesses. He slew dragons for her, spoke with the fairies, and wrestled bugganes. He was Kaitlin’s hero.

After his father’s death, the games suddenly stopped. It has been ten years since Kaitlin and her father visited the island, and they have returned to photograph the TT.

Donal and Kaitlin will once again take up their childhood adventures, but they will no longer be a games of pretend.

Note: Today calls for two blog posts in order to satisfy two blog writing challenges. A to Z Challenge’s daily post plus the Insecure Writers Support Group’s monthly post. 

This post inspired by – D

E is for Eclipse

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April 3, 2018 · 1:42 am

C is for Cat

Today’s post, for #atozchallenge, is dedicated to the letter C — for CAT, and my fantasy novel, The Manx. The manx cat is tailless and are thought to come from the Isle of Man. At one time there was a relatively large population of manx on the island, but in recent years it has been declining.

In the Manx language they are called, kayt Manninagh (the cat of Mann) and are also referred to as Stubbin. In Sophia Morrison’s, Manx Fairy Tales, the cat was running late to the arc and Noah slammed the door on its tail. Once on the arc, the cat turned to Noah and said,

Bee bo bend it,
My tail’s ended,
And I ‘ll go to Mann
And get copper nails,
And mend it.

When the waters receded Noah dropped the cat off on the Isle of Man to find some copper nails. I don’t think the cat ever found the nails because it is still without a tail.

The Manx cat is not the only Manx on the Isle of Man. The title of my book is named for the native peoples of the island, the Manx or Manxies. They have cultural origins with the Celtics and their language is related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic although it developed in seclusion since about the 700’s.

The Manx (my book) is inspired by the folktales and history of the island. You will find bugganes, Little People, castles, witches, and much more. Tomorrow, with the letter “D” I will introduce you to one of the characters in the book, Donal. Until then….

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Today’s post inspired by –“C”

c-for-a-to-z

D — Donal

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April 2, 2018 · 1:00 am

B is for Buggane

In Manx folklore, the buggane is a fierce creature that is similar to a demon or ogre. Legend says that they cannot cross water nor can they be on sacred grounds. I have already told you about one of the bugganes that haunted St. Trinian’s Church, and today I want to tell you the story of another buggane.

Finn MacCooilley, an Irish giant, is most well known for his battle with a Scottish giant where the result of the battle was the formation of the Isle of Man and the first of the Manx people (a story coming later in the month with the letter I). MacCooilley ended up settling on the Isle of Man near Cregneash. The people of the area talked highly of Finn MacCooilley which made the buggane, who lived in nearby Barulle, jealous. The buggane challenged the Finn MacCooilley to a battle.

Finn’s wife was a smart sort and before the buggane got to their house, she disguised him and had Finn climb into the baby’s crib. When the buggane arrived, she told him that her husband was gone and only she and the baby were home. Looking at the size of the baby frightened the buggane so he left.

The buggane learned of the trickery and not long after, the two met at Kirk Christ Rushen. The battle was fierce lasting all day.  The buggane was in Port Iern and his feet made the wide opening there. Finn had one foot in the Little Sound and the other in the Big Sound each making the channels between the Calf, Kitterland, and the main island.

In the end, the buggane won the battle. MacCooilley tried to escape the Isle of Man over the sea where the buggane could not go. In his rage the buggane ripped a tooth from his own mouth and threw it at Finn trying to stop his escape. It hit Finn in the back of the head. As Finn MacCooilley fell into the sea, he cursed any who passed nearby.

His dead body formed Chicken Rock which, today, is topped with a lighthouse to warn sailors to steer clear.

This story, and many more, can be found in the 1911 book, Manx Fairy Tales, by Sophia Morrison.

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Today’s post was inspired by: “B”

B-for-a-to-z

C — Cat

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April 1, 2018 · 9:05 am

A is for April Fools

Today, there will be many posts about April Fools Day. Where did it start? What are the most outlandish pranks? Who likes the pranks and who detests them? I will let someone else write about those questions. I am here to tell you about one great prank that actually made it into a book.

First, let me remind you that many of the posts during April will be about the Isle of Man and my first novel, The Manx. In case you didn’t know, the Isle of Man is a tiny place that sits in the middle of the Irish Sea. It is only 221 square miles (32 miles long and 14 miles wide), and home to over 82,000 people. Half the population are Manx who are native born to the Isle of Man.

The April Fools joke? It was about a bridge and the Handbook of International Bridge Engineering. In 2008 the Liverpool Echo announced that a bridge would span the Irish Sea from Liverpool to Isle of Man’s capital city, Douglas.  According to the HIBE, The Alf Priolo bridge would be 432,960 feet long and the third longest in the world.

bridge-april-fools

The 82 mile expanse would be named after a well known 19th Century Manx engineer by the name of Alf Priolo. However, the engineer did not exist, and the name is actually an anagram for April Fool.

I have it on reliable authority the bridge was recently completed. The Little People, also referred to as Themselves, completed construction just a few weeks ago. My source explained that the Little People were tired of the small bridge they had been relegated for so many centuries. Besides, they wanted to get out and see the rest of the world so only they can use it.  It spans from somewhere near Peel Castle, Isle of Man, to Ballyhornan, Northern Ireland. Don’t bother trying to find it. It’s invisible.

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This post inspired by: “A”

A-for-a-to-z

B — Buggane

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March 30, 2018 · 10:43 am

A to Z April Challenge

I was trolling around on Facebook and found an interesting blog writing challenge. A to Z April Challenge is designed for bloggers to post every day during the month of April (except Sunday….but include April Fools Day which is a Sunday….and it’s Easter Sunday too). Each post uses the letters of the alphabet thematically. April 1st post is the letter A, then the next is B, and so on until the last post is the letter Z.

a-to-z-badge

The best part? Each post will be relevant to my debut novel The Manx. You will be introduced to the characters, the Isle of Man, and snippets from the book. I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I will enjoy writing them.

A-for-a-to-z    A —  April Fools Day! 

 

 

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