Today author Kathy Bryson returns to That’s What I’m Talking About to celebrate her latest release, Fighting Mad (Soul Mate Publishing, December 23, 2015), and to share a little about her leprechauns.
A Grand Tradition
Did you wear a silly hat or raise a glass of Guinness stout over St. Patrick’s Day? I did. Having written three books about leprechauns now, I love to celebrate Irish culture in all its various forms.
An estimated 80 million people worldwide identify themselves as having Irish roots, so it’s a widespread culture. For example, New York, Dublin, Sydney, Montreal, and the island of Montserrat all hold St. Patrick’s Day parades. Chicago dyes the river green as part of its celebration.
Since Irish immigrants spread far and wide, so did their stories. Most everyone’s heard the tale of the leprechaun and his gold or they’ve seen a movie. But the details changed in the telling! The original leprechauns were not wee, green men or worse, but warriors of ancient legend, the ‘luch-chromain’ or the sons of Lugh, the Celtic god of commerce and war.
And they were not alone. The leprechauns were only part of a rich tradition populated by fairies to water-horses, from gods to shape-shifters. Clurichauns are another part of the tradition. They’re the ornery, fighting cousins of the leprechauns who shun clan loyalties, but are fierce defenders of hearth and home, especially the beer and wine cellar! But don’t think clurichauns are just harmless drunks. As with leprechauns, the clurichauns’ story is a whole trickier than it first appears!
About Fighting Mad
Laid off from her job at the bank, Carla turns to her friends for support only to find they’re more concerned about their jobs. The one person she can count on is local bartender Murphy, but what kind of example is he for her daughters? Having learned the hard way, Carla’s not depending on any man, even if he is cute, charming, very kind, and some kind of leprechaun?
Murphy is used to sneers. Clurichauns are the redheaded stepchildren of the leprechaun world and then there are the late night throw downs at his bar. What he wants, however, is to protect the dainty, little mom who ogles him when she thinks no one’s looking. He knows she’s fighting overwhelming odds, but she’ll need more than bravery when the conflict between the King and Queen of the Fairies becomes outright civil war!
Excerpt:
“Honestly, Murphy, there has to be an alternative. This isn’t the Middle Ages. You can’t just hold somebody up at the point of a sword and force them . . .”
Murphy’s hands twisted out of mine and grasped my arms instead, his fingers opening and closing compulsively. I reached up to wrap my fingers, injured hand and all, in the folds of his Henley. I could hear him mutter as if to himself. “You can if you threaten what someone holds dear. You’re such a wee thing. Why won’t you let me help?”
“Murphy,” I whispered into his chest. “It’s not about letting you help. I just refuse to believe that in all the world, there isn’t some other way of handling this conflict. We don’t have to fight side-by-side. We don’t have to fight at all. There has got to be an alternative.”
“I will look after you. Why won’t you let me protect you?” Murphy said, almost pleading.
“I don’t want a protector! I want you!”
I stopped abruptly, shocked at my own words. But if I could have retracted them, I’m not sure I would. Because I did want Murphy. I wanted to hold him and kiss him and find out if he was always as nice as he’d been so far as well as what kinds of things drove him crazy or if he had any bad habits at all. I wanted to get to know this man in all the ways it was possible to know someone over a lifetime until I knew him by heart because that was where he resided, in my heart.
“Please say what’s on your mind,” I almost begged. “Tell me what you’re thinking because I cannot figure it out.”
I felt Murphy take a deep breath as much as I heard him. “I think you’re so beautiful and brave, words fail me. You’re like a butterfly, fragile and delicate. I want to protect you, and then you become so fierce for your girls, a tiny, unstoppable warrior. You bring me to my knees and I’m afraid you’re going to get crushed, and I can’t believe you want me to just ignore the coming storm. Then I can’t believe you have such courage. You’re sweet and you’re smart and you have brilliant tits and . . .” Murphy halted suddenly. “I probably shouldn’t have said the bit about your tits, huh?”
Book Links
Amazon link – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019BOJM5E
Book trailer – https://youtu.be/Y2QLlOC1f9k
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28210463-fighting-mad
About the Author:
Kathy Bryson knew she wanted to be a writer when she finished reading through her school and local children’s libraries. She honed her writing skills on marketing brochures, websites, and several unfinished manuscripts before going into teaching and finishing award-winning books with all the stuff she enjoys most – from coffee to love to Shakespeare! Kathy lives in Florida where she caters to the whims of spoiled cats and wonders what possessed her to put in 75 feet of flower beds.
Author Links:
Blog – http://kathybryson.wordpress.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kathybryson22
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+KathyBryson22
Twitter – https://twitter.com/kathybryson2