I’m thrilled to welcome Soul Mate author Kathy Bryson to the Power of 10 series. Today, Kathy reveals several leprechaun tricks and chats about her latest release, Fighting Mad.
Here’s Kathy!
Fighting Mad came out this week – the 3rd in my series of leprechaun love stories.
It’s been an interesting experience trying to let the world know about leprechauns. They didn’t worry too much about me revealing their secrets because they knew that no one would take me seriously. In fact, they snickered – a lot!
Here’s what people don’t understand about leprechauns:
1. Leprechauns are not little, green men. The name comes from luch-chromain, meaning ‘son of Lugh.’ Since Lugh was the Celtic god of war, leprechaun are actually soldiers, fully grown warriors.
2. Leprechauns are not homicidal though. As any soldier will tell you, the job’s really more so you don’t have to fight. As Murphy explains the boxing matches in his pub to Carla, “How would we get corporate sponsorship if we were just a bunch of thugs?”
3. Leprechauns are not solitary creatures. They like a good party as much as the next person. From spontaneous dance-offs to friends gathering, their world is full of “sean nós singing and dancing. Something to do around the pub of an evening.”
4. They are handsome devils. Carla may want to be a responsible parent, but around Murphy, she’s “every bit of the giggly teenager my own child wasn’t, a tongue-tied, stammering mess. It was ridiculous, but seriously, you’d have to be dead not to notice Murphy. He was a damn fine man.”
5. But leprechauns don’t always have the ‘gift ‘o gab.’ Murphy might admire Carla, but when it comes to expressing his feelings, she “can’t have it both ways. Either I’m Irish and can talk, or I’m a man and I can’t.”
6. They get a bit miffy about their reputation even while closely guarding it. They’ll be the first to tell you “we’re not shamrocks and wee men. You should know the difference.”
7. But they keep the myth going for the sake of the gold. “What better way to hide it than to become a joke, a story nobody takes seriously?”
8. Leprechauns take their responsibilities seriously. Carla may waver over her attraction to Murphy, but for her, “he got me a car, he fixed my booth at the Farmers’ Market, he made my kids breakfast, he was even nice to Jinx!”
9. And they’re fiercely loyal. In fact, Carla has to protest, “You keep trying to protect me. You keep telling me what to do, what’s right, what’s wrong. You have got to stop that!”
10. But leprechauns are open to new ideas. When called to war, they fall back on their number one strength and “renegotiate the terms of our alliance.”
No, no matter how much I rant and rave about this secret order that controls most of the world’s money, it’s an uphill battle against popular preconception. It’s the leprechauns’ greatest trick. If they can’t fool you into forgetting the gold, they’ll charm you into giving it back!
Blurb
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 that to set 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!
Bio
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.
Where to find Kathy…
Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter
Thanks to everyone who voted for The Coming of Arabella in last week’s Creme dé la Cover Contest. I won and will receive a 1/4 page ad in the February issue of InD’Tale Magazine.
Sharon Bell Buchbinder is interviewing Barbara Davies, the protagonist of The Coming of Arabella.
