Jean Grainger's Blog, page 2
August 6, 2021
Happy Lughnasa! (pronounced Loo-nah-sah) And its my birthday!
August is a very special time in the Irish calendar as it is the festival of Lughnasa. In Pagan Ireland, there were four main festivals, Imbolc in February, (Im-bulk) Bealtine in June, (beowl-tinna) Lughnasa in August and Samhain in October (sow-ann)
These festivals punctuated the year, as times for sowing and harvesting, they tracked the movements of the sun and the moon, as well as having a spiritual meaning. The now international celebration of Halloween for example, originates from the Irish Samhain when people believed that it was the time of year when the world of the dead and the world of the living were closest.
The reason for these festivals are explained extensively in our mythology and were always an occasion of gathering and celebrating together. I was reading an article recently about how gatherings have always been an integral part of our society, we work best in groups, and we celebrate life, whether it is the coming or the leaving of it. We live here in Ireland with all of the traditions and even structures of our pagan past, and so it has blended seamlessly into our lives. Our ancestors lived in close community, and family and friends were critical to survival, so we have not strayed too far from that belief.
In Ireland celebration is an inclusive thing, where all are welcome. Irish funerals for example, are attended usually by hundreds of people, it is just how it is done. There is a stereotype of the fighting and drinking Irish but that is simply untrue. It suited the agenda of certain political entities over the years to portray us as such, but it was based on racist ideology rather than reality. We are welcoming, and we love to celebrate, but at an Irish party you are far more likely to come away with a new song than a black eye.
Brian Friel’s wonderful play, later made into a film starring Meryl Streep, Dancing at Lughnasa is definitely worth a watch. It’s set in the 30s in Northern Ireland, a fabulous story.
Lugh, was the Pagan god, and the harvest gathered in the end of summer was offered to him in hopes for another good harvest the next year.
My birthday, is on the fourth of August and I will be fifty years old, so Lughnasa is my favourite festival. I’m looking forward to a celebration with my family, though Covid means no big party, and I’m just so grateful for all I have in my life. So many people never get to fifty, so it’s a great milestone. I became a grandmother two months ago, I have four smashing children, a lovely husband, a wonderful family and lots of great friends. I do a job I love and it provides for us well. And so it is with a happy heart I leave my forties behind forever and look forward to whatever life has in store for me next.
One of the greatest joys in my life is you, my readers, and your support and encouragement. On this occasion I must also thank all of the people who help me with my books, my editors Helen, Abby and Susan, my cover designer, Elena, and of course, my advance team.
There are two women however behind the scenes that never get a mention. Carol and Barbara. They are the engine that run this whole thing and get all the donkey work and none of the glory. To say I could not do it without them, is to understate the case and the fact that they are my sisters makes it even better.
The only trouble is business meetings tend to stray into hilarity and family stories but its a small price to pay for having these wonderful women by my side.
So, as I take a few days off writing and admin and everything else to celebrate being half a century old, I wish you all a happy Lughnasa, and wish Lugh watches over us all and makes sure next year’s harvest is a bit better than last years!
Le grá agus míle buiochas,
Jean xx
The post Happy Lughnasa! (pronounced Loo-nah-sah) And its my birthday! appeared first on Jean Grainger.
July 20, 2021
A little present for you from me
Hello everyone,
I hope wherever you are in the world, life is going well for you. The summer is in full glow here in the Emerald Isle and we are loving the sunshine on our damp old bones. Ireland is very green as you know, but there’s a price to be paid for that lush green landscape and boy, do we pay it! On the West coast there can be up to 225 days a year that are deemed ‘wet days’.
But we are like goldfish us Irish, short memory spans, and once the sun comes out we forget the rain. I remember one time when I was a tour guide, sitting in the bus with a man who’d hurt his ankle the day before and so was taking it easy. There was just him and me and the driver in the bus as all the other people were out sightseeing. Anyway it started to rain, a sudden downpour, and this man thought it was very funny that all the tourists were prepared with raincoats and umbrellas while the Irish in their summer clothes ran frantically in all directions, holding newspapers over their heads for protection. Rain comes as a shock to us every time! You’d think we’d expect and accept it but no, we don’t.
So I’ve been doing a little housekeeping and some of you might have read a little novella I wrote a while ago now called Letters of Freedom? It’s about a woman who grew up in a children’s home in Dublin, believing a version of her past that she never thought to question, but as an adult, she gets a Facebook message from a stranger that suggests that her entire existence is predicated on a lie. It’s a trilogy and it tells Carmel’s story as she unravels an extraordinary story of her past and realises that we are all a product of our environment, and hers wasn’t true, then who is she? Well I decided to rewrite it as a full length novel, I felt there was more to the story, and the shorter format wasn’t telling it as well as I would have liked, so I did some major surgery and now it’s a full length book.
Now, since you are my lovely, loyal readers who have stuck by me all this time I feel it’s only fair to give you a free copy of the updated version, whether or not you purchased the original, so here it is, just click the link to get a free ebook.
I’m sorry I can’t extent the free book option to print, but if you don’t have an E-reader, kindle or whatever, you could download a PDF version to your computer.
It’s book 1 of the rewritten Carmel Sheehan Series and I hope you like it. The story is in essence the same as the original, but it’s told better (I hope!) and fleshed out a lot.
Apart from that, I’ve had my two shots of the vaccine and feel fine, but life still feels far from normal. This new variant is a worry. I had planned a trip to Florida in September for a writer’s conference but since no EU citizens can enter the USA at the moment, it’s looking less and less likely. I’m so disappointed as I love to travel, and the last time I was on a plane was March 2020 when my family and I were ejected from our beloved Australia because of the virus. I was sure then it was all a storm in a teacup, how wrong I was. Probably just as well we didn’t know what future awaited us back then. Ireland is still quite restricted, still no indoor dining, or concerts or sports events, and most people are still working from home. We got our European Digital Certificates recently, a sort of Covid Passport, which apparently allows free movement within the EU for people who are vaccinated, so we might try to get a few days in Italy later in the summer but we’ll have to see. I guess there are worse places than Ireland to be stuck!
My daughter starts secondary school next month so it’s a flurry of preparations here, not to mention the demolition of our house, and the care of my folks, so it’s a busy time for me.
Have a great week, and enjoy the free book,
Le grá agus buiochas,
Jean xxx
The post A little present for you from me
width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
July 2, 2021
Greetings from the cottage
Hello everyone,
Greetings, not from the cottage actually – I daren’t even look at what’s going on over there. Every time I try to conjure up an image of our house I see my builder as Wile E Coyote in the old cartoons, remember him? Blowing stuff up with ACME TNT. Boom! So yes, we are still very much in the demolition stages over there. It will be great when it’s done I know it but…
How do you like my new graphic? How many have you read? It gives me no end of joy to see these gathered like this. I recall the late, great Maeve Binchy saying how when she started a new book she would often feel overwhelmed and unsure she had another one in her, and then she’d look a the shelf above her desk where all of her books sat and she thought, ‘if I did it before I can do it again.’ And so this virtual bookshelf does the same for me.
So I’m currently at the seaside, in East Cork and loving the sunny weather. Right across the road here is a primary school. The kids were just released for the long summer holiday last week and to see the delight, the little ones and the not so little ones too, leaping out the gates like young goats made me smile, but also gave me a little pang.
I was a teacher for many years before becoming a full time author. I taught English and History at a boy’s secondary school and I loved every minute. Teenagers are a much maligned cohort of our society, but I love them. I love their energy, their sense of humour, their idealism, and enthusiasm for life. I was energised by the time I spent with those lads and I really miss that interaction every day. There was rarely a day that I didn’t laugh and I hope I managed to bring some good things to their days too.
I love hearing from readers, and as you know I try to respond to all of my mail, it’s not always possible but I do try but I especially love to hear from young readers and teachers. I made a little video here for a class that read The Star and the Shamrock, if you’d like to see it. If you have any ideas about wring, or a secret desire to write, or someone you know has something they want to write, you might find some words of encouragement here.
Me talking to some students (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9R_x...)
Meanwhile, I’m spending the summer looking after my wonderful parents who are not well, so I’m taking a break from writing. Twenty three books in ten years is a lot so I feel like I need a rest, and as many of you know caring for sick people is an onerous task and takes all of one’s energy so I’m prioritising that for now, as they did caring for our family all of their lives.
The West’s Awake is doing amazingly well, thanks to all who bought it, and the third book, The Harp and the Rose will be out in August but there may be a bit of a longer wait after that for a new book because of the circumstances. There will be one forthcoming I promise though, I’ve not abandoned ship!
You can preorder The Harp and the Rose here if you wish. https://geni.us/TheHarpandtheRose (geni.us/TheHarpandtheRose)
So, have a great week, take care of you and yours,
Le grá agus buiochas,
The post Greetings from the cottage width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
July 1, 2021
The thing I miss about teaching…
Hello everyone,
Greetings, not from the cottage actually – I daren’t even look at what’s going on over there. Every time I try to conjure up an image of our house I see my builder as Wile E Coyote in the old cartoons, remember him? Blowing stuff up with ACME TNT. Boom! So yes, we are still very much in the demolition stages over there. It will be great when it’s done I know it but…
How do you like my new graphic? How many have you read? It gives me no end of joy to see these gathered like this. I recall the late, great Maeve Binchy saying how when she started a new book she would often feel overwhelmed and unsure she had another one in her, and then she’d look a the shelf above her desk where all of her books sat and she thought, ‘if I did it before I can do it again.’ And so this virtual bookshelf does the same for me.
So I’m currently at the seaside, in East Cork and loving the sunny weather. Right across the road here is a primary school. The kids were just released for the long summer holiday last week and to see the delight, the little ones and the not so little ones too, leaping out the gates like young goats made me smile, but also gave me a little pang.
I was a teacher for many years before becoming a full time author. I taught English and History at a boy’s secondary school and I loved every minute. Teenagers are a much maligned cohort of our society, but I love them. I love their energy, their sense of humour, their idealism, and enthusiasm for life. I was energised by the time I spent with those lads and I really miss that interaction every day. There was rarely a day that I didn’t laugh and I hope I managed to bring some good things to their days too.
I love hearing from readers, and as you know I try to respond to all of my mail, it’s not always possible but I do try but I especially love to hear from young readers and teachers. I made a little video here for a class that read The Star and the Shamrock, if you’d like to see it. If you have any ideas about wring, or a secret desire to write, or someone you know has something they want to write, you might find some words of encouragement here.
Me talking to some students (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9R_x...)
Meanwhile, I’m spending the summer looking after my wonderful parents who are not well, so I’m taking a break from writing. Twenty three books in ten years is a lot so I feel like I need a rest, and as many of you know caring for sick people is an onerous task and takes all of one’s energy so I’m prioritising that for now, as they did caring for our family all of their lives.
The West’s Awake is doing amazingly well, thanks to all who bought it, and the third book, The Harp and the Rose will be out in August but there may be a bit of a longer wait after that for a new book because of the circumstances. There will be one forthcoming I promise though, I’ve not abandoned ship!
You can preorder The Harp and the Rose here if you wish. https://geni.us/TheHarpandtheRose (geni.us/TheHarpandtheRose)
So, have a great week, take care of you and yours,
Le grá agus buiochas,
The post The thing I miss about teaching… width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
June 24, 2021
Greetings from the cottage (what’s left of it!)
Hello everyone,
What do you think of my new cover? It’s for the next book in the Queenstown Series, and while it’s not quite ready for you yet, it can be preordered here: The Harp and the Rose It will be out mid-August I think.
The second book, The West’s Awake, was published two weeks ago and hit the #1 spot which gives me no end of joy. It is doing wonderfully well thanks to you all and your support. I must say a particular word of thanks to my advance readers who like always, played an absolute blinder, helping me in a myriad of ways, not least with such lovely reviews.
Harp and Rose and all the gang there seem to have found their way into the hearts of readers as they have mine, and I hope you’ll be glad to hear there is another book in this series in the pipeline.
If you have yet to start this series, it begins with Last Port of Call, a book set on the day Titanic sails from Queenstown, Ireland. It’s not a Titanic book, (there are more than enough of those!) but it was a good kicking off point for a story of love, treachery, betrayal, loyalty, patriotism and action. I think we can all easily visualise that time, there is so much about that ill-fated ship in popular culture, so I shamelessly piggybacked on it! This is a series about a girl and her mother who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and find that telling a big lie is the only way to survive. Big lies tend to come back to haunt you though.
Meanwhile, all around this storyteller, chaos reigns supreme. The roof of our cottage, indeed the whole cottage, is pretty old. It probably dates from the mid 1800s and the roof needs some fairly serious surgery to survive another winter. So what started out as a small construction job (does such a thing exist? It’s like my Dad always says ‘nobody ever saw a small rat!’) has now turned into destruction of gargantuan proportions. There’s a real sense of ‘well, since we’re doing this, we might as well do that’ about it all and I have a wonderful, hilarious, and very ‘enthusiastic for demolition’ builder doing his worst.
It will be lovely (she says with a gulp) when it’s done, and we are fortunate enough to have a place by the sea to decamp to, so it’s not awful, but nonetheless it’s a trauma. At the moment we can’t find anything, and all of our stuff is piled into two rooms where it will have to remain until the work is complete. Today’s casualties on the missing list involve one soccer sock, the charger for my kindle and a friend’s coat. Still, you have to break eggs to make an omelette right? The main issue we have is trying to modernise the house without it looking like we have done anything. We are a bit precious about the look of it from the outside, even by Irish standards it’s unique and the piper and I have a pet hate of huge modern extensions on small old buildings. Our house looks tiny from the outside, and all additions to date have to be hidden, and we like it that way. I’ll send a finished picture when it’s done. If I’ve any hair left!
So today, I’ll go for a walk on the beach, think about Harp and Rose and what might happen to them next, and then go see my little girl play soccer. she’ll be easy to spot, she’ll be the one with only one sock.
Le grá agus míle buiochas,
Jean xx
The post Greetings from the cottage (what’s left of it!) width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
June 20, 2021
Grandma says we’re Irish
Hello from the cottage,
Well, we are all now unpacked and restored safely back into our little home after our big trip down under. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the sun (you can tell it’s summer here as the rain gets a little warmer!) but overall, it feels so good to be home.
Today I’m pondering the strange role reversal I have had in the last year. After years as a tour guide, both paid and, because showing people our beautiful country is a national pastime here, unpaid, it was most peculiar to take on the role of foreigner. We have likely all experienced the feeling of being a tourist, however a resident foreigner is a different sensation altogether. Tourists wear bright shorts and lick ice-creams whereas resident foreigners look just like everyone else. But they are not. They are people who largely live with their hearts divided between 2 places. They tend to have lots of stories and large phone bills. The excitement at having gone and explored the world somewhat offset by a little bit of heartbreak for home. And then these people go on to have babies. Babies who hear bedtime stories about places that are almost unimaginably different. And in the case of Ireland, just a little bit magic.
The island of Ireland is home to 6.8m people. About 1m people abroad were born in Ireland. And yet approximately 70m people around the world when asked, tick the box Irish. That’s a lot of bedtime stories of fairies and giants and warriors and queens passed from generation to generation. The department of immigration may have strict rules about where we are from, but, to me, we are what we feel we are. And what informs that, are the stories we are told and the ones we tell ourselves. You are Irish if you feel you are Irish. And how lovely to live in a place where people want to join you, in spirit, as well as in person.
Which brings me to my next book in the Tour series, Kayla’s Trick. Conor is in a spot of bother and what initially seems like a ridiculous way out, in the form of a show called “Grandma says we’re Irish”, may be his only option.
As for this Irish head I am now off to my leaba (Irish for bed) to dream of magical things like fairies, queens and sunshine.
Le Grá,
Jean xxx
The post Grandma says we’re Irish width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
June 14, 2021
Greetings from the cottage
Hello all,
I’m delighted to report that my new book, The West’s Awake is out now on ebook, paperback and large print. You can get it here:The West’s Awake
It was such a beautiful day on Friday, myself and Mr Grainger took a spin down to Cobh and while we were there we made a video. He plays the Uilleann Pipes, (if you’ve read some of my books you’ll have heard of them) and so I asked him to play the melody of The West’s Awake on the pipes, which he did. (he’s very obliging that way!) So this video is me talking a little but about Cobh and the places mentioned in the book, and Diarmuid playing The West’s Awake. The song was written by Thomas Davis, an Irish patriot, and it is quoted in the book. It refers to the rise of Connaught, the western province of the Ireland, in the fight for Irish freedom. But in the case of my book, it refers to the Irish-Americans who, through their efforts, financial, political and military, gave such support to those who resisted British Empirical rule in Ireland.
One of my favourite lines from that song is,
‘I’m sure the great God never planned, for slumbering slaves, a home so grand.’
I hope you enjoy the video. Apologies for the dodgy camerawork, I’m not exactly Spielberg, but you’ll get the idea!
Diarmuid is pronounced like Deer and mud stuck together. Diarmuid in Irish mythology was one of Fionn MacCumhaill’s (Finn McCool’s) warriors, a member of Na Fianna. He was famous for stealing Fionn’s intended, Gráinne, out from under his nose. Diarmuid was young and handsome, and Fionn was pushing on in years by the time he decided he was interested, so who could blame her really? They say that all men called Diarmuid have a mark on their face, a sort of a magical love spot, that once seen, makes all women fall in love with them. My husband has it, and his father, after whom he was named had it too. Luckily the effect seems to wear off after marriage, (like a lot of things!! 
how inconvenient it would be if all women fell instantly in love with him?! This one is in love with him, and that will do him fine!
So, thank you all for your support, for the interest you have shown in this series. I’m overwhelmed by all the lovely reviews and comments. Harp Devereaux has found her way into readers hearts and I’m eternally grateful for that.
Have a smashing weekend folks,
That link again – THE WEST’S AWAKE
Le grá agus buiochas,
Jean and Diarmuid xxxx
The post Greetings from the cottage width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
June 13, 2021
The West’s Awake is out – and I made a video!
Hello all,
I’m delighted to report that my new book, The West’s Awake is out now on ebook, paperback and large print. You can get it here:The West’s Awake
It was such a beautiful day on Friday, myself and Mr Grainger took a spin down to Cobh and while we were there we made a video. He plays the Uilleann Pipes, (if you’ve read some of my books you’ll have heard of them) and so I asked him to play the melody of The West’s Awake on the pipes, which he did. (he’s very obliging that way!) So this video is me talking a little but about Cobh and the places mentioned in the book, and Diarmuid playing The West’s Awake. The song was written by Thomas Davis, an Irish patriot, and it is quoted in the book. It refers to the rise of Connaught, the western province of the Ireland, in the fight for Irish freedom. But in the case of my book, it refers to the Irish-Americans who, through their efforts, financial, political and military, gave such support to those who resisted British Empirical rule in Ireland.
One of my favourite lines from that song is,
‘I’m sure the great God never planned, for slumbering slaves, a home so grand.’
I hope you enjoy the video. Apologies for the dodgy camerawork, I’m not exactly Spielberg, but you’ll get the idea!
Diarmuid is pronounced like Deer and mud stuck together. Diarmuid in Irish mythology was one of Fionn MacCumhaill’s (Finn McCool’s) warriors, a member of Na Fianna. He was famous for stealing Fionn’s intended, Gráinne, out from under his nose. Diarmuid was young and handsome, and Fionn was pushing on in years by the time he decided he was interested, so who could blame her really? They say that all men called Diarmuid have a mark on their face, a sort of a magical love spot, that once seen, makes all women fall in love with them. My husband has it, and his father, after whom he was named had it too. Luckily the effect seems to wear off after marriage, (like a lot of things!! how inconvenient it would be if all women fell instantly in love with him?! This one is in love with him, and that will do him fine!
So, thank you all for your support, for the interest you have shown in this series. I’m overwhelmed by all the lovely reviews and comments. Harp Devereaux has found her way into readers hearts and I’m eternally grateful for that.
Have a smashing weekend folks,
That link again – THE WEST’S AWAKE
Le grá agus buiochas,
Jean and Diarmuid xxxx
The post The West’s Awake is out – and I made a video! width="48" height="48" class="mnp-image-after"/> appeared first on Jean Grainger.
June 11, 2021
Greetings from the cottage
Hi all,
Just a quick mail today to let you know that through a series of unfortunate tech events happening at Amazon (and not me for once!) my preorder was mistakenly delayed. I was just made aware of it and am in the process of sorting it out with the mighty Zon, so apologies if you got a message saying it was delayed, I didn’t sanction or suggest it, some robot went wild over there! Anyway I’ll get it sorted today and if you have preordered you will get it on the 13th of June.
In the meantime, if you haven’t read the first book in the series, it is reduced in a Kindle deal today only to 99c you can get it here. Last Port of Call – unfortunately this deal only applies to the Amazon.com store not any other marketplaces. (Again Amazon, If I had my way I’d make it everywhere)
So if you shop at the .com store, grab yourself a cheap read for the weekend and I promise the next book will be out on the 13th. I’m really sorry this happened, sometimes Amazon is actually too big for itself I think and things go awry.
Anyway, have a great weekend and I’ll speak to you all soon,
J x
The post Greetings from the cottage appeared first on Jean Grainger.
June 10, 2021
Hello! Last Port of Call is now a dollar!
Hi all,
Just a quick mail today to let you know that through a series of unfortunate tech events happening at Amazon (and not me for once!) my preorder was mistakenly delayed. I was just made aware of it and am in the process of sorting it out with the mighty Zon, so apologies if you got a message saying it was delayed, I didn’t sanction or suggest it, some robot went wild over there! Anyway I’ll get it sorted today and if you have preordered you will get it on the 13th of June.
In the meantime, if you haven’t read the first book in the series, it is reduced in a Kindle deal today only to 99c you can get it here. Last Port of Call – unfortunately this deal only applies to the Amazon.com store not any other marketplaces. (Again Amazon, If I had my way I’d make it everywhere)
So if you shop at the .com store, grab yourself a cheap read for the weekend and I promise the next book will be out on the 13th. I’m really sorry this happened, sometimes Amazon is actually too big for itself I think and things go awry.
Anyway, have a great weekend and I’ll speak to you all soon,
J x
The post Hello! Last Port of Call is now a dollar! appeared first on Jean Grainger.
