Mary Morgan's Blog, page 2

Friday Feast | Festive Beer Bread for the Harvest

Welcome to Friday Feast in the tavern! Though today is the second day of August, I’d like to mention the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh—August 1st. Lughnasadh is Irish Gaelic and means "the násad (games or assembly) of the Celtic hero, Lugh. This day was also considered the first of three harvests, especially with grains. A time to give thanks for the bounty of the land. Lughnasa is also called Lammas Day, from the Anglo-Saxon hlaef-mass, meaning "loafmass." In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 921 ...

Friday Feast | A Summer Picnic for Healing

Welcome, my friends! Mary’s Tavern is officially open! Since the closure in March earlier this year, I thought I’d have some time to prep more recipes to share. Or redesign the seating arrangements in the tavern and creating a new banner. So many plans, but not enough energy. Yet I’m thrilled to be back! I hope you’ll understand I’m slowly easing back, so please don’t expect to see a new recipe each Friday.

 

As I stated in the summer newsletter, my knight is doing well and healing. We’re enjo...

Spotlight New Release "Pieces of Blue" by Liz Flaherty

Please make welcome to the Tavern, the lovely and talented Liz Flaherty! We're celebrating her new release, Pieces of Blue. Grab a glass of bubbly or apple cider and let's hear what Liz has to say about her new book...

Thanks, Mary, for welcoming me to the Tavern. Although I’m not a very heavy drinker, I will say having a new release in a new sub-genre from a new publisher—while it’s both fun and exciting—makes a really big strawberry margarita sound good. Slushy, please, with a salted rim.

Pi...

The Coffee Pot Book Club Presents "The Royal Women Who Made England" by M J Porter

Please welcome back to the tavern the lovely and talented author, M J Porter! We're celebrating her new book release, The Royal Women Who Made England: The Tenth Century in Saxon England. Grab a cup of mead and let's take a peek into this fascinating book...

Throughout the tenth century, England, as it would be recognized today, formed. No longer many Saxon kingdoms, but rather, just England. Yet, this development masks much in the century in which the Viking raiders were seemingly driven from E...

Important Tavern News

Hello, dear friends...

One of my favorite references about life ties into baseball: Life can throw you a curve ball.

These difficult situations in life test our strength and often serve to teach us life lessons. We all cannot manage going through a lifetime without enduring these battles. Now, my knight is going through one of the most difficult he's encountered. Recently, he's been diagnosed with cancer. I won't go into the details. Even hearing that word makes me shudder. Our daughter face...

Spotlight #NewRelease "Let No Clan Put Asunder" by Judith Sterling

Please make welcome to the tavern my good friend and talented author Judith Sterling! We're celebrating her new book release, Let No Clan Put Asunder, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Book Two. I'm eager to start reading the second book in this phenomenal series.

Grab a blueberry scone and a glass of apple cider and let's take a peek into Judith's new story...

“It was no small thing to marry into the Donnachaidh clan, and there was nowhere to hide from its past.”

So states the tagline of the gothic...

Spotlight #NewRelease "Kissing Kin" by Karen Hulene Bartell

Please make welcome to the tavern the lovely and talented Karen Hulene Bartell! We're celebrating her new book release, Kissing Kin! The cover is gorgeous, and the story is on my reading list. Grab a glass of champagne and let's hear what Karen has to say about the inspiration for her story...

Kissing Kin’s Inspiration –

The earliest idea for the paranormal romance first came to me during 2020 because of the striking similarities between Covid and the Spanish Flu of 1918, but publishers convince...

Fantasy Tuesday | Expanding the Realm with a Glossary

Welcome to Fantasy Tuesday!

 

While we explore the fantasy world of my Fenian Fae Warriors, I’d like to share the glossary I created. With the first book, I realized how important a glossary might be to a reader. I can understand the world I’ve created, but I also wanted my reader to experience this world with me with added content.

And with each additional story, I expanded on the material. There was always something new added and I found the Fae realm growing. Personally, I’ve always felt a ...

Friday Feast | Soup for a Fae Warrior

Welcome to Friday Feast in the tavern!

 

Did you know that several of my Fae warriors are vegetarians? Even Dragon Knight, Alastair MacKay did not eat meat. Most of these warriors honored the land, including the animals. They refrained from eating meat, fowl, or fish.

 

In preparing for a recent meal, I considered a soup these warriors would enjoy, specifically Conn MacRoich from Quest of a Warrior. This watercress soup is packed with nutrients, hearty, and will satisfy any Fenian Warrior or Dra...

Fantasy Tuesday | Visualizing a Fictional World

Welcome to the tavern!

 

For the month of March, I’m shifting my focus to Ireland and the Fenian Warriors. In creating this spin-off series from the Order of the Dragon Knights, I envisioned a realm beneath the Hill of Tara that mirrored to some extent the earthly world in Ireland. Yet this magical, mystical, Celtic Fae realm required a vivid imagination. I yearned to create a world where the foliage was larger and heavily scented, the sky more brilliant and beyond the hues of blue, and also giv...