Thursday, March 28, 2013

Guest Blogger: Pat McDermott, Author of The Band of Roses Trilogy

The Band of Roses Trilogy is a series of romantic action/adventure fantasies set in an Ireland that might have been. The "what if" premise supposes that High King Brian Boru survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 A.D. and established a royal dynasty that still rules the Emerald Isle. As head of state, the current King Brian upholds ancient traditions, as does his daughter, Crown Princess Talty, though Talty has a knack for landing in trouble.

Where did the idea for these books come from? Thank to my Irish-American family, my childhood vision of Ireland was one of magic, legends, banshees and leprechauns, rebels, heroes, and ancient kings, especially Brian Boru. My O’Brien aunts assured me our family was royal, as Brian had given his name to all the O’Briens. I didn’t really believe it, but curiosity led me to learn more about Irish history. I found more than one comment stating that if King Brian had survived the Battle of Clontarf, Ireland would be a very different place today.

In The Story of Ireland, published in 1894, historian Standish O’Grady wrote:

If Ireland had been left to herself, a King of Ireland and a Royal Family of Ireland would have come up…just as out of…the Saxon nations of England the King of the English at last appeared.

I began to wonder… What if Ireland had been left to herself? What if Brian Boru had survived? And then the fun began.

In A Band of Roses, Book One in the Band of Roses trilogy, Crown Princess Talty must hide her identity to outwit assassins, but she can't hide her ingrained training as a warrior sworn to protect her homeland. From Japan to California to an eleventh century Ireland, she finds romance and adventure, yet all she wants is to return to her family and Neil Boru, the adoptive cousin she secretly loves and cannot have—or so she thinks.

In Book Two, Fiery Roses, the discovery of offshore gas ensnares the Boru clan in a web of blackmail and murder. When the residents of rural County Mayo object to pipelines on their land, an arsonist tries to change their minds. One of his fires sends newlyweds Talty and Neil to an ancient world at the mercy of a waking volcano. As they fight to survive, King Brian locks horns with ruthless oilmen. The resulting conflict proves fatal for the Boru clan, whose members again close ranks to guard the kingdom they’re sworn to protect.

Book Three, Salty Roses, finds Talty a wife and a mother at last. The dynamic princess believes her days of adventure are over. Her royal duties seem endless, and a day off with Neil is looking good. The royal couple accept an invitation for a jaunt aboard a luxury submarine. As they view an eerie shipwreck, an unknown enemy lures them to an ancient tomb and sends them to a world infested with treacherous pirates. Talty takes charge of a pirate ship and its mangy crew, while Neil matches wits with a temptress who jeopardizes his wedding vows.

In this excerpt from Book One, A Band of Roses, Talty’s life is about to change forever:

The Irish Constitution mandated that the king’s heir must be ready to accede the throne on his or her eighteenth birthday. Talty was already twenty and doubted she’d ever be ready. She had so much to learn! Still, an Air Corps Dauphin flew her from the LÉ Alastrina to Tara Hall’s helipad each Saturday morning to meet with her father for a review of the week’s events. His request for a midweek meeting worried her.

Praying that the dark blue of her navy uniform hid the wrinkles in her skirt, Talty smoothed her pinned-up hair and stepped from the private elevator to Tara Hall’s fourth floor. The rapid click of her regulation military heels echoed down the corridor leading to the King’s Chambers.

Though she’d told no one, Talty hated being Crown Princess. The prospect of spending her life preparing for her beloved father’s death depressed her. She wouldn’t have to worry about that for years, however. Silver might speckle King Brian’s russet hair, but he was only fifty, and still strong and healthy.

She hurried past the reception area, where her father’s no-nonsense assistant rose from her desk and opened the carved oak door bearing the royal lion of the Boru clan. With a nod of thanks, Talty stepped into her father’s chambers.

Boston, Massachusetts native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in an Ireland that might have been. Autumn Glimmer, a young adult paranormal adventure featuring Ireland’s fairies, is the sequel to Glancing Through the Glimmer. Both books are “prequels” to her Band of Roses Trilogy.

Pat is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA.


For more information:

Pat’s Website: www.patmcdermott.net
Pat’s Amazon Author Page

18 comments:

Pat McDermott said...

Thanks so much for hosting me and my "Roses" on The Book Connection, Cheryl. I'm delighted to be here!

Cheryl said...

Always great to have you, Pat.

Cheryl said...

Nice excerpt!

Sandy L. Rowland said...

Hi Pat!

Your creative breadth astounds me.
China Sea, a bit of Irish and pirates.
They all sound wonderful. Best success on the trilogy.

Marian Lanouette said...

This series sounds wonderful, Pat, and will put me in touch with my roots.

Pat McDermott said...

Cheryl, glad you enjoyed the excerpt. Short, and for Talty, bittersweet.

Pat McDermott said...

Sandy, thanks so much for the kind words. Appreciate your stopping by!

Pat McDermott said...

Marian, I hope you have no pirates in your roots! Though that could be kinda fun. Thanks for visiting!

Angela Johnson said...

Your books sound wonderful and quite imaginative, Pat. And your covers are absolutely beautiful.

Pat McDermott said...

Angela, I agree about the covers. The cover artist did an outstanding job on all three. Thanks so much for stopping by!

David Duford said...

beautiful blog, Pat! Me t'inks I'll be re-reading your wonderful trilogy soon, they are so fun and interesting. I learned so much about a variety of issues, and your characters are so memorable and true. If only the fantasy were the reality, eh? Ireland would truly be different.

David Duford said...

Wow, bad proofreading, can I say "so" many more times? LOL SIP would never approve!

Pat McDermott said...

In case anyone is wondering what the heck David is talking about, he's one of the talented members of the weekly writing group to which I happily belong: Sip, which technically stands for Scribbling Into Print, but hey, we have fun too. Thanks SO much for stopping by, Dave!

Pat McDermott said...

Lorrie wrote, but for some reason it didn't post: "Wow, Pat. These sound like interesting, adventuresome reads. Excerpts and covers really pull me in. Yes, on my TBB list. I can't wait."

Thanks so much, Lorrie. Always happy to see you!



Unknown said...

you fall in love with the characters right away i loved all three books there is adventure, romance, and mystery what more could you ask for

Unknown said...

you fall in love with the characters right away i loved all three books there is adventure, romance, and mystery what more could you ask for

Pat McDermott said...

Peggy, I'm so glad you enjoyed the stories. Thanks so much for stopping by to say so!

Pat McDermott said...

I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by to check out my "Roses" and me here on The Book Connection. Special thanks to Cheryl for her warm hospitality. I've thoroughly enjoyed my visit!