A-Z Blogging Challenge - K is for Kara

 Kara is the lead character in my novel ‘Irish Secrets’.

I had no ideas for my third Irish novel until a character in the second novel, ‘Irish Intrigue’ handed the idea to me!

In this excerpt, Charley and Luke are talking to Nick, a well-known screen writer, about his next project:

“What kind of movie are you envisioning?” Charley asked. “A romance, or mystery, or what?”

“Maybe a mixture. You’ve heard of the Magdalene laundries?”

Luke grimaced. “Not one of the best aspects of our Irish history.”

“Not only Ireland, Luke. Other countries had them, too, where unmarried mothers were forced to give up their babies. There’ve been a couple of movies about mothers trying to find their children later in life, but I’d like to concentrate on one of the babies. A girl adopted by an American family learns about her birth mother, comes to Ireland, but meets a wall of secrecy.”

From that, the idea began to germinate in my mind of an American girl coming over to Ireland to find her birth mother. I read many heart-breaking accounts of the babies who were forcibly adopted trying in later life to find their birth parents, as well as stories of mothers trying to trace what happened to the babies which were taken from them. Occasionally, you hear of a ‘success story’ when mother and child are reunited, but for thousands more, a wall of secrecy surrounds the adoptions. The film ‘Philomena’ is one example of such a mother, and the book it is based on gives more detail of the son who was taken from her. ‘The Magdalene Sisters’ shows the appalling and inhumane treatment of three unmarried mothers in the 1960s in one of the Magdalene laundries.

 

Because of timing and ages, I decided to have Kara’s mother as the baby who was adopted by an American couple in the early 1960s. When Kara discovers this, she embarks on a quest to find her mother’s family, but soon realises it will not be an easy task.

Here’s an excerpt from Irish Secrets describing Kara’s visit to the Convent:

The elderly nun who opened the door of the Convent of the Sisters of Calvary didn’t even smile as she snapped, “Good afternoon. Can I help you?”

Kara’s heart sank. Judging by the severe expression on the nun’s angular, lined face, she didn’t hold out much hope of getting any help from her. Still, it was worth a try.

She mustered a friendly smile. “Hello. I’m Kara Stewart, and I’m interested in any information you may be able to give me about my mother who was born at the Ballykane home for mothers and babies.”

“Who told you to come here?”

“Erm—no one. I—” Taken aback by the nun’s sharp question, Kara faltered before rushing into an explanation. “I’ve spoken to Sister Mary Teresa in the hospital, and she suggested I write to Sister Augusta, but I already did that and didn’t receive a reply, so when I saw the sign pointing here to the convent, I hoped I may be able to speak to Sister Augusta in person.”

“Sister Augusta doesn’t receive visitors.”

“But how can I find out anything more about my mother’s birth when she didn’t answer my letter?”

“If she didn’t reply, it means she hasn’t found any records relating to the name you gave her.”

The nun, whose name badge showed her to be Sister Gabriel, started to close the door, but Kara persisted. “Sister, if your mother had been born at one of the mother and baby homes, wouldn’t you want to know more about her, and about her mother? Especially if the child was taken away from the mother and sent to adoptive parents in America.”

Sister Gabriel remained stony-faced. “We have a duty to uphold our guarantee of confidentiality to the mothers, many of whom were in their teens when they committed the mortal sin of bearing a child out of wedlock. They were given the opportunity to put their unfortunate experience behind them, and any revelation now of their guilty secret may disrupt, even destroy, the lives they have made for themselves since then.”

“I see. So even if Sister Augusta traced my mother’s birth, she probably wouldn’t reply to me, because she has to protect the unmarried mother. Is that what you’re saying?”

“It is. Now, will that be all, Miss Stewart?”

“I guess so. Thank you for your time, Sister Gabriel.”

 It’s only with the help from undercover detective Ryan Brady that Kara is eventually able to trace her birth-grandmother, but more problems arise when Kara’s mother is not interested in what she has discovered.

While working at Mist Na Mara Arts Centre, Kara Stewart embarks on a search for her mother’s birth parents; she’d been adopted in the 1960s by an American couple. Kara soon realises the task is not as simple as she’d anticipated when she’s met with a wall of secrecy surrounding Irish baby adoptions.

Ryan Brady is hiding the secret of his real identity, but when he offers to help Kara trace her Irish family, his attraction to her is undeniable.

As the mystery unravels, secrets drive a wedge, not only between Kara and her mother, but also between Kara and Ryan.

Can Kara and Ryan find a way to heal the rifts created by all these secrets and find love?

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