A-Z Blogging Challenge - X is for Xtras

Again, not an easy letter when you’re trying to feature names of people and places in your novels. I don’t have any Xerxes, Xanders or Xanadus, so today’s blog is about Xtra characters (and thanks to Carol for this suggestion!)

By extra characters, I don’t mean the secondary characters who you know will be an essential part of the story from the start, like the main character’s best friend, or boss, or some relative. In this case, I’m talking about the ‘extra’ characters who sometimes sneak in and take you by surprise – like Wasim, my Nile-singing boatman in ‘Her Only Option’ (see yesterday’s post)

When I start writing a new novel, I usually have what I call a ‘vague idea’ in my mind. I know where and when the story starts, I (sometimes) have a fair idea where it will end, but as I write, the story takes on a life of its own, and various characters ‘appear’, each with their own contribution.

There are several of these in ‘Irish Inheritance’.

In earlier posts, I told you about two ‘extra’ characters, Peter Stones and Tom Keating. Both had small but important roles in this story, and both appeared in later books in the series.

Another extra character was Maeve O’Connor. The Dublin lawyer who is dealing with Helena Keating’s estate calls Guy to tell him that Maeve, a friend of Helena, would like to meet them and has some information she would like to share. At that point, I had to stop and think what information Maeve was going to give my characters, and in fact she proved to be a useful addition – especially at the end of the story when she … but no, that would be a spoiler!

Suzie was another character who played a bigger role than I anticipated. To begin with she was simply a name i.e. Guy’s ex, an American actress who had left him with a somewhat jaundiced view of actresses. I definitely did not anticipate Guy rushing off to Los Angeles to rescue Suzie when he discovered she was homeless and penniless! Neither did Jenna who, needless to say, wasn’t happy and assumed she had been dumped. But I did enjoy working out the small, but necessary, side-track into Suzie’s story.

Brendan O’Casey was the art expert from Galway, who came to value the 19th century portrait at Mist Na Mara. Guy was not impressed, especially when the painting was valued at far less than he had anticipated. But was Mr. O’Casey who he claimed to be? Again, this was part of the story that I didn’t anticipate when I first started writing it!

And of course there was Steve, who was the assistant manager at the hotel where Jenna’s friend Charley was organising a theme night event. But you’ll have to read Irish Intrigue, Book 2 in the Mist Na Mara series, to find out what happened to Charley and Steve.

These ‘extra’ characters are one of the main reasons I am a ‘pantser’ (i.e writing by the seat of my pants!) and not a plotter. To me, plotting in advance is a sterile exercise which doesn’t spark my imagination. I need to be ‘in there’, living the story with my characters and letting them develop it. I know the ‘plotters’ won’t agree with me – but there is no right or wrong way to write a story, and I know what works for me! 

All my books are available from 

Amazon  or from Tirgearr Publishing 

'Irish Inheritance' - now released!

'Irish Inheritance' was released yesterday as an e-book by my fantastic publisher, Rebecca J. Vickery!

Here's the 'blurb':

English actress Jenna Sutton and American artist Guy Sinclair first meet when they jointly inherit a house on the west coast of Ireland. Curious about their unknown benefactress and why they are considered as ‘family’, they discover surprising links to the original owners of the house.

They soon unravel an intriguing tale of a nineteenth century love affair. At the same time, their mutual attraction grows, despite personal reasons for not wanting romantic involvements at this point in their lives.

A local property agent appears to have her own agenda concerning the house while other events pull Jenna and Guy back to separate lives in London and America. Friction builds over their decision about the house and its contents.

Will their Irish inheritance eventually drive them apart — or bring them together?

And here, to whet your appetite, are the first two pages:

"A house in Ireland?" Jenna Sutton stared over the mahogany desk at the lawyer. "Someone I've never heard of has left me a house in Ireland?"
The white-haired lawyer peered over his steel-rimmed spectacles. "A half share of the house, Ms. Sutton. Along with a half share of what, at current exchange rates, amounts to approximately fifty thousand pounds."
Jenna shook her head and swiped several strands of her hair back behind her ear. "I don't understand, Mr. Moore. Why would this Helena – what did you say her name was?"
"Miss Helena Keating."
"Why has she left me a house and twenty-five thousand pounds? How does she even know about me?"
"Ms. Sutton, I can only give you the information passed to me by the law firm of Daniel McGrath in Dublin. We were instructed to find any descendants of James Oliver Sutton—"
"My grandfather."
"Yes, and as far as we can ascertain, you are his sole descendant. I understand your father died in an automobile accident about twenty years ago. My condolences."
"Thanks, but I was six when he died and only have some vague memories of him." She frowned. "Do you know what the link is between this woman and my grandfather?"
"That wasn't part of our instructions."
"Have you any information about her?"
Mr. Moore pushed his glasses back up his nose and flipped through the papers in the blue manila folder on his desk. "Miss Keating was born in 1920 in County Galway, Ireland, and died last year in Dalkey, near Dublin, where she has lived since 1940."
"So she was—" She did a quick calculation in her head. "About fifteen years older than my grandfather."
The lawyer picked up another sheet of paper. "Yes, he was born in April, 1936."
"I wasn't aware he knew anyone in Ireland, and I'm pretty sure he never went over there. He lived his whole life in a small village in Kent."
She couldn't imagine her grandfather being anyone's toy boy either. He'd been devoted to her grandmother. So what on earth was his connection with this Irish woman?
Another thought occurred to her, and she looked at Mr. Moore again. "You said I had a half share of the house and the fifty thousand pounds." Even saying the words seemed surreal. She hadn't yet wrapped her mind around what the money meant. "Who gets the other half?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Sutton. I don't have that information. The Dublin law firm is dealing with the estate. Our job was simply to—"
"Yes, okay, to find the descendants of my grandfather."
"I'm sure Mr. McGrath will be able to tell you more when you meet him in Dublin."
"When I meet him in— Whoa, who says I'm going to meet him?"
"Mr. McGrath has suggested an appointment at two-thirty on May 10th, to be followed by a visit to the house the next day."
"May 10th? That's—" Another quick calculation. "That's next Tuesday."
"Yes. Will that be a problem? I would be more than happy to contact your employer and request leave of absence for you."
"Erm... Well, I'm an actress and – and kind of between jobs at present, so I don't have an employer."
"I see." The lawyer cleared his throat, and Jenna had the impression she might as well have said she was a nightclub stripper. "That simplifies matters, of course."
She chewed her bottom lip. Not really, but maybe Charley would lend her the money for a quick trip to Dublin.

Irish Inheritance available on Amazon
USA http://amzn.to/1fN5uWx $2.99
UK http://amzn.to/MYJOND £1.87
Also on Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/405113

'Irish Inheritance' - Dalkey

I’m continuing to feature some of the places that appear in my soon to be published new novel ‘Irish Inheritance’ –and today we're in Dalkey with Jenna and Guy.

Dalkey is now considered  to be a suburb of Dublin, but it was originally a town in its own right and still retains a ‘small town’ feel about it.

 

 

Its main street houses a variety of shops, serving both the locals and the tourists. There are plenty of pubs and restaurants too.

 

Originally founded as a Viking settlement, Dalkey became an important port during the Middle Ages, and there are still two harbours in use today. Bulloch Harbour is the larger of the two, but Coliemore Harbour is more picturesque with its view of Dalkey Island.

Dalkey Island, now uninhabited, apart from a herd of wild goats, was first occupied in the Stone Age. There are the ruins of a 9th century church which was probably abandoned when the Vikings used the island as their base. Today the island’s most striking feature is the Martello Tower, one of several erected along this part of the Irish coastline by the British Admiralty in the early 19th century, as part of the defence system against the threat of a Napoleonic invasion.

Dalkey once had seven castles, built in the 15th century as fortified townhouses. Only two still exist, and one of them (Goat Castle) dominates the northern end of the main street. It now contains the local heritage centre, and ‘Living History’ presentations take place during the summer months, with actors portraying maids and merchants, and describing life in the castle in the past.

Dalkey boasts a long list of famous people who have at some point made their homes here, from George Bernard Shaw and James Joyce in the late 19th/early 20th century, to modern musical stars like Bono, Enya, Chris de Burgh, and Van Morrison. An area south of the town, overlooking Killiney Bay, is home to the mansions bought by some of these millionaires. But then, who wouldn’t want a view like this from their house?

Killiney Bay, south of Dalkey, is sometimes compared to the Bay of Naples – and, according to some, is better than the Bay of Naples!

'Irish Inheritance'- Glendalough, monastic remains in County Wicklow

After a short break over the holiday season, I’m featuring again some of the places that appear in my soon to be published new novel ‘Irish Inheritance’. Today we're visiting Glendalough in County Wicklow, which Jenna and Guy visited on their trip across from County Galway to the east coast of Ireland.


Image from Glendalough Visitor Guide

The monstery at Glendalough was founded by St. Kevin in the 7th century, and became an important monastic community until it was destroyed (by the English) at the end of the 14th century. The church remained as a place of worship and pilgrimage, and the buildings which survive probably date from about the 11th and 12th centuries.

The Round Tower, probably the most famous round tower in Ireland, is about 90 feet high, with an entrance about 10 feet from the base. Towers like this may have been built as bell towers, but also served as storehouses and sometimes as places of refuge.

The Cathedral is the largest and most imposing building at Glendalough and dates from the late 12th/early 13th century. This photo shows the square headed west doorway, and you can see the remains of the chancel arch, and the east window.

Nearby, St. Kevin’s Church has a steep stone roof, formed of overlapping stones and supported by semi-circular vault. The belfry, with four small windows, rises from the eastern end of the roof.

There are several other churches at Glendalough, and further up the valley with its two lakes, are the foundations of St. Kevin’s cell, which was about 10 feet in diameter, and probably had a bee-hive type of roof.

I'm sure that Guy, my hero, being American, would have been as impressed by these ruins as my Canadian friends were when I took them to Glendalough a few years ago!

Dublin's Fair City

I’m continuing to feature some of the places that appear in my soon to be published new novel ‘Irish Inheritance’ –and today we're visiting Dublin. Jenna and Guy first meet at Dublin airport, visit a lawyer on St. Stephen’s Green, and then spend the rest of the afternoon and evening together.

In such a short time, they don’t see a lot of Dublin, but they do go to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. The illuminated manuscript, considered to be Ireland’s finest national treasure, was created by Irish monks about 800 A.D. It contains the four Gospels in Latin, and is a wonderful example of medieval calligraphy and illumination.


On the way from Grafton Street (the main shopping street in Dublin), Jenna and Guy would have passed one of the city’s many statues. It’s unlikely that this one represents a real person (although some would argue differently) but she features in one of Ireland’s most well-known songs – ‘as she wheels her wheelbarrow, through streets broad and narrow, crying ‘Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive-oh’. Of course, it’s Molly Malone – or, as this statue is sometimes called, ‘The Tart with the Cart’.

They spent the evening in Temple Bar, known as Dublin’s ‘cultural quarter’, due to the photographic and artists’ studios in the area. However, it has become more of a tourist centre, regarded by the locals as having ‘ye olde Irish’ pretensions. There are plenty of bars and nightclubs in the area, as well as street performers and musicians.

On a later visit to Dublin, they crossed the River Liffey on Ha’penny Bridge, a cast iron footbridge which was built in 1816, and known originally as the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington). Before the bridge was built, William Walsh operated seven ferries across the river. They were in bad condition, and Walsh was told either to repair them or build a bridge. He chose the latter, and was allowed to charge half a penny from anyone crossing the bridge. The toll was later increased to a one and a half pennies, but was finally dropped in 1919. Officially, the bridge is the Liffey Bridge, but is known to everyone as the Ha’penny Bridge.

What did Jenna and Guy miss seeing in Dublin? The list is probably endless, but here are some of the places I have visited in this wonderful city:

The Guinness Brewery, founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759, has an excellent exhibition (including a tasting experience!) and also one of the best views of Dublin from the Gravity Bar at the top of the building.


Kilmainham Gaol, built in 1796,  has held many famous people involved in the campaign for Irish Independence, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, some of whom were executed here. It has also been used as a location for several films, including The Italian Job.



Licensed under  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
2.0 Generic license.
Attribution: Stephen Sweeney

O’Connell Street is Dublin’s main thoroughfare, named after Daniel O’Connell, a nationalist leader in the early 19th century, whose statue stands at one end of the wide street. Part way along the street is the large Georgian General Post Office, which served as the headquarters of the 1916 Rising. Near the Post Office is the Spire, a stainless steel monument almost 400 feet high, erected in 2002-3, and sometimes referred to by Dubliners as ‘The Spike’ (or even ‘The Stiletto in the Ghetto').

This post would go on forever if I added all the other interesting places in Dublin. Maybe I’ll write about them in a later post.

"Irish Inheritance" - Galway City

Continuing with some of the places featured in my soon to be published new novel, 'Irish Inheritance' - here are some of the sights which Jenna and Guy see when they visit Galway City.

Galway City lies on the River Corrib where it enters Galway Bay. The Irish name for the river is Gaillimh, meaning ‘stony river’, and the original settlement was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe, ‘fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh.

 

One of Galway’s nicknames is ‘City of the Fourteen Tribes’, which refers to the merchant families who controlled the city in the Middle Ages. They are remembered in the flags which fly in Eyre Square in the centre of the city, and also in the names of the many roundabouts (traffic circles) on the Galway ring road.

 

The city thrived on international trade in the Middle Ages, especially with France and Spain, and the ‘Spanish Arch’ was constructed near the harbour in the 16th century.

 

There is also a legend that Christopher Columbus visited Galway. Several years later, he wrote a note in his copy of Imago Mundi, saying, “Men of Cathay have come from the west. We have seen many signs. And especially in Galway in Ireland, a man and a woman, of extraordinary appearance, have come to land on two tree trunks.” It is said this is what persuaded him to sail across the Atlantic, having seen the signs of a land beyond the ocean. This monument was presented by the city of Genoa to Galway on the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America.

 

Galway is also known as Ireland’s Cultural Heart, and there are various music and arts festivals during the year, as well as the International Oyster Festival, and Galway Races.

 

There are two main churches in Galway, St Nicholas Church of Ireland, and the more imposing Roman Catholic cathedral, with its copper dome, which was built on the site of the city jail in 1958.

 

Adjacent to the city is Claddagh, originally a small fishing village outside the city walls. The thatched cottages were demolished in the 1930s, and colour washed stone houses now line the quayside.

Finally, what better than to sit outside one of the pubs or cafes on Quay Street (even in the rain!), watch the world go by, and maybe listen to some street musicians?  

'Irish Inheritance' - Clifden

My next novel, ‘Irish Inheritance’, (to be published shortly) is set mainly in Ireland, as its title suggests, so for the next few weeks, I’ll introduce you to some of the places that feature in the novel.

 

To start with: Clifden

 

Clifden is a small town on the coast of County Galway in the west of Ireland. The Irish name, An Clochán, means "stepping stones”, and it’s sometimes called the "the Capital of Connemara", which I’ll tell you more about in a later post. Clifden is situated on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay and is a popular tourist destination for those touring Connemara.

The town was founded in the 19th century by John D’Arcy, who lived in Clifden Castle (now a ruin). Until then the area was inhabited mainly by farmers and fishermen. D’Arcy organised the construction of a quay, and also a road to Galway City, and the town began to grow. By 1839, when D’Arcy died, it had become a town of 185 dwellings, two churches, two hotels, three schools, a courthouse and jail, a distillery – and 23 pubs!

Its prosperity ended when the Great Famine started in 1845. By 1848, nearly all the population was on government relief, landlords went bankrupt, and many people emigrated to America. It was another fifty years before Clifden started to grow again, when a railway was built in 1895.

Now it has become a popular tourist destination, offering spectacular scenery on its doorstep, a wide variety of outdoor activities, and 5000 years of history. It is also claiming the title of ‘Gourmet Capital of the West’, with fine-dining restaurants and hotels, and of course many pubs, ranging from traditional to trendy.

Two events brought Clifden into the world spotlights in the early 19th century. In 1909 Marconi set up the first transatlantic wireless telegraphy station about four miles south of the town and eventually over 400 people were employed there.

The Alcock and Brown Memorial, near Clifden

In 1919, Derrygimla Bog, near to the wireless station, saw the end of the very first transatlantic flight when Alcock and Brown landed their Vickers Vimy airplane there after their 16 hours flight from St. John’s, Newfoundland. They thought they were landing on a green field, but this turned out to be a bog, and their plane nosedived into the marshy ground. Fortunately neither man was injured.

 

Weekend Writing Warriors

Another eight sentences from ‘Irish Inheritance’, my current work in progress. Having been told she is about to inherit a large sum of money and a share of a house in Ireland, Jenna is then informed she needs to go to Dublin to meet with someone from the Irish law firm dealing with the estate. Her lawyer says he will contact her employer and request leave of absence for her. Here is Jenna's response:

 

“Actually, Mr. Haslam, I don’t have an employer, at least not at the moment. I’m an actress and I’m—er—between jobs at the moment.”

 

“I see.” The lawyer cleared his throat, and Jenna had the impression she might as well have said she was a nightclub stripper. “Well, of course, that simplifies things.”

 

Not really, she thought, twisting her lips wryly, but maybe Charley would lend her the money for a quick trip to Dublin. No, hold on. If she was due to inherit twenty-five thousand pounds plus half a house, perhaps she could get some kind of advance.

 

Many thanks for visiting each week, and for your comments. I’m delighted you like the beginning of this story!

 

 

This is a photo of the small town of Clifden in the west of Couny Galway,

where a lot of this story will take place.

 

For more snippets from the 'Weekend Writing Warriors',

please visit http://www.wewriwa.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/