There. I’ve admitted it. I’m addicted to Irish Mythology.
There is no organisation out there, like the AA, which can help people like me. We are left to skulk around the internet, trawling libraries and stalking librarians, to get our hands and eyes on ancient books and archaic documents to feed our addiction.
We pore over old maps, identifying possible mythology related sites, then traipse through rain and fog over bog, hill and farmers fields, even braving the fierce protectors (cows and bulls) of said monuments, often finding little but a pile of stones to prove our theories.
It doesn’t matter what we find. It’s the thrill of the chase. It’s the excitement of discovery. It’s standing in that place where those characters lived and died, looking over the landscape they looked on, standing under the same sun and stars they slept beneath. It’s the connection which matters.
You will already know all this, if you have ever read any of my posts, because here is where I share it with you. I know you feel the same way, at least to some extent, because you keep coming back for more, and that means a lot to me.
Very soon, something quite momentous is going to happen (for me anyway) and I’ll blog about it when it does.
But for now, I make an apology; there is no Monday Mythology today. You have no idea how I am suffering from the pain of that! It’s not because I have run out of things to write… oh nonononono! Quite the contrary!
The trouble is, I haven’t even looked at the manuscript of the third and final book in the Conor Kelly series SINCE NOVEMBER!
I have become too distracted with research, trying out new writing formats like short stories and even shorter microfiction, book reviewing, article writing, etc. I have loved it all, but my book has suffered. And I can’t give 100% to it all, as well as my book, my blog, and my family.
So there will be less blogging (booo! I’m going to miss it!) from me over the next couple of months, and hopefully more novel writing (yaaaay! Conor’s story needs to be told and finished!).
I hope you’ll bear with me, and not suffer too much from the pain of Monday Mythology withdrawal. I personally will be turning to my other many addictions to help me get by… coffee, chocolate, Prosecco, Bloody Mary’s…
In the mean-time, just to get you in the mood, Jane Dougherty tagged me on FB last night to share the first seven lines of my current WIP, and I thought I’d post it here too, so you could see what I’m working on. I tag Sacha Black, Craig Boyack and Chris Deards to do the same.
Conor awoke with a start. The deep, impenetrable shadows of night pressed their velvet drapes heavily against his skin, forcing the breath from compressed lungs as he fought to control his fear.
For months now, his nights had been full of dreams, and his dreams were all of Ruairi.
Ruairi, his brother. His twin. His only living relative, so far as he knew. Ruairi, who was High King of the Sidhe, and who wanted to kill him.
Wow, it sounds intriguing. 🙂 (And I love when you blog about Irish mythology.)
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Thanks Rachel! Very kind of you!
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This is selfish of me, Ali, but if you’re not distracting me with your brilliant posts then I’ll have more time to do all the stuff I have to do too!! Completely understood. Sending you big lovely arty vibes for finishing Conor’s latest adventure.
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Thank you Tara! NOW GO BUY MY BRILLIANT BOOK! (Just read your very funny and oh-so-painfully-true post!!!)
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😀 I would’ve bought it anyway, Ali, but seeing as you’ve used capital letters, I’ll do it immediately!!
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Thats the spirit! Lol! #Imabrilliantauthorandiloveme
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Okay, I posted mine during my lunch break. I cheated a little. (I always cheat a little.)
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Checkin’ it… before GOT starts…
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Ah yes and Ali I definitely understand the need for less blogging and more writing elsewhere. I am similarly struggling with a dissertation to finish revising in the next month. I’ll miss hearing as often from you but there’s so much to share with this world, and it can’t all be done at once. May the awen be with you in telling Conor’s story. I’ll be hibernating most of this week, too!
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Aw thank you so much for the awen, I’ll need it, although once I am immersed in the world of our ancestors, they will take over again, I’m sure! At least I hope so. And I’m actually enjoying the lack of pressure to write a blog piece, which is quite bizarre, as I love blogging! But you’re right, you just cant be all things to all people all of the time, and it feels good to realise that lol! Hope you feel the same…
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OMG Ali! I know how you feel. You’re not alone. LOL Don’t worry, we can recover…er I really mean have chocolate and drink cider and keep being obsessed with mythology… together. I don’t do as much research as you do but I’ve certainly done a lot, and it’s hard to do everything and be with everyone I love all of the time!
I even have dreams about mythology. Not occasionally, but often, such as last night in which our philosophy professor taught Irish mythology instead of free will and then had us watch a movie whose main characters were sidhe and there was a bansidhe too of course. And I don’t even live in Ireland!
And that’s not even counting all the wonderful time I spend with my ancient family who had all these stories written about them. 🙂 I think my case is more than hopeless. But I’d never want to change! 🙂
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Lol your dream sounds amazing Éilis! Lol! What a mind you have! I’ve decided not to indulge in the other ‘addictions’ though… Puts too much weight on these old bones which I just cant shift! But yes, lets indulge the mythology, its not bad for our health and its actually good for our minds and wellbeing! We can be hopeless cases together!
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🙂
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November????!!!!! Are we going to have to write the bloody thing ourselves?
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Yes, its a new type of project I’m working on… write it AND read it yourselves, and pay me €2.99 for it… genius!
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Oh and dont forget to write a review… which will all be 5* as you wrote the book yourselves!
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I totally understand what you are going through, Ali. As you know, I have had the same dilemma with trying to find the time to write my book. It is very hard to admit that we can’t do it all and that we have to prioritize. Hopefully both of us will be able to focus on writing our books and getting them published as soon as possible.
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Lets hope so Rachele… sometimes, something just has to give, doesnt it?
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Is this some kind of con job? Seven lines you said. Is that including the two empty lines? Boo Hiss. It’s no good I shall have to find myself a new mythologist who bogs on a Monday. I feel bereft with no Monday Mythology and all this for possibly some mythological WIP. It just won’t do.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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But at least it will be one less email to read! Thats worth a Brucey Bonus isnt it? And I never said I wouldnt do them at all, just not so many…
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That’s not good. How can I ignore you if you’re not there? I need an email so I can say”Beggar that for a game of soldiers, she pinches 2 lines of the book and expects me to forget it. Forget it !”
xxx Hugs Galore xxx
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The two empty lines were freebie extras lol! 😀
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I’ll see if I can play along tonight. I don’t do Facebook, so mine will be on my blog. I don’t think I have as good a hook as yours, but we’ll find out. I’ve run into a ton of distractions too, and the novel has slowed way down. It happens. I’d feel better putting it aside if the draft were at least finished.
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I so know exactly what you mean! I’ve worked out that I could feasibly pull it back and finish first draft by end of June… that made me feel so much better, but I’ll have to be focussed.
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It’s good to prioritise, and though I love the monday posts, it’s more important to concentrate on what you need to! 🙂
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Yes that’s true! I’m already feeling like a failure for having done so little on it this year… but moving on, not wasting time regetting it.
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GO FOR IT ALI – We’ll just hang around the fields outside your windows and whittle wood while waiting for you to come back to us 😀 😀 😀
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Lol! Not going away completely, just reigning in my blethering gob for a while!
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Thought I’d gone deaf for a moment there until you said that Ali 😀 😀 😀
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You go write your book, we know you’ll be back.
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Thanks Rosie… I’m nearly at the end of chapter 2 just now…
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Well at least you’re being creative in choosing an addiction 🙂 I’m fed up with all those fashion and make-up addicts 🙂
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Lol! I never thought of it like that! My family might not agree with you, the things I’ve made them do, all in the name of my addiction! 😁
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lol! I’m curious now (and glad I’m not your family member!) 😀
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Lol! We ate iron age style for a day. I thought that was fun. They weren’t quite so convinced. I force them out into the hills looking for ancient ruins… they’d rather play xbox (their own addiction). I make them read my books… they dont mind that one so much lol! 😀
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Haha! You are indeed a lucky person. Mine would never ever listen to me if I said “hey let’s go out in the hills to see ancient ruins” 😄
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I think it might be something to do with the threat of removing their phone/ xbox/ laptop/ tv privelages… 😆
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🙂 I might try this threat when I have my own kids one day haha
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Its the only thing that works! Kids today dont know what to do without their technology. My boys play a LOT of sport, so I dont mind too much. My friend who has a teen girl threatened to take away all her makeup… that worked for her! I wonder if I should start a parenting tips blog LOL!
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Not one more parenting blog please! 🙂
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I was only joking! 😉
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Luckily! 😀
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And you know what came to my mind? My parents were karate-junkies and forced me to train every day. I hated it back then but now those memories are the most beautiful ones I have. We never spent so much time together like then. So… You’re doing a great job I guess
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Thank you for sharing that! I’m so glad your feelings about those experiences have changed. My boys are very interested in my books, I think its because I have always involved them I also think its important that they see how hard you have to work for something you believe in, and also that its important to follow your dream. But as for being a parent, you just muddle through as best you can, you never know if what you’re doing is right or wrong! 😀
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