Library Journal: Prepub Alert for March 2013

Thrilled to find THE BOOK OF KILLOWEN included in Library Journal's prepub alert, a listing called "What's Hot" for March 2013, with fellow crime writers Rhys Bowen and Paul Doherty, among others! And now I'm feeling like an awful tease, since it'll be another 3+ months until the book is out. I am so sorry. (Okay, not really.)

Here's a link to the full article at the magazine's website.

The Book of Killowen - Unveiled!

The crack design team at Scribner has put together a jacket for #4 in the Nora Gavin/Cormac Maguire series, THE BOOK OF KILLOWEN, bringing together ancient manuscripts, ruined monasteries, and modern intrigue. It's a bit different from my previous covers—with those blood-red splashes, you can't mistake it for anything but a crime novel, which is probably a good thing.

Cover design is such a subjective art. So, let the chat begin—I'm so curious to know what all you readers think! What does this cover say to you about what's inside? How do you think it fits with the series so far? 

Some of you may already know what this book is about, but try not to let that influence your reaction... 

Ireland Travel Tips

For anyone traveling with me on a Hart of Ireland tour, I thought it might be useful to share some of the travel tips I've been collecting over the years, things you might not think of when planning a trip to Ireland. If anybody else has suggestions, please share them!

• Cash card:  It's cheaper to get Euros from a cashpoint than to bring currency for exchange. I just use my VISA debit card to withdraw cash from my checking account. Works like a charm.
  
  
• Lithium batteries:  Longer-lasting for electronics (like your digital camera, if it runs on regular-sized batteries), and difficult to find most places in Ireland.
  
  
• Artificial sweetener: If you're off sugar, but still need a little sweetness in your tea or coffee, you might want to tuck in some packets of Equal or Splenda or Sweet 'n' Low—many places in Ireland only have real sugar.
  
• Good/waterproof walking shoes:  We'll visit some places where the ground is rather uneven, and might have to walk through a pasture or two, so it's good to have sturdy shoes with ankle and arch support. I often bring my wellingtons, because it's good to have waterproof footwear.
  
• Outerwear/umbrella:  A lightweight waterproof coat is a great thing to have in Ireland; showers are usually light but frequent. And a travel umbrella will never go amiss.
  
  
• Scarf/hat/shawl/pashmina/headband:  We'll be traveling through some windy places, and it's good to have something to cover your ears. Ireland is considerably cooler this time of year than Minnesota/US in general. (Avg temp is about 60-65 right now.)
  
  
• A 'clootie': We'll be passing by Saint Kieran's Bush, a place where people tie ribbons and rags and mementoes of all kinds as offerings. I'll have some bits of ribbon with me, but if you'd like yours to be more personal, please bring it along.
  
• Film:  If you've not gone digital, don't forget extra film for your camera. Film is almost impossible to find in Ireland these days (as everywhere, I suppose.) For those who have gone digital, it's also an excellent idea to have an extra memory card for your camera, just in case you can't stop taking pictures of sheep and run out of memory before a download opportunity...  ;-)
  
• Washcloth:  Most of the hotels where we'll be staying cater to American tourists and provide washcloths, but I always carry my own, just in case.
  
• A power adapter/converter:  If you're planning to plug anything in... Many items are already dual voltage (and have their own converters—check that blocky thing in the middle of your laptop plug for its voltage specs), but you'll need an adapter to plug them in to the wall in Ireland. Plugs in Ireland look like this:
  
  
  
  Here's some basic info from a discussion of "adapter vs. converter" from amazon.com:
  
  Laptops and cell phone chargers almost all come with a built-in voltage transformer. You can check on the cord or appliance to verify this (it will say range 110v-240) (laptops it says on the charger unit on the cord). America is 110, many other countries (e.g. all of europe, and I believe India etc) are 240. As for all other appliances, some have transformers but many do not, so check in the manual of the individual appliance.
  
  Adapter: Anything with this range (110-240) transformer built in, you will need only an adapter for so it fits into the wall. Any good electronic store can tell you which adapter to get for the country you are going to...and the adapter should list the countries it works for as well. You can buy adapters with either 3 prongs or 2 prongs on the 'American side.' I would buy one of each. The 3 prong adapter I need for my laptop plug (this works for 2 & 3 prongs) and I always keep it on. The 2 prong I use for my cell phone charger and always keep it on.
  
  Often, digital camera re-chargers, radios, mp3 chargers, and the like (electronic, motorized) are around 50 watt devices, and require a 50 watt transformer. Any electronic store should have a 50 watt transformer, and it will list the types of electronics it should be used for (they DO list digital camera re-chargers). 'Enercell' is a common brand you'll find in different watt capabilities.
  
  The voltage converters (/transformers) are also adapters.
  
  Devices that heat up, such as curlers, straighteners, blow dryers, irons, and lamps, usually require more watts, 1600-2000 watts. For these get a 1600 or 2000 watt voltage converter, either one works for all those kind of appliances. Those transformers are also easy to find at any electronic store, and the item will list what appliances to use them for.

Hope this helps anyone traveling to Ireland. Please join the discussion if you have experiences or ideas to share!

BBC Documentary - "Open Country" - Ireland - Peat

Click to listen to a great documentary about the history and culture of Irish peatlands. Thanks to Dermot Kearney for finding this and passing it along.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01lv4p6/Open_Country_Ireland_Peat/

Fred Kearney, one of the people interviewed, has been our guide at the Corlea Trackway Centre in Longford. Here's Fred as he began our tour:

And a few more pictures of the Corlea Trackway, a 2,000-year-old bog road that was excavated about 20 years ago, and the boardwalk outside the museum, showing what the trackway might have looked like centuries ago. 

Near the trackway centre, people are still cutting turf for fuel...

The documentary talks about the controversy surrounding turbary rights, that is, the right to cut turf on your own property. It's an issue that's more and more pressing as Ireland's peatlands continue to dwindle, mostly because of industrial-scale peat extraction by Bord na Móna, the Irish Turf Board.

In HAUNTED GROUND, Brendan McGann, one of the brothers who discovers the red-haired girl in the bog, is worried that he won't be allowed to cut turf on his own land for much longer. 

Saint Mathias Celtic Festival - July 21 in Brainerd

Paddy and I will be speaking and signing books and CDs at the Saint Mathias Celtic Festival in Brainerd, MN on July 21.

The fourth annual Saint Mathias Celtic Festival will be held at The Farm on St. Mathias (7579 St. Mathias Road, Brainerd, MN 56401) on Saturday July 21, from 11 am - 6 pm.

I'm on at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm, talking about my books, all the research that goes into them, and I'll bring along images of bog people archaeological treasures, as well as samples of Irish turf—or peat, as it's usually called here.

Paddy will be speaking and playing a few tunes at 1:00 and 4:00 pm, about his compendium of 1,000 tunes, The Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection, and about all the older musicians he learned from, and how he happens to carry more than 3,000 Irish tunes in his head.

Besides our scheduled presentations, Paddy and I will both be on hand for the main part of the day, just to chat with people, and to sign books and CDs.

The Farm on Saint Mathias is proud to be partnering with Finnegans to support the Emergency Foodshelf Network’s Harvest for the Hungry program. Buy beer from Finnegan's truck at the festival and all proceeds will be donated to Harvest for the Hungry.

Live entertainment on the Main Stage will feature the Hounds of Finn, the Gunn Slingers, Rumgumption, and Center for Irish Music student musicians with Live Ireland's Singer of the Year Norah Rendell—all emceed by Welsh storyteller John Dingley. Check out the full schedule!

Traditional Celtic craft demonstrations will include sheep shearing, fiber spinning, dying and weaving. The festival will feature demonstrations by stonecutters, blacksmiths, metalsmiths, fiber spinners and the Blue Ox Brewers Society. Activities for children will include facepainting and a special music show.

Featured vendors will be selling Celtic clothing, soaps, music, and craft items. Vendors include: From the Ground Up Pottery, Fiber Creations by Tammy Severtson, Handcrafted soaps by Backwoods Bathing, Celtic Cottage, Reclaimation furniture, The Center for Irish Music and more. Food on site will be catered by Prairie Bay restaurant in Baxter!

Review: The Sailor’s Cravat – Sing Out! Magazine

Delighted to get this swell review of our recent recording THE SAILOR’S CRAVAT, from Sing Out! magazine, one of the most respected institutions in the traditional music world.

Off The Beaten Track / Sing Out! Magazine

Autumn 2011/Winter 2012 Issue
Volume 54, Number 4

THE SAILOR’S CRAVAT

Paddy O'Brien, button accordion

Tom Schaefer, fiddle

Paul Wehling, bouzouki

Erin Hart, vocals

Award-winning two-row button accordionist Paddy O’Brien, aside from being a much-admired virtuoso with a career spanning nearly four decades, is also a noted one-man repository of Irish traditional music, much of which was picked up from living masters during his travels. For the current outing, he has gathered tunes from a variety of sources, ranging from sprightly instrumental jigs, reels, polkas and hornpipes to unaccompanied sean-nos (ancient style) inflected vocal airs. He favors moderate tempos and lightly marked rhythms that allow the overly blithe melodies, most also graced by a melancholy tinge, to shine forth unimpeded. O’Brien is particularly well-partnered, with Tom Schaefer’s weightless yet unfailingly precise fiddle alternately doubling, following, or discreetly augmenting the themes in response to his lead, while Paul Wehling’s bouzouki provides them both with an ornate yet tastefully restrained launching pad. But Erin Hart’s singing is another soft revelation. Her dusky, ripely female voice nimbly negotiates dauntingly complex airs, like “The Flower of Magherally-O” and “Molly Bawn Or The Shooting of His Dear,” spinning out long-breathed ornamental phrases even as a formidable musical intelligence tells her when to leave well enough alone.

— Christina Roden

Modesty Forbids Department - "Best of Minnesota"

Well, the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently published their "Best of Minnesota" supplement, in which they cull excellent reviews from past issues and crown the top restaurants, dance clubs, campgrounds, kid-friendly parks, etc.

Imagine my surprise when I opened it looking for a good restaurant recommendation and found this:

And was completely gobsmacked. And delighted. And just a little bit giddy. Thanks to the Star Tribune for the unexpected distinction. I'm thrilled to be mentioned in the same breath as writers like John Sandford, Vince Flynn, and David Housewright. Heck, if this weren't Minnesota, a person might just get a big ol' swelled head.

Congratulations also to the "Best of Minnesota" bookstores, my friends at Magers & Quinn and Once Upon A Crime.