Welcome to author Eileen O'Finlan!
Eileen
O’Finlan’s debut novel, Kelegeen, was
released on March 1, 2018 by BWL Publishing, Inc. Quotes from five star Amazon reader reviews
include, “This book grabs you from the beginning…”, “It’s not an easy book to put down once you
start it, but you also don’t want it to end”, “This was probably one of the
best books I have ever read. I would
recommend it to all,” “This is what historical fiction is supposed to be,” and
the author’s personal favorite review quote:
“I have enjoyed many books which I chose from Oprah’s book club and this
is one that would fit on her list. I put
Kelegeen in the top three books I
have ever read.” Due to constant demand
from readers for a sequel to Kelegeen,
the research phase for this next book is underway.
Eileen
was born in November of 1963 in Springfield, Massachusetts and has lived in New
England all her life. Both of her
parents were born and raised in Vermont, which Eileen considers her
home-away-from-home. Growing up in a
history-loving family where dinner conversation often revolved around the
American Revolution or the Peloponnesian War, it’s not surprising that she went
on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in History.
She also holds a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry. A former long time member of the Worcester
Writers Workshop, Eileen now facilitates a writing workshop from her home in
central Massachusetts. She lives with
her 91 year old mother for whom she cares and her two adorable and rather
spoiled cats, Smokey and Autumn Amelia.
Eileen
loves to weave stories of historical fiction with strong, but very human,
characters who prevail against the odds. Fascinated by the unusual and
little-known aspects of history her goal is to create a magical experience for
readers in which they encounter the unexpected.
Eileen attributes her interest in the paranormal, which also makes its
appearance in her writing, to the facts that she lived in a haunted house at a
very young age and that she has a deep Celtic spirituality.
Find
out more about Eileen O’Finlan, her books, her cats (who have a story of their
own in the works), and her ongoing endeavor to transition her entire front yard
into a giant flower garden at www.eileenofinlan.com
and https://www.facebook.com/eileenofinlanauthor/
KELEGEEN
Ireland
1846
Meg
O’Connor, daughter of poor Irish cottiers, eagerly anticipates her wedding to
Rory Quinn. Her dreams of marriage and
family vanish along with Ireland’s potato crop when Kelegeen’s inhabitants
awaken one morning to find their sole source of food destroyed by blight.
At
first Meg and Rory are able to use their skills, hers of sewing and his of wood
carving, to provide for themselves and their families. But tragedy and a costly mistake end those
means of survival forcing them into more dangerous ventures.
As
An Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger,
continues to churn through Ireland ravaging the country’s peasantry with no let
up in sight, Meg is compelled to make the most difficult decision of her
life. What she chooses could be the salvation
of the O’Connor and Quinn families or it could separate her forever from all
she knows and loves.
Eileen O'Finlan
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