For months now, I've revised and revised and revised my current manuscript. I hadn't planned to spend so much time doing that, but it's the first book in a new trilogy, and there's a lot I need to figure out. I'm still in the process of revising and hopefully soon my book will be ready... Continue Reading →
Unseelie Queen: from the archives
Can you believe it's been three years since I published Unseelie Queen (Crown of Tír na nÓg #2)? Today, July 19th 2024, marks the three-year anniversary of Unseelie Queen. And whenever my books hit such a milestone, I like to take a moment to appreciate my own work. While I was skimming my Scrivener file,... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Spriggans
Spriggan by Brian Froud My interest in this creature was piqued the second I saw Brian Froud's drawing of a spriggan. This small, dour-looking creature may not appear all too dangerous at first glance. However, spriggans can inflate themselves into monstrous forms, and even in their smaller form, they should not be underestimated. In his... Continue Reading →
The Welsh Goddess Dôn
While writing my Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy, I took inspiration from the Celtic mythology, especially their notion of the Fair Folk. I learned a lot about the different creatures that exist within that notion (such as faeries, pixies, pookas, and faoladhs) but also about the different deities associated with the faerie belief. One... Continue Reading →
The Tale of Oisín and Niamh
Last month, I finally fulfilled a year-long dream of mine and travelled to Dublin, Ireland. We spent most of our stay within the city itself, but on one day we booked a bus trip across the country all the way to the opposite side to visit the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. During the bus... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Tír na nÓg
It's the last #FaerieFriday before the release of my debut novel SEELIE PRINCESS on September 19. And I have something special planned for today. In previous posts, I've introduced various creatures of the Celtic Fair Folk. Today, I want to introduce the Celtic Otherworld: Tír na nÓg. According to A Treasury of Irish Fairy and... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Pixies
So far we've covered Seelie and Unseelie faeries, pookas, faoladhs, and merrows. But we should not forget about the tiniest member of the Fair Folk: the pixies. These small, childlike creatures are mostly benign, but they enjoy playing the occasional trick. They're known to live in moors, forests, or even gardens. Pixie by Brian Froud... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Merrows
We've all heard of mermaids: beautiful, sea-dwelling creatures that are human-like in appearance, with a fish tail instead of feet. There are plenty of stories about how they lure in fishermen with their enchanting voice. Stories like these also exist in the Celtic folklore, however, the Irish merpeople are called Merrows. Merrows vs. Mermaids vs.... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Faoladh
Last time, I introduced you to a creature of the Fair Folk, the Pooka. Today I want to tell you about a mythical being that might not be part of the Fair Folk in Celtic mythology, but fascinating nonetheless. The etymology of the faoladh First of, even after countless hours of research online, I have no... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Pookas
Last week I talked about categorizing faeries into the Seelie and the Unseelie Court, but the Fair Folk is so much more than faeries. One of those creatures that dwell with the faeries is the pooka, sometimes also spelled púca, phouka, or even pwca. Illustrated by Alan Lee What is a pooka? In his beautifully... Continue Reading →
Sarah Tanzmann 