Come see me at the Oxford Indie Book Fair!

If you’re in Oxford, U.K. on Saturday, July 6, do swing by the Oxford Indie Book Fair to say hello! I’ll be there selling all my books at a special discounted rate. I’m also always delighted to sign old copies of my books, so do bring them along! Many thanks to #OxIndieBookFair and @artsfestivaloxford for … More Come see me at the Oxford Indie Book Fair!

Armchair travelling 2: To Dunadd, the Citadel of the King

If St. Columba is one of the stars of my series The Chronicles of Iona, Aedan mac Gabran is surely the other. He was the king of the Scots kingdom of Dalriada in the 6th century and was arguably the greatest warlord of his age. In fact, my lightbulb moment in writing these books was … More Armchair travelling 2: To Dunadd, the Citadel of the King

Armchair travelling 1: To Iona

So, one good thing to come from this wretched pandemic is the fact that it has forced me back to my archives. In place of any actual research trips, I’ve been organising my files. I know! How utterly boring! And yet … it has taken me back to all the places I have so loved, … More Armchair travelling 1: To Iona

Visit Iona virtually

A wonderful thing popped up in my Twitter feed this week which deserves a huge shout-out. Longing to visit the isle of Iona again? I certainly am. Well, thanks to Historic Environment Scotland you can do so virtually. They’ve assembled a fantastic array of immersive resources for the armchair traveller we’ve all (temporarily) become, here: … More Visit Iona virtually

The e-book of “The Chronicles of Iona: Island-Pilgrim” is here!

Book 3 of the award-winning series The Chronicles of Iona is out today. Praised as “mesmeric”, “engrossing”, and “gritty”, Island-Pilgrim continues the enthralling true story of how a 6th-century saint (Columba of Iona), and a warlord (Aedan mac Gabran, king of Dalriada), forged the nascent kingdom of Scotland. On Kindle now for only £2.31. #thechroniclesofiona

Read the Preface to “Island-Pilgrim”, Book 3 in the award-winning historical-fiction series “The Chronicles of Iona”

The Chronicles of Iona:
Island-Pilgrim
Preface
More Read the Preface to “Island-Pilgrim”, Book 3 in the award-winning historical-fiction series “The Chronicles of Iona”

Donegal, Northern Ireland go live with the One Book transnational reading project based on “The Chronicles of Iona: Exile”

My thoughts have been eastward all day as the transnational One Book One Community Reading Project is officially launched in Derry.  Readers in Northern Ireland, Co. Donegal and New England will be reading “Exile”, the first book in my historical-fiction series “The Chronicles of Iona”, at the same time.  Donegal County Council and Libraries Northern Ireland set … More Donegal, Northern Ireland go live with the One Book transnational reading project based on “The Chronicles of Iona: Exile”

Book reading and signing, “The Chronicles of Iona: Prophet”, at Boswell’s Books in Shelburne Falls, MA 5/9/13 at 6 p.m.

Hey, did you hear that beautiful little Shelburne Falls has just been voted by Boston.com as one of the top five dream places to live in Massachusetts? Doesn’t surprise me!  One of the hill-towns in the western part of the state, just south of the historic Mohawk Trail (Route 2), Shelburne Falls is one of … More Book reading and signing, “The Chronicles of Iona: Prophet”, at Boswell’s Books in Shelburne Falls, MA 5/9/13 at 6 p.m.

Book 2, The Chronicles of Iona: Prophet, is here!

   The second book in my historical-fiction series The Chronicles of Iona, called Prophet, is now out! The story picks up where the first book, Exile, left off, beginning in the year 567 A.D.  Four years after journeying with Scottish warrior Aedan mac Gabran into the land of the wild Picts, Irish abbot-prince Columba is forced back there … More Book 2, The Chronicles of Iona: Prophet, is here!

Here’s the cover for Book 2 in “The Chronicles of Iona”, “Prophet”

Here’s the cover of Book 2 in the series “The Chronicles of Iona”, called “Prophet”.   Yes: there’s been a name change.  Book 2 was originally entitled “Peregrinatio” which in Latin means a pilgrimage, a spiritual wandering, in this case to refer both to Columba in his exile on the island of Iona, and to Aedan, stuck in … More Here’s the cover for Book 2 in “The Chronicles of Iona”, “Prophet”