Catherine Wheels and Spinning Yarns

           Hello again! I've decided to change the name of my blogsite. This is actually what I was going to name it in the first place, but I couldn't find this little piece, and so, couldn't recall exactly what name I wanted. So, in order to get it up and running, I had titled it Unipyre, to stand for the Unicorns and Vampyres I'd written about in some of my novels.

           You might think the new name of this blog is odd. And indeed, you’d be right. Some might add the same of the author. What kind of name is that?

            To start at the end, since I’m an author, spinning yarns (telling stories, to those unfamiliar with the phrase) is what I do. As for the first part? A Catherine Wheel was a form of execution for my patron saint – wouldn’t you know I’d have a martyr! In current usage, a Catherine wheel is another name for a pinwheel, a pinwheel being either a cute garden ornament or a child’s toy powered by the wid.

            This blog site will still have the same goal as when I first started it, and will contain short essays on a variety of topics, some fun, some whimsical, others more serious, but all meant to entertain and inform.  Only the name has changed. For the most part, these blogs will be lighthearted. While comments are welcome, please keep an open mind and a sense of humor. Just don’t have such an open mind that your brains fall out.

My Resolution

            I’m done with the run-of-the-mill New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I’ve decided to go with something I should have an easier time keeping. What makes it so easy is that breaking it would require doing something I loath: discussing politics.

            We have gone through a horrific political season over the past year. Regardless of your political affiliation, things have been less than polite. Even after the election, people on both sides continue to sling mud and name-call. I find it childish in the extreme, to say the least.

            Personally, I despise discussions of politics. I follow what is going on only so I can make informed decisions. However, I don’t want to discuss the subject. People have lost their ability to disagree amicably. I have no desire to get into a schoolyard level argument where everything I say is belittled or negated simply because the other person disagrees with me.

            My experience is that most of the time, the only people who go out of their way to have a political discussion with me are those who perceive me to be at the opposite end of the political spectrum from them. Since I consider myself a moderate, I’m not quite certain what the opposite end of the spectrum is, but I suspect it’s somewhere on the Z axis.

            In any case, I was raised in a time and place where discussing religion or politics in public was considered vulgar, and I still find politics fits that description. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I don’t want to participate in discussions, emails or emoji contests from people trying to bludgeon me into agreeing with their opinion, which is mainly what I’ve found people want to do.

            I sometimes wonder if I have a target on my forehead which convinces people I’m ripe for attack. As the saying goes, “I don’t need your attitude; I have one of my own.”

            I don’t mind intelligent discussions, but too often what initially looked like a discussion turns into the Red Wedding, and I’m left feeling like Rob Stark. So, I’m reverting to my upbringing: just say no to being called names and participating in the vulgarity known as politics. No matter who your politician is, it’s still SOSDD (same old s—t, different day), so there’s no point in debate.

            Now, please excuse me while I find a mirror in which to practice my Lady Violet glare and the proper way to say, “What is a week end?”

Hello and Happy New Year

                                                              Hello and Happy New Year


Greetings and welcome to my blog. The purpose of this site is to present one blog per month. Some are intended to be humorous; others are intended to be thought provoking.

Why such a strange name? The answer to that would be obvious to anyone who knows me. However, I did have another site name, suggested to me by friends on Facebook, but I've completely forgotten what I had decided on. It's one of those, "What did I come into this room for?" things. If I happen to remember it, I'll possibly change the name unless too much time has elapsed and this one has caught on.

For those new to my writing, I have written several novels that have been published on Amazon.com. Some are parts of series.Others are individual stories.

 The first series is Dark Faery, which  is about vampyre faeries -- and yes, I am drawn to unusual spellings of common words. The faeries  are divided into four clans. Each clan has a specific area of knowledge . These are the light Faeries, or living faeries. The four clans are: Benevolents, who humans would call the "tooth faeries" since they collect fuman teeth to make faery money; the Mercifuls, who take care of professions related to herbs and medicine; the Celestials, who are astronomers, navigators and sailors; and the Cantares, who are the musical Faeries. At one time there was a fifth clan, but because of wars and pestilence, the clan all but died out, and was absorbed into the Celestials.

There is another group, who seem peaceful enough: a band of 12 singer/musicians who call themselves Shauna Faun. The young faery-folk love attending concerts by the band, but the adults are uneasy about them. The druids and priestesses of the faery have put out hints that there is something sinister about this band, that people should be wary, but as long as Shauna Faun keep their pact with the religious leaders, they won't say precisely why the light faeries should be careful of the band.

The truth is, Shauna Faun are not only musicians, but vampyres, or dark faeries.

They have chosen to feed only on humans, whom they cannot hurt any more than a mosquito can. As long as they don't feed on the clans, who are not as plentiful as in previous generations, the druids and priestesses allow them to interact with the light faeries.

There are five novels in this series, three of which are currently available on Amazon. The fourth will be out by the end of the month, and the fifth will be available by the end of the year. This series is recommended for ages 16 and up.

A second series, meant for adult readers, is the Nicholas Keating novels. This is also a five-book series, following the life of Nicholas Keating, a Welsh violinist. This series began as a short story told from the point of view of an American woman who met Nicholas while he was on loan to an American symphony orchestra. When I finished the short story, I realized I liked the characters too much to leave them, and the saga grew into the five novels that now tell the story. Anyone interested in music, Wales or biographical fiction might find these novels worth a read. So far three of the novels are in publication on Amazon. The fourth is expected out sometime this year.

I have also ventured into children's novels. The first was written as a silly piece just to see whether or not I could write one and  is called I Think I Will Have to Eat You Now. While I like to think of it as a preschool horror story, it is actually the tale of a young tiger who is left behind when the circus leaves town, and how he finds his place in the world. While it was written for the preschool set, third grade students who were asked to critique the story found it interesting as well.

Fiona Finn is another children's novel, this one dealing with bullying. Fiona is born with a fin on her back, and attempts to remove it prove unsuccessful. Her parents are horrified that their child isn't "normal," and make every attempt to hide the fin from the world. They raise Fiona to think that the fin is something shameful . Her grandmother, on the other hand, thinks it's wonderful, the thing that makes her unique. She encourages Fiona to be proud of who she is.

Of course, it wouldn't be a story if Fiona's peers didn't somehow discover her secret. Those who were once friends become bullies, taking every opportunity to make fun of her. Only two friends stay loyal to her: a girl who was born with part of one arm missing and another girl who, being an ethnic minority, also has to deal with prejudice. In the end, Fiona proves that she truly is proud of her unique abilities.

Fiona Finn is recommended for ages 10-14.

Another series is also for children.The Unicorn series presents individual novels that can be read in any order. In each of these stories, the main character has to make a choice whether to remain in the real world or spend the remainder of their lives in the land of the unicorns.

In The Snow Unicorn, a young girl, Caitlyn, who likes to make animal shapes out of snow finds herself suddenly cast into the land of the unicorns where one named Storm can communicate with her. He takes her to meet the people of the land, including the king and his family. Of course, there is a prince. When she returns to the real world and tries to tell others about her experiences, no one believes her.

She returns to the land of unicorns to find several decades have passed, and the prince who liked her is now married with children of his own. When she returns to the real world, several years pass without snow. Without snow, she has no possibility of returning to her beloved unicorn, so she begins to turn those experiences in the land of unicorns into stories that she writes to entertain her classmates. Just when she thinks she's outgrown the magical world, she is thrust back into it, and makes the decision whether to return to the real world forever or marry a prince.

In Fury, the Wind Unicorn, Teddy is a boy living in tornado alley who is terrified of tornadoes. One day in the storm cellar, while waiting for a tornado to pass, he finds himself suddenly landing in the realm of unicorns and has a similar experience to Caitlyn's, and he, too, must eventually make his decision on where to spend the rest of his life.

The Unicorn series is expected to eventually consist of four novels. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.

There are 14 other novels that are completed but not yet published. One of these, The Search, has been entered into a contest. I will discover this spring whether or not it is successful.

If you are interested in any of my novels, they are available on Amazon.com, both as paperback books and as Kindle books. I write under the pen name of Bridget McGowan. I look forward to your comments.

Until next time, believe in your dreams.