On Being Irish...

by CJ Fosdick

BEING IRISH has distinctions that can’t be ignored. Once I learned my great grandmother was full Irish, I began to appreciate my red hair and freckles. More so after learning the Irish say freckles are Irish camouflage—tattoos of their ancestors! My hub might also agree with what they say about living with an Irish woman. It builds character. She wears her heart on her sleeve and chases rainbows.

     But, like a zillion other people on the planet who claim Irish roots, there is a divide when it comes to place, percentage and gender. If you live in America, you are considered “American-Irish.” If you have only a fraction of Irish, like me, in Ireland you may even be poked by some of the famous Irish wit or sarcasm. As I hung upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland a few years ago, I pleaded with the spotter not to let me drop. “I’m part Irish,” I told him. “Hummph,” he muttered, totally unimpressed.

     Irish men generate a more “unvarnished” assessment than Irish women. Clannish, talkative, opinionated showoffs, who imbibe too much, have turned sports into a religion and wear pride like a second skin. One Irish proverb put it this way: “Many a time a man’s mouth broke his nose.” My late uncle was 100% American-Irish. He was very handsome, with a twinkling eye, but a bottle of Old Milwaukee turned him into a walking encyclopedia that would challenge any fact checker. Proboscis monkeys were a memorable topic that still makes hub and I chuckle. People would make an excuse to leave the room during one of his monologues and Uncle Larry never missed a beat talking to the walls.

     While researching everything Irish for my series, besides location, language and a centuries-old scandal, I created characters that epitomized Irish characteristics. A quiet Irish man, like hero Robbie, aka The Accidental Stranger, would be considered a thoughtful man: charming, loyal, witty and sentimental. Tall, with dark hair, green eyes and a typical wide Irish forehead, Robbie is a match for red-haired American-Irish Jessica who wants to believe he is the man of her dreams. She challenges her own fears and feelings to track truth and solve a timeless mystery. Comparing the Irish view of a quiet Irish man as thoughtful, a quiet Irish woman is said to be getting ready to tear your head off. Either case can be dangerous in real time…or in romantic suspense fiction.

     Armed with a treasury of characterization, deep historic research, plus a tour of Ireland, I had all that was needed to plot my Accidental series. Each book can stand alone but a chain of main characters dance through them, with time travel, mistaken identities, and twists of humor, suspense and romance that forever change the history of a colorful family. Book 2, The Accidental Stranger was a reverse time slip. Book 3, has the time traveler and soulmate on an Irish honeymoon that begins with a plane crash. The plot finds the lovers involved in a dark family secret created by an actual historic scandal. An old Irish view of heartbreak says anything can be solved—or drowned—by tea, holy water or Guinness. In The Accidental Heiress, that solution takes more than a swallow.  HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!! 

Which writers inspire you? Diana Gabaldon, Diana Gabaldon, Diana Gabaldon. While writing my time travel series, I took a break whenever the muse lagged to read at random from any of Diana’s Outlander series. Meeting her was a highlight of two writer conferences even before the Starz TV series immortalized her talent forever. At one WC, laryngitis and nerves felled me before I could read a love scene from my novel. Diana graciously offered to read my excerpt and later pose with me for a picture. A super-fan was born that day. Diana has opened the door wide for multi-genre/time travel/romance writers. Don’t we all need an occasional thump of inspiration to help guide us on the journey ahead…and remember to pass it on?

Find her bookso n Amazon, Nook, ibooks and many other venues.

CJ (right) meeting one of her idols in writing (and mine, too, what a lucky duck), Diana Gabaldon.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, CJ now lives on a hilltop in the famous medical mecca in Rochester, MN where her writing career escalated with published award-winning stories and articles. Rescued horses, dogs, cats, children and one patient husband have motivated the heart of CJ’s multi-genre craft. She has ventured off the hill to climb a waterfall in Jamaica, float in the Dead Sea, kiss the Blarney Stone and always…research settings for the next novel.

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