There have been a host of fascinating women who have
populated my life and my writings. Without a conscious effort to do so, I’ve
managed to infuse a lot of my fictional female characters with Irish
connections. And on some strange, almost organic level, that legendary Irish
wit, charm, beauty and mystery has added greatly to the dimension and depth of
those characters. For the real ones in
my past life, that aurora just came naturally, I guess.
For example, the name Charlotte and its Irish connotations
have been tracking me for quite a while now. In Celtic, Charlotte is translated
Searlait. It’s now become an indelible part of my life.
My second relationship, after college, was with another
beautiful and vivacious Irish woman named Charlotte. She was in her early
twenties and her strong personality was as radiant as her flowing auburn hair.
Charlotte’s parents had passed away back in Philadelphia and she’d moved west
when I met her for the first time. My wife, Sharon, knew about Charlotte and
was accepting of our relationship. More on that later.
My Irish connections run deep even though my own heritage is
German and French-Canadian.
My son, Brian,
married a Krayer. My daughter, Melanie, married a McMahon. One way or another,
most of my immediate family are either alumni or subway-alumni of the Blue and
Gold. All of them are radical members of the Clan of the Golden Dome.
Then the connections just continue on. My mother-in-law is
named Charlotte. My eldest granddaughter is Maya Charlotte. And, of course, my
youngest granddaughter, SweetPea, is also named Charlotte.
“Follow the Cobbler,” my suspense thriller now in its second
rewrite, features a woman named Katherine as one of its protagonists.
Katherine’s background remains a cauldron of fact and fiction (even to me at
this point) but she can definitely trace her roots back to Celtic times. Irish
folklore and legend figure prominently into her mysterious past. I’m still
trying to sort out her quizzical history which goes all the way back to
medieval times.
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| "Follow the Cobbler" book cover |
My most recent novel, “Love in the A Shau” features an Irish
college student named Colleen (some names in the novel have been changed to
protect the uninitiated). She’s smart, ambitious and of course, beautiful.
Colleen’s challenge in the novel is to remain true to her family’s heritage
while struggling with her deep feelings for someone radically different from
herself.
Irish Music
The folk music I love so much can trace its roots back to
the Irish, Scottish, English and Welsh music of the 18th century.
Those musical styles, themes, rhythms and vocal arrangements have been a part
of our musical heritage for centuries. It’s a long and grand history that
resurfaced for me in the folk revival of the 50s and 60s and the most recently
with the resurgence with groups such as The Lumineers and Elephant Revival.
Temple Bar
The (now defunct) Triangle Bar on the West Bank of the
University of Minnesota figures prominently in my novel “Love in the A Shau.”
Dublin, Ireland, doesn’t have just one Triangle Bar. It’s got dozens. All
located in the Temple Bar area near Trinity College.
Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved
its medieval street pattern of many narrow and winding streets. It’s promoted
as “Dublin’s cultural quarter” and has attracted a large number of bars,
restaurants, museums and other artistic destinations.
Many of the bars and taverns there have the same vibe as the
Triangle Bar did back in the sixties. Even with exorbitant prices and creeping
gentrification, the area still beckons artists and musicians every day.
Avatars Deflecting Reality
Understanding women in real life is tough enough for the
average guy. For a male writer to create fictional female characters out of
real friends and acquaintances is even tougher. Then add subtle changes to hide
their identity and the task becomes even more daunting.
In the same sense, relationships are hard enough to
understand and maintain in real life. Creating them in a fictional world can be
even more intimidating. Often times, the line between reality and fiction can
blur, become focused momentarily and then fade back into vapor trails smeared
across the computer screen. Which woman is an avatar and which is a real
person? Where does the line between imagination and reality end and where does
it pick up again?
Sharon and Melanie, Amy and Maya, Samantha and Charlotte are
real enough. I care deeply for all of them and I think that has helped my
writing. But the line can blur bet-ween fact and fiction, truth and
exaggeration. It’s a constant challenge to start with a fictional character and
not let a real one sneak in to take her place. Or visa-versa.
Is it really Colleen or Sheila, Medbh or Marti, Snow White
or Susan? Some were born in a keystroke…others weren’t. Katherine, Miranda,
Brooke and all my other fictional women are real in my imagination and the
fictional world I’ve created for them. I can see them in my minds-eye. I feel
for them. I care for them. I hope the best for them. And I want to keep it that
way.
So my goal is to strike a balance between the real and
imagined. I’ll try to keep my head in the clouds but my feet planted firmly on
the ground. I’ll recognize reality but coat it liberally and affectionately
with all the subtle enounces of a good story. I will continue to care deeply
for those women as if they were real. Because in my mind, they are.
Charlotte Moves On
After a while, the second Charlotte in my life moved on,
although it took her thirty eight more years to do so. And as much as I found
her to be a fascinating person that I wanted to know in greater depth, it just
wasn’t meant to be. In the end, she developed strong feelings for a gunslinger
and drifter named Jeb Burns. I thought our relationship was over at the end of
my first novel “Apache Death Wind.”
But upon the advice of my editor, I’m changing the ending of
that story and leaving it open-ended for a sequel. As outlined thus far, the
second story will have Charlotte returning to the west with two love interests
in addition to facing the dangers of marauding Apache war parties. Who knows,
she may come back into my life once again.
And if “Follow the Cobbler” works out, there are two more
sequels waiting in the wings for that storyline. I might get to follow
Katherine through more harrowing adventures and life-changing events. And I
might come to better understand that mysterious woman who can trace her roots
back to Maeve, the Irish warrior queen, and other legendary Irish folk heroes.
Three for Three
And even if Katherine, Colleen and Charlotte all fade away,
there are still three strong women to steal my heart and cash in on my
affections. And the youngest may be the most audacious of them all.
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| Maya Papaya |
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| Sami Jam |
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| Sweet Pea |
My granddaughters have already assimilated their Irish
heritage of strong convictions, fearless drive and feminist Zen.
Watch out young men, they’re coming.
And it might not be pretty.
1 comment:
Very interesting, nicely done!
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