Erin Hart.com

 

home

books

biography

news

reviews

appearances

interviews

media kit

book clubs

mailing list

links

order now

contact

Ever since HAUNTED GROUND was first published in 2003, I’ve had great pleasure meeting and corresponding with people from all over the country and all over the world. Even after all this time, I confess I’m still a little stunned— and incredibly honored to have been nominated and selected for a number of awards.  I'd like to offer a sincere and grateful thank you to all the wonderful readers, booksellers, librarians, and fellow writers who have helped to make this such an incredible and rewarding trip!



THE LATEST NEWS...

NEW WAYS TO COMMUNICATE  :::  I'm now on Facebook and Twitter, for those who'd like to keep up that way... Bear with me while I figure all this out!

06/29/09 :::  You can now join an Erin Hart Fan Club at GoodReads—sort of an online book club about my work! Thanks a million to the wonderful Cassie for setting it up. I'll check in with the group as often as I can...

06/02/09  :::  Just saw the new cover design and sample layout pages for FALSE MERMAID—will post visuals as soon as I can. It's looking great! See more on the News page..

06/02/09 ::: FALSE MERMAID BOOK TOUR - MARCH/APRIL 2010
It's never too early to plan tour dates! Please contact Erin or Heidi Richter at Scribner for information on setting up a book tour event for March/April 2010...


03/01/09  :::  FALSE MERMAID is now in the copyeditor's hands, and publication is scheduled for March 2010. In this storyas everyone must know by nowNora  returns home to Saint Paul, Minnesota to re-open her sister's unsolved murder...

The story is also set partly in southwest Donegal. Here's a link to some pictures of the actual place in Ireland that stood in for my fictional abandoned village.  Port, Co. Donegal
is an actual place, just north of Glencolumcille. The name means 'Harbor,' but in the story I've changed the name to Port na Rón, which means 'Seal Harbor.'

LISTEN to this wonderful rendition of "An Mhaighdean Mhara," sung by Máire Brennan (of Clannad), Máiréad Ní Mhaonaigh (of Altan), and Máiréad Ní Domhnaill.

The story of a fisherman marrying a sea maid is common in the oral tradition in Ireland and Northwestern Europe. This version come from the singing of Áine Uí Laoi, Dobhair Láir, Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Dhún na nGall, who learned it from Síle Mhicí Uí Ghallchóir. Síle called the song "Amhrán Thoraí" and knew many more verses to it. The song is a conversation between the sea maid and her daughter, Máire. The sea maid has left her family and returned to the sea after finding her magic cloak (or sealskin in many versions) stolen from her by the fisherman. As long as she is without her skin, she cannot return to the sea. The song figures in
FALSE MERMAID (coming in March 2010!)

LS paper08/01/07 :::  BIG NEWS FOR BOOK CLUBS
LAKE OF SORROWS is officially out on August 7, 2007 in trade paperback format—a special book club edition! I hope to be visiting with lots of book clubs (either in person or over the phone) this fall and winter. More details here...

You should be able to find the new edition of LAKE OF SORROWS at your local independent bookstore, at most chains, and online. And if you need a signed copy, just check in with my local bookstore, Once Upon A Crime in Minneapolis, and we'll get you fixed up.





CHECK BACK AGAIN ::: Check back often for more news and an updated list of readings and appearances. Or if you’d like to receive notice of the next book or the next tour stop in your city, you can sign up for the mailing list.



NEW RECOMMENDED READING PAGE  ::: 
A wonderful reader suggested that I post a page to let people know what I've been reading, listing a few favorite books, etc. So here it is! I've also listed some favorite movies and actors, and will keep adding to this as I try to burn through the TBR. God help me if it turns into a blog! Recommended reading...


Stranger at the Gate

LIKE IRISH MUSIC? :::  Fans of Irish traditional music can find out more about my husband, button accordion player Paddy O’Brien, at his band websites, Chulrua and The Doon Céilí Band, and more about Paddy and his amazing tune collection (500 jigs and reels) at tunecollection.com.

MUSIC DOWNLOADS ::: While I'm still listening to my favorite old LPs, the rest of the world is downloading and carrying around music in tiny little iPods and MP3 players. If you'd like to hear Paddy, you can download his music from lots of different sites, including: 

  itunes.com   |   calabashmusic.com   |   emusic.com

and many others as well. Look for a song called "The Wounded Hussar" from Paddy's album Stranger at the Gate and you can even hear me singing!

Thanks to the marvels of even more modern technology, you can also now order Paddy's CDs from him at his band website.




THE BOG CONNECTION ::: There’s been a lot of publicity recently about two bog men found not long ago in the Irish midlands. The BBC and PBS/Nova have both done fascinating documentaries about the pair, known as Clonycavan Man and Old Croghan Man. Both seem to have been victims of ritual sacrifice.

As it turns out, I have a family connection to Old Croghan Man...

In the spring of 2003, as HAUNTED GROUND was being published in Britain and Ireland, I was finishing up work on LAKE OF SORROWS and wishing for a few more real-life details about ancient bog remains. I knew some of the corpses found in bogs were believed to be Iron Age sacrifices—that’s actually what LAKE OF SORROWS is all about.OldCroghan

Then a friend sent along a newspaper story about a recent grisly discovery on an Irish bog—a body that museum experts figured to be around 2,000 years old. The body that came to be known as Old Croghan Man was discovered in County Offaly, only about a mile from where my husband Paddy was born. I knew he’d be interested, so I started reading the piece aloud. It happened to mention the name of the local man who’d found the body:

“When he stepped out of his mechanical digger and close to the body, farmer Kevin Barry particularly noticed the fingernails were still intact.”

Paddy’s head shot up. “Did you say Kevin Barry?” he asked. I checked the name again—yes, Kevin Barry, from just outside the village of Daingean. Paddy said, “I think that fella's my cousin.”

We were on our way to Ireland, so of course we phoned up Kevin as soon as we landed in Offaly. He very kindly took us out to the site and described in detail exactly how he'd found the 2,000-year-old corpse.

And of course all those details about Old Croghan Man—right down to his braided leather armband—went directly into LAKE OF SORROWS.


Update 6/21/06
::: Iron Age men found buried in peat bogs are on exhibit at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. The display, 'Kingship and Sacrifice: An exhibition of bog bodies and related finds,'  was officially opened this week by Arts Minister John O'Donoghue. The ancient remains were found in a preserved state in 2003 at Oldcroghan, Co. Offaly, and Clonycavan, Co. Meath. The exhibition explores the theory that bog men were victims of sovereignty and kingship rituals during the Iron Age. Objects on display include horse trappings, weapons, feasting utensils and textiles. Admission to the Museum on Kildare Street is free.


And now for all those who've just been dying to know...

Q:  I am going crazy trying to figure out how to pronounce the name ‘Aoife.’ Please help!

A:  It’s actually pronounced ‘EE-feh’! Any time you see the letters A-O-I in sequence, at least in Irish, it’s pronounced as a long ‘E’ sound. Check out other strange words and expressions in the pronunciation guide and glossary.

 

Thanks again for visiting—slán go fóill!

P.S. I’d love to hear your feedback about this site...


Site design: Kapiolani Design. Contents of this site Copyright © 2009 by Erin Hart. No content may be sold, reproduced or used without the written permission of the copyright holder.


home | books | news | reviews | biography | appearances | contact

Updated 06/29/09



IN BOOKSTORES
AUGUST 2007

Read Reviews

Read An Excerpt

Readers Guide

Order this Book


LoveReading.co.uk
get excerpts and
find similar authors