The cast members include Janet, an American teen whose grandfather serves as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland; Liam, an Irish teen whose father is the King of Ireland; and, members of Ireland’s unpredictable fairy clans. It’s the leprechauns who shake things up in A Pot of Glimmer, a rollicking ride spanning centuries.
Here’s the Blurb (an Excerpt follows):
A leprechaun’s feud with a Viking ghoul puts Liam and Janet in deadly danger…
Ireland - January 1014 Fledgling leprechaun Awley O’Hay leads a raid on a Dublin mint. The mission:steal a shipment of coins to aid the High King, Brian Boru, in his war against the Vikings. Awley and his team plan the heist with commando precision, but they hit a glitch and only escape a bloodthirsty mob with the help of Hazel, the uncommon sister of one of the leprechauns. Yet the money master’s vengeful ghost troubles Awley for centuries. So do Awley’s forbidden feelings for Hazel.
Ireland - July 2015 Janet Gleason has had her fill of fairies. They’ve not only plagued the American teen since she arrived in Dublin, they’ve also hindered her romance with her gallant friend, Prince Liam Boru. When Janet’s grandfather, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, throws a Fourth of July celebration, Liam reluctantly attends with the rest of the royal family.
Also attending are several uninvited guests. A fairy witch named Becula arrives with Hazel, her clever and quirky protégée, to beg a favor of Janet. The unplanned appearance of Awley O’Hay and his leprechaun pals triggers a chilling visit from the money master, now an undead monster hungry for human flesh.
Liam and Janet fall into a nightmare that tests their courage in ways they never imagined. Nor did they imagine that real leprechauns are nothing like the “little men” of Irish lore.
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Excerpt
- Young love has its problems, but Janet and Liam seem to have more than their fair
share of trouble. Can they rekindle their former romance? Should they?
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The
formal reception room beside the foyer seemed a silly place for teens in casual
clothes to meet. When Janet first came to Deerfield House, she’d disliked the
opulent room and its overwhelming chandelier. She’d thought it pretentious and
fussy. Now it was merely another room. Liam and Kevin must feel that way about
their royal digs, she thought as she slipped in behind them, her theater eye
regarding them as actors on a stunning set.
Only
inches apart, Kevin and Matti were laughing. Liam stood away from them, saying
nothing, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his tailored jeans. He wore contact
lenses instead of his gold-rimmed glasses. His hunter green rugby shirt set off
his dark red hair and cinnamon eyes and flattered his well-toned physique. He
needed a haircut. A sudden desire to touch the rebellious curls at the tops of
his ears confused her.
Waving
the shears, she made her entrance as if she were following chalk marks on a stage.
“Hi, guys.”
Liam
turned. His eyes grew wide. He slapped his hands over his heart. “I beg you,
lady young and fair, to lay your weapons down!”
His dramatic performance made
her chuckle. She laughed out loud at the agonized look on Kevin’s face.
“Eejit,”
he said. “I wouldn’t blame her if she skewered you.”
“Aw,
come on, Kev,” Matti said. “I like Liam’s poems.”
Liam
made a slight bow. “Thank you, fair Matti.”
“Gee,”
she said. “I’m starting to wish I had a weapon too.”
“You
don’t need one,” Liam said. “Your tresses black, your garnet lips, your cutting
azure glance, can murder unsuspecting swains with neither knife nor lance.”
Kevin
groaned. “I’m losing the will to live here. What’s the garden stuff for,
anyway? I thought we were going to the zoo.”
“We
are.” Still grinning at Liam’s theatrics, Janet placed the shears in the
basket. “My grandfather asked me to put these away. Why don’t you two go on
ahead? We’ll catch up.”
Kevin
and Matti happily agreed. Janet opened the front door Out on the lawn, workers
were clearing yesterday’s stands and tents. Chatting away, Kevin and
Matti ambled down the sun-drenched driveway. A burst of noise from the workmen
drowned out their conversation.
Liam
took the basket from Janet. “Where’s the shed?” he shouted.
She
pointed to the right. They strolled to the back of the house, where stands of
thick green shrubs subdued the racket. As they turned up the path to the shed,
they both spoke at the same time.
“Sorry,”
he said.
“No,
I’m sorry. What were you going to say?”
“Only…nothing.
Are you coming to my father’s birthday outing tomorrow?”
“I
don’t think so. Matti’s here. We have plans.”
“You
know she’d be welcome. Kevin will be there.”
Janet
reached for the latch on the potting shed door. “I know, but—”
“But
one day with the Boru boys is enough for you, eh?” He spoke with the comical
flair he’d used to recite his poem. Then he grew more serious. “I’m sorry
you’re stuck with me today.”
Her
hand hung suspended over the latch. “What are you talking about? I was going to
apologize for putting you in an awkward situation.”
“It’s
not awkward, Jan.” He kicked at the grass. “Well, maybe a little, but only because
you said you didn’t want to see me anymore. It’s Kevin. He asked me to come,
y’see. He thought Matti wouldn’t want to be alone with him. Guess he was wrong
about that.”
“Yeah,
I guess.” Thoughts scrambling, Janet opened the door and placed the basket on
the potting bench. The pungent odor of cow manure wrinkled her nose. She wasted
no time escaping the shed and shutting the door, and not because of the smell.
She
wanted to touch those curls at the tops of Liam’s ears. “Liam, I like you. A
lot. I’d like you even if you hadn’t saved me from the fairies. Twice.”
“That’s
a memorable reason, I expect.”
“But
it’s not the only reason. You’re a great guy, and I’m glad we’re friends. I
have no problem with us having a date today, as long as it’s okay with you. I just
don’t want a steady boyfriend.”
“So
you’ve said, and I agree. I’m glad we’re friends too. Anyway, the best you’d
get with me is an unsteady boyfriend.” He caught her hands and drew them to his
lips for a pair of proper royal kisses.
Not
fair, Liam!
His
eyes seemed locked in place, so intensely did he stare at her. She eased her
hands from his, not to escape his handclasp, but to touch those curls at the
tops of his ears. She had to stand on her toes to reach them. When she did, he
hooked his arms around her and hugged her tight.
The
woodsy scent of him entranced her. Was that pounding heartbeat his or hers? No
longer caring about steady or unsteady anything, she raised her chin in hopes
he’d kiss her.
He
did, a neat little peck that chased all thought from her buzzing head, but he
broke their embrace and backed away. “I’m sorry, Jan.”
“I’m
not.” She ran her hands from his sturdy chest to the back of his neck and drew
his head to hers for the lingering, pulsing sort of kiss they’d often shared.
“I mean, I am,” she said when she could speak again. “Oh Li, I don’t know what
I mean!”
He
opened his mouth to respond. A woman’s piercing cry cut him off.
“Is
somebody there? Help me! Oh, please help me!”
Janet exchanged “uh oh”
looks with Liam. “Where are you?” she called.
“Herbs!
Please help me!”
Liam’s
gaze raked the sunlit lawn. “Where are the herbs, Jan?”
“This
way.” She pivoted left.
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Boston, Massachusetts native Pat McDermott writes romantic
action/adventure stories set in an Ireland that might have been. Glancing
Through the Glimmer, Autumn Glimmer, and A Pot of Glimmer are young adult paranormal adventures featuring
Ireland's
mischievous fairies. The Glimmer Books are "prequels" to her popular Band of Roses Trilogy: A
Band of Roses, Fiery Roses, and Salty Roses. The Rosewood
Whistle is her first contemporary romance.
Pat’s favorite non-writing activities include cooking, hiking, reading, and
traveling, especially to Ireland. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA. Excerpts
from her books are available on her website: http://www.patmcdermott.net
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A Pot of Glimmer /
Available in Print and eBook
