O’ Shaughnessey: The Faerie Circle by Jeremy McGuire

“The Five-senses-world is a small island in a vast ocean of all we do not know and cannot see; in that ocean, there may be faeries.”

(Taken from the back cover of the book.)

The leprechaun, O’Shaughnessy was first introduced to the world in O’Shaughnessey: A Boy and His Leprechaun. But like all children, the boy in that first book grew up. In The Faerie Circle, Bobby Mahoney is grown and can no longer see leprechauns. The Faerie Circle is the story of Bobby’s twelve year old daughter, Margaret. Margaret is an old soul; she may only be twelve but she acts much wiser than her years. Can a trip to Ireland allow Bobby to get his Sight back? Will the Irish storyteller, Moira, be able to show Margaret that there is a magical world the logical one doesn’t know exists?

McGuire is a master storyteller and has woven the perfect tae of leprechauns, the faerie realm and the heart of Ireland’s mystical world. This is a magical book for young and old alike; a timeless tale to be passed down for generations. If you don’t believe in the “Invisible World”, read this book and you will become a believer! This book is the pot of gold at the end of O’Shaughnessey’s rainbow. Five out of five shamrocks!!

Be sure to check out his website and blog. His posts are inspired!!
(Black and white pictures are illustrations from the book.)

Fireside with McGuire and O'Shaughnessey

This book was provided by the author. In the paperwork for the press kit was this wonderful quote:

“We are the dream-weavers, the myth-makers, the chroniclers of our world with all its joy and sorrow, mystery and magic. Of all creatures on this globe, we are the only storytellers.”

Here is an audio interview of Jeremy McGuire with BlogTalkRadio: Click here.

This St. Patrick’s Day May Your World Be Filled With All The Magic Ireland Inspires!!

Book Review - Septimus Heap: Book 5 Syren by Angie Sage

Syren is the fifth book in the Septimus Heap series written by English author Angie Sage. Having not read the first four books in the series, I not sure whether, I would have had a better understanding of the characters. While this book can be read as a stand alone, one gets the impression of joining a group of friends who all grew up together. In this book Septimus has returned from his Queste. His friends are waiting at a trading post for Septimus to return and take them home, but along the way Septimus becomes stranded on a mysterious island. Before he starts this particular journey Septimus is promoted to senior apprentice and this promotion enables him to take off on his trusted dragon friend Spit Fyre to retrieve his friends from the trading post. The story has several arcs. The story of Aunt Zelda, Wolf Boy, Lucy and the Port Witch; Jenna and Beetle with Milo and his fellow henchmen; Septimus and Spit Fyre on the mysterious island with Syrah. This book is full of adventure, magyck and rich details to enchant the preteen audience it is aimed at. As for me, an adult, I found the book a little slow to engage at the beginning and that it jumped around a bit too much for my taste, however, I can see how the young audience it is aimed at will fall in love with the characters and their adventure. The highlight for me was the magnificent illustrations done by artist Mark Zug. His work is truly inspired and gives life to the characters. I give this three out of five magyckal charms because while it was not the most enjoyable for me to read, I believe it’s target audience will enjoy it.

This is Spit Fyre by Mark Zug. Just one of his wonderful illustrations. make sure you check out his website for more of his fabulous work. http://markzug.com/








This book was provided by the author and will be given to a lucky commenter.

DVD- Krull

Before Liam Nesson was a household name; before Robbie Coltraine was Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, they played escaped criminals turned warriors in this mid-80's heroic fantasy movie, Krull.    ************************    When the alien Beast and his army of slayers land on the world of Krull in there mountain-like ship known as the Black Fortress, two rival kingdoms will form and alliance to save their planet. An ancient prophecy, fortells a girl of ancient name shall become queen, that she shall choose a king, and that together they shall rule their world and that their son will rule the galaxy. the Beast is determined to insure he benifits from this prophecy and he kidnaps Princess Lyssa on the day she is to wed Prince Culwyn and kills their families. Culwyn is the only survivor of the attack, and he must rescue Lyssa from the Beast's clutches. First he must find an ancient and magical weapon called the Glaive, then find a way to locate the Black Fortress where Lyssa is being held. Making the task more difficult, the Black Fortress relocates every dawn. On his journey he will be joined by many interesting characters, including a bumbling magician, as they form an unlikely army to save the princess and the world.

I won't tell you if they succeed but I will say this is one of my favorite films. It has some cheesy moments as many fantasy movies did back then. The film crew built twenty-three amazing sets for this movie and visually it is breath taking. When you watch this film you have to remind yourself that true artist made this film long before movie makers became overly dependent on CGI technology. The storyline is based on Dungeons & Dragons. The movie is filled with action and thrills.

Although not a scary movie, the sci-fi elements make it a great Halloween choice.

DVD- Ink Heart

Every writer wants to see their characters come alive, just as every reader wants to be swept away in the story. I bought the book, Ink Heart several years ago, honestly because it had a really cool cover and the story sounded intriguing. As with many of the books I buy this way, it is still sitting in my pile of to be read. Luckily that pile is down to about 80-90 books now, instead of covering every free inch of space. Now if only I could cure my addiction for buying more books. But I digress.

Like most most people, if I read a book first, I generally don't like the way the film industry butchers it. Where as if I see the movie first and then read the book, I'm not as critical. (One will have to look for a future post, once I get to the book for my thoughts on how they compare.) Ink Heart, the movie, is a feel good "fluffy" movie. Yes, I'm sure there are some pearls of wisdom the directors and writers are trying to impart but it's really just an entertaining little fantasy and a great family film. As a film maker, it's nice to see a story brought to life where all the elements are masterfully handled. The acting is great. The sets, props, costumes and cinematography came together beautifully. This film is reminiscent of The Princess Bride, Neverending Story, Dragonheart, to name a few.

Here's a synopsis of the story..... Unbeknownst to his daughter, Mo (Brendan Fraser) has a secret he has been running from for the past ten years. He's a "silvertongue". If he reads the words of a book out loud, he brings part of the stories to life. Unfortunately there are a few small drawbacks. One, someone else gets sent into the book. The other drawback is he is never quite sure what he will bring out, so he hides his gift until he can no longer run from the villains he brought to life in the past. Mo must find away to keep his family safe while sending the magical characters from the medieval story of Ink Heart back to the pages they sprang from. Marvel as some of the amazing characters from your classic stories are brought to life and see if he succeeds in his battle to save the world from the more nefarious rogues.

Check out he official website - http://www.inkheartmovie.com/

and the trailer - http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi3394240537/