Author Information:
about Irish the Demon Slayer . . .
In the early 1960s, I heard and never forgot a re-broadcast KPFA radio interview of the wonderful Irish poet Ella Young. She related to nature in a spiritual way, talking to trees and even rocks, conversing with them regularly, much to the astonishment of the interviewer. I feel that same connection to nature, so it was natural while thinking about this novel and reminiscing about roaming the hills of Marin County with my two best friends when I was 12, to add talking trees.
Then, while exploring Irish lore, I discovered the comprehensive treatise on Cuchulain of Muirthemne by Lady Augusta Gregory, a colleague and friend of William Butler Yeats. I was fascinated by the character and the myth, so Cuchulain and some of his contemporaries joined my story. It also began approximately two years of collecting and studying Celtic mythology, culminating in a tour of locations in Ireland that I used in the novel.
Of course there was also the influence from my Irish heritage and my Irish high school in San Francisco, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, where the sports teams were known as the Fightin' Irish.
about María's Beads . . .
As a little girl, my wife lived in Salinas, next door to her best friend, who contracted a potentially fatal kidney disease. Her personal real experience was the seed for a short story that blossomed into this novel involving Huichol culture, a mystical curandera and the Hispanic community.
about the author . . .
While writing these two novels, I attended six semesters of college level creative writing, and eight years of writing workshops and conferences. My recent published work includes poetry in the literary magazine, First Leaves, flash
fiction on the literary website,
tiny-lights.com
and film reviews on a writer's website, hazelst.com.
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) member and North Bay SCBWI volunteer moderator.
Redwood Writers a division of the California Writer's Club (CWC) member.
Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA) member.
My recent works of fiction followed technical writing, newsletters and magazine articles during
my career as a technical manager in the Silicon Valley computer industry.
University of California at Berkeley alumni life member.
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) life member.
Contact me at charles-t@charlesmarkee.com or
