Erin’s Children by Eileen O’Finlan ~ Spotlight

Posted December 9, 2020 by karenbaron in Blog Tour, Contest - Giveaway, Historical Fiction, Spotlight / 1 Comment

Erin’s Children

Series: Kelegeen #2

Author: Eileen O’Finlan

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 412

Release Date: December 1, 2020, by BWL Publishing, Inc

Summary:

In 1851 Irish Famine survivor, Meg O’Connor, buys passage to America for her younger sister, Kathleen, and arranges employment for her as a maid. Kathleen’s feisty spirit soon puts her at odds with her employers, the bigoted and predatory Pratts. Driven from their home, Kathleen ends up on a wild adventure taking her to places she could never have imagined.

As a domestic servant in the Worcester, Massachusetts home of the kindly Claprood family, Meg enjoys a life beyond her wildest imaginings. Yet she must keep her marriage to Rory Quinn a secret. Rory, still in Ireland, eagerly awaits the day he will join her. But as the only jobs open to Irish men pay poorly, Rory’s imminent arrival threatens to plunge her back into dire poverty.

On the eve of the Civil War, while America is being rent asunder by the fight over slavery, Irish Catholics wage their own war with the growing anti-immigrant Know Nothing party. Through grave doubts, dangers, and turmoil, Meg and Kathleen must rely on their faith and the resilient bonds of sisterhood to survive and claim their destinies in a new and often hostile land.

Excerpt

“I hope you’re not lazy. You can’t sleep all day and expect to keep a job.” Kathleen peered up at Sophronia Pratt, a tall, broad-shouldered matron with a sour turn to her mouth.

A sideways peek out the kitchen window, told her it was barely past dawn.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” she muttered.

“You must rouse yourself ahead of the family. It is your job to have our breakfast ready by the time we’re up.”

“Aye, Ma’am,” Kathleen answered as she rolled up the straw mattress that Mrs. Pratt had given her the night before. Mrs. Pratt explained that they were preparing a section of the attic for her, but it was not yet ready. Meanwhile, she would sleep on the floor of the kitchen, storing the mattress in the cupboard.

“The word is ‘yes’.”

“Ma’am?”

“You said ‘aye.’ In this country, we say, ‘yes.’ You will learn to use proper English in this home.”

“I’ll do my best,” Kathleen said.

“Let’s get on with breakfast. You need to get the stove going first. I understand that you Irish girls are unfamiliar with their workings.”

“’Tis true. I’ve never laid eyes upon such a grand contraption in all my days, though my sister, Meg, did tell me about it. She calls the one at the Claproods “The Beast”, she does,” Kathleen said, marveling at the cast iron giant hulking against the wall.

“Does she indeed?”

Mrs. Pratt’s features had distorted into such a disapproving arrangement that Kathleen did not respond.

“I do hope our stove will be to your satisfaction,” Mrs. Pratt said.

About the Author

Eileen O’Finlan calls her writing “history with a twist” because she is intrigued by the unusual and little known aspects of history – the stories on history’s margins, the things rarely taught in the classroom. For her, that’s where history really gets fun.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, her family moved to Worcester when she was two. Four years later they moved to Holden where Eileen grew up and where she now resides with her 93 year old mother and two cats.

Eileen holds a Bachelor’s degree in history and a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry. She works full time for the Diocese of Worcester and teaches online courses in Catholic studies for the University of Dayton, Ohio. She is proud to say that Pope Francis owns a copy of her debut novel, Kelegeen. Erin’s Children, the sequel to Kelegeen, will be released by BWL Publishing, Inc. in December of 2020.