My new novel 'The Cry of the Sebac' has just been published on Amazon Kindle

It gives me great pleasure to announce that my new novel, 'The Cry of the Sebac', has just been published

on Amazon Kindle.

I am the Sebac Gaoth,
the Hawk on the Wind,
one who has lived beyond memory.
I have listened to the tune of the earth
since before time began
but the music of the world grows sad.

A 12-year-old boy called Fintan meets a mysterious talking bird who claims to have lived forever. The bird, who describes himself as the Sebac Gaoth (the Hawk on the Wind), wants to warn the boy about the danger facing mankind, and to bring him to a fantastic revelation about his own origins and destiny.

The Sebac is a manifestation of ancient wisdom. In the Irish mythic tradition, the hawk appears as a shamanic presence, a voice from the ancient world. The boy represents innocence, but Fintan is about to come of age, and his experiences with the Sebac mark an initiation of sorts, a transition from ordinary mortal to the heroic figure of salvation that mankind desperately needs.

But what can one boy do in the face of such tremendous adversity?

As he journeys through mind and spirit and cosmos, the boy meets several of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Prophecy says they will help man in one final battle against darkness. But the Dananns have their own ideas about who the Samildánach (the Many-Gifted) is, and they want to reveal the one who will shine light into the darkest places and battle to prevent the fall of mankind.

You can purchase the novel on Amazon.com here:
http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Sebac-Anthony-Murphy-ebook/dp/B01DE75Z50/

And on Amazon.co.uk here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cry-Sebac-Anthony-Murphy-ebook/dp/B01DE75Z50/

You might also want to check out my author page on Amazon, and indeed my other books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B001JOY804

The book has its own website which you can view here:
http://thecryofthesebac.blogspot.com

I had awoken from the most magnificent dream

Another quote from LOTELO. Please feel free to download and share.

You can now order a printed copy of 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' online at Mythical Ireland

You can now order printed copies of 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones'. The order page is on the Mythical Ireland website. Above is a photo of some neatly-arranged copies of the book which has just arrived from the printer in recent days. Some of you might have purchased the Amazon Kindle version, but I know lots of people want a physical printed version. Now you can easily order it using a credit/Visa card or PayPal using the button on the Mythical Ireland page.

Because this book is self-published, I don't yet have a distributor, so copies are only available direct from me at this time. The book is priced at 7 euro. If you are in Ireland, postage and packaging will be an extra €2. If you are anywhere else in the world, P&P is €4.

Don't forget that if you were anywhere in Ireland, you are welcome to attend the book's official launch this Friday, November 29th, in The Barbican Centre, William Street, Drogheda, at 7.30pm. Thanks.

Free signed copies being posted to donors tomorrow

This book would not have been possible in printed format without the support of all those who donated towards its printing. Right now my wife Ann is carefully wrapping copies of LOTELO that I have signed for the donors - they will be going out in the post tomorrow. Thank you to each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart.

The Dagda has come, bringing light into the darkest places

Another quote from Land of the Ever-Living Ones. The book will be launched in The Barbican Centre, Drogheda, on Friday, November 29th, at 7.30pm. Guest of honour: Róisín Fitzpatrick, Artist of the Light. With music by Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin. Wine/soft drinks and snacks will be served. See you there!

The moon says 'I am yours. I am forever'

Another quote from 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones'. The good news is that the book is ready for print, and the cover is finished. The files will hopefully be sent to the printer in the next few days.

The flaming globe: an inferno of hope that breaks the dawn . . .

Another quote from the forthcoming novella 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones'. I am glad to report that we are almost at the target for donations and are currently talking to a printer with a view to getting the book published within the next week or so. Thank you for all your support so far. 

The wind speaks vehemently of its lonely sojourn

Another quote from Land of the Ever-Living Ones. At this moment, one final proofreading is taking place, and the book is about 98% ready for print and eBook distribution. If you would like to donate towards the printing costs and to support me in getting this work out to the public, please click on the link below. Every donation helps. Thank you.

The meeting point of ancestors and descendants

Work continues apace to have 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' prepared for publication. The design of the inside of the book is done, and one proof has already been completed. A proofreader is currently checking the text for mistakes and typos, and all going well it will be ready for print within days. I am planning to release the book on Amazon Kindle also, so will be formatting that version within days also. Above is a quote from the forthcoming novella. I hope you like it. Feel free to share this on with your friends and on social media.

Working on the cover design for LOTELO

I have been referring to 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' by its acronym, LOTELO, and I have become quite fond of its short name. I came up with three possible cover designs and asked people on my Facebook pages to vote for their favourite, and to rate them according to a list of key words relating to the book's themes. Here are the three cover designs:

I asked people to consider the following key words when they were choosing their favourite: air, wind, fire, water, earth, monuments, prehistory, Ireland, mythology, otherworld, heaven, stars, celestial, cosmic, mysticism, ancestors, transformation, learning, knowledge, wisdom, death, rebirth, solstice, night and day.

The middle cover was by far the most popular, with the votes working out at a ratio of 1:2:1. I ruled out the right-hand cover altogether because many people thought its colouring was similar to the cover of 'Island of the Setting Sun', even though it is a beautiful cover nonetheless. Several people thought the middle cover could do with a bit of colour punch and depth, so I decided that, in keeping with one of the central themes of the book, I would add some stars into the sky and darken it up a bit. What I ended up doing was taking the sky from the left-hand image (stars over Dowth) and pasting it into the middle image. Here is what I came up with:

A draft cover for LOTELO.

I continue to work on editing the book. One major edit was done last weekend, and a second major edit is now being completed. When that's done, hopefully in a day or two, I will give a copy of the manuscript to two proof-readers to ensure it's all okay. At that stage, I hope to select a printer and get it off to print. In the meantime, I will try to format it for Amazon Kindle, where it will be available as an eBook.

All going well, I will be launching the book in Drogheda in early November, to coincide with Samhain. Hope to see you there!

Announcing my first work of fiction - 'Land of the Ever Living Ones'

ANNOUNCEMENT

I am taking a giant leap into the realm of fiction!

My first work of fiction, a novella called 'Land of the Ever Living Ones', is nearing completion. The text is finished, and is currently being edited. I am planning to publish the book at Samhain, and if all goes to plan there will be both a printed version and an eBook version.

Land of the Ever-Living Ones is an extraordinary dialogue between an old man and a young boy that reaches into cosmic and spiritual realms. In one fireside conversation, they sweep the universe with discussion about many different things, including natural phenomena, the mysteries of life and the question of what happens to us when we die.

The old man (sean draoi) has gained much knowledge and wisdom during his life, and readily imparts it to the eager young boy, who is full of questions.

Tír na mBeo (Land of the Ever Living Ones) was an ancient Irish name for the otherworld, the place to which the soul was believed to have gone after death. In this wide-ranging conversation, the man takes the boy on a journey into his own ancestral past, and through lesson, metaphor, story and dream, creates for him a stunning insight into his spiritual existence and his quest for eternity.

The journey is a magical and powerful one, evoking both ecstasy and melancholy, for lost ancestors, for the frailties of mankind, and for the sometimes harsh lessons of worldly life. However, it is an optimistic tale, one that stirs up great hope for the eventual destiny of the boy, and for all his kin.

Its central message is one of hope – that there is some reward beyond this life, and that all our struggles on this earth are not in vain.