Ballingeary, County Cork
We were on our way to the village of Kilcorhane in the
extreme southwestern of the Republic of Ireland, when we stopped for lunch at
Gougane Barra, in Ballingeary, County Cork.
When it
was time to outline Stone Pub, we planned our murders, and this stream, in The Republic of Ireland, became the place where one of the unfortunate victims was
discovered.
Starting
a new series is always exciting. The fear that the lightning bolt moment of
creation will never arrive is ever-present. What will be the central mystery? We have never gone "dry," after
fifteen novels, yet when beginning each book, the anxiety is always there.
We decided to focus on the first of our new
International Mystery series in Ireland.
We visited the Emerald Isle in 2014 and fell in love with the country
and its people. During our stay, we took notice of everywhere we went and
everyone we met. From these experiences, we developed a plot, the mystery, and
some great characters.
While walking through the city of Dublin,
during the last few days of our trip, it started to rain. (In Ireland when it
rains it's always downpour!) To escape the deluge, we walked to the National Museum of Irelands. Not
only did it keep us dry for several hours, but we were amazed at the rich history
of Ireland found in so many
archeological items dug out from ancient peat bogs.
One eye-popping discovery was the Tumna
Gold Balls. They date back to the Late Bronze Age, which means they ended up in
a bog nearly 3,000 years go!
We came home from our trip with wonderful
memories and long-lasting relationships. Then life got back to normal.
When
it came time to plan the series, we thought of all our adventures in Ireland,
and immediately the Gold Balls came to both our minds.
After
several months of planning, that “lightning bolt” moment came, and we knew
immediately how to weave the Gold Balls into the story. Since STONE PUB is set
in 1962, it was easy to work the mystery around the Gold Balls. Once we got the
outline complete, the story fell into place.
When
we began our writing careers, authors would tell us that inspiration will come
in the most unusual places. I didn't understand it until I started publishing,
and it is so-o-o true!
For more information about the Tumna Gold Balls, go to: http://irisharchaeology.ie/2014/05/a-late-bronze-age-gold-necklace-from-tumna-co-roscommon/
