A 12th Century Irish woman sets out on the legendary voyage to America of Prince Madog of Wales. Aisling, a failed seer, stows away on the ship belonging to the Welsh prince, Madog, to be with her brother. After months at sea, she falls overboard during a storm and washes ashore on the American gulf coast. Caxna, a Tlingit trader and former shaman, finds her and reluctantly agrees to let her join him on a trading journey to the Mayan city of Xicallanca and later Etowah (modern Georgia), in the hopes she might find Madog and her brother. For Caxna the journey is a means to eventually free his clan. But Aisling changes everything.

Along the Far Shores (Celtic Knot Series)

Literature & Fiction

Gleeson, Kristin

United States

An Tig Beag Press

Ireland 590 A.D. A woman is found by a track, nearly dead from appalling wounds and remembers nothing. Her terror and her injuries are so great that she is given sanctuary in Mother Gobnait's unusual community of nuns, while all around her a war is being waged in which she is a pawn. The women name her Aine. Disturbing fragments of Áine’s memory begin to surface, and in desperation she asks to remain in the safety of the community, but is it really safe for her anywhere? It is only after events take another terrible turn that Áine is forced to discover who she really is and make life-changing choices – but will they prove to be her undoing? A literary novel inspired by real women - complex female characters who strain against the cruel chains and crippling prejudices of a society where no woman has power. Except, perhaps, one… ‘a fascinating novel that gives a real sense of life as it might have been during one of the most turbulent periods in Irish history….There is evidence of meticulous research, and it is difficult not to be impressed by how the author manages to blend fiction with legend, keeping faithful to the stories surrounding St Gobnait, but building a narrative against these given details, one that spins off in its own intriguing directions. ..Miss Gleeson’s natural storytelling guile and clear functional prose keeps the focus intact… Ultimately this is a fascinating story, one that not only shines a light on an often overlooked period of Ireland’s past, but also meditates on such fundamental facts of life as identity, family loyalty, love, faith and justice.’ Irish Examiner Kristin Gleeson has performed with admirable deftness the difficult trick of sweeping the reader back in time to the distant emotional and physical landscapes of 6th century Ireland. The result is a highly readable and continuously rewarding novel that the reader does not want to end—Tim Weed, author of "Will Poole’s Island" I found in this well-told story, the first strokes of paint on the huge, mostly blank, canvas that is our image and perception of our Irish or Gaelic past - the canvas of our increasingly dispossessed native culture. I found myself drawn into a realm that felt oddly familiar and full of cultural touchstones of the indigenous Irish past, faint echoes of which still linger in parts of this island today. "In Praise of the Bees" is a good read. Guím faoi scáth is dídean Gobnait is Abáin tú – go mairir—Peadar Ó Riada

In Praise of the Bees (Women of Ireland)

Literary

Belfast and Alaska 1889. A young woman haunted by her mother's death embarks on an Alaskan adventure to escape an unwanted marriage.Cunning and determination get her there in the guise of teaching at the Tlingit Indian mission. But Alaska proves more difficult than she imagined, and the hope that this new place will transform her seems out of reach with the impossible Mrs Paxson and the mysterious, troubled Tlingit Indian, Natsilane.'...this is a beautifully calibrated and vivid and interesting historical novel about love and death in the North American wilderness, ...the characters are fascinating, ... the evocation of the natural world and the social customs and practices of Tlingit is assured and convincing, and... the story, albeit melancholy, is unfailingly engaging. I wish it well.' Carlo Gebler, The Siege of Derry'A fable as gentle as Irish laughter and as lyrical as Irish song. A magical love story of a girl who must cross the world to find the one place where she can belong.' Karen Maitland, The Raven's Head

Selkie Dreams (Celtic Knot Series)

England 1445 After four years, the threat of arrest for witchcraft still hangs over Barnabas and he dare not return to England for his childhood sweetheart, Alys, as promised. Still under the tutelage of Mustapha al Qali and posing as Giacomo, he is taken across Christendom in search of a mysterious manuscript. Barnabas grows more resentful of al Qali's tight control and secretly tries to create his own enterprise that will eventually free him. But al Qali has other plans that take them both into danger. Alys, attendant to the disgraced and exiled Duchess of Gloucester, finds herself dismissed with nowhere to go. Her only hope is to find Barnabas, but her journey leads her into perils that change her circumstances irrevocably in ways she could never have imagined. If she finds Barnabas will he recognise who she has become, and will he still want her?

The Sea of Travail (The Renaissance Sojourner Series)

Genre Fiction

Scotland, Summer 1556 Are loyalty and honour more important than love? After escaping the clutches of wily Laird Glenorchy, Abby Gordon arrives at the MacGregor stronghold of Glen Strae hoping that her friend and ally Iain MacGregor will help her find out what happened to her father. But all is not well with the clan and Iain's sudden appearance initiates a chain of events that plunges the clan into certain disaster and threatens to make Iain an outlaw. As Abby feelings for Iain strengthen while she strives to help reclaim Iain’s honour and the clan’s, the truth of her father’s disappearance begins to unfold. Ultimately, both Iain and Abby find they must choose between loyalty and love. Filled with breath taking emotional drama, intrigue and romance, the novel takes the reader on an adventure that readers of Diana Gabaldon will adore.

The Mists of Glen Strae (The Highland Ballad Series)

British & Irish

Scotland 1559 From a USA Today bestselling author comes a tale of love and intrigue. Caught reiving on Campbell land Morag MacGregor is sent to the Scottish court as a lady in waiting to the Dowager Queen. Morag hates the duplicitous and intrigue-filled Scots court, especially the outrageous and beguiling court favourite, Alexander Munro. She wants to return home to her secret betrothed, but not before she extracts revenge on the Campbells. Her desire for revenge traps her in a perilous scheme and entangles her with Alexander. Will treachery win out or will love? Set in the one of the most critical periods of Scottish history, when religion and politics divides the country and civil war threatens, the novel is an adventure and danger filled romance that reflects the tumultuous times. A stand-alone novel that forms part of the Highland Ballad series.

Highland Lioness: A Highland Romance of Tudor Scotland (The Highland Ballad Series)

A failed barista, a reclusive blacksmith. Can they avoid the call of the Irish Gods? Saoirse knows playing traditional music once a week in a local Dublin pub won't get her a career, but it's all she's got, especially after she's fired from her barista job. But then her father dies and her life is set into a spin, especially when an unknown grandmother comes calling.. Music is Smithy's one joy that is left to him that has a residue of the magic he lost long ago. Creating things in his forge, tucked away in rural Cork, increasingly reminds him of what he's lost and why he must resist the requests of the Tuatha De Danann. They want him to join their efforts to battle their biggest nemesis, a powerful god who is threatening the destruction of Eire, the land they hold so dear. But events and gods conspire to bring Saoirse and Smithy to the path that was meant to be. It's time for the gods to awake and answer the call to defend the land. But answering that call could mean risking death. A music-filled romantic urban fantasy with a Celtic twist that will delight fans of Charles de Lint.

Awakening the Gods: A Celtic Urban Fantasy (Rise of the Celtic Gods)

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Fantasy

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a tale of magic, myth and Irish music. The battle is upon them, but Maura must decide who she is and if she deserves love, if they are all to succeed. Maura has had enough of the gods seeing her worth and usefulness only as Morrigan, the war goddess. Even Finn, who she might count as a close friend on her best days doesn't understand. And now that they are all assembled and tasked with retrieving the two treasures to fight Balor, Maura leaves in a fit of anger. Her anger takes her across the sea to the middle of hot, dusty America where she makes an odd set of friends, including Raven, who is other than he seems. Finn finds himself missing Maura more than he thought possible, and in the midst of helping Smithy, Saoirse and Luke cope without Maura's help, he finds he has his own demons to fight. They are a motley crew facing the biggest challenge-to collect the treasures and lure Balor back to the Otherworld where the final battle will take place and Balor killed. To succeed they must all come to know and understand who they truly are. To fail would mean not only their deaths, but the death of Ireland.

At The Edge of the Otherworld: A Celtic Urban Fantasy (Rise of the Celtic Gods)

Whether she was a small town First Nations girl or an international celebrity promoting wilderness conservation, Anahareo always followed her own mind. Growing up with the name Gertrude, an Algonquin/Mohawk girl in a small Ontario town during the First World War, Anahareo was more at home climbing trees and swimming in the river than playing with dolls or sewing samplers. When she was nineteen, she convinced her father to let her work at Camp Wabikon, a vacation spot for New Yorkers hoping to experience the wilderness. There she met charismatic trail guide, Archie Belaney. With his long hair and buckskin pants, Archie symbolized everything she desired - an adventurous man of the wilderness. Archie wasted no time in inviting Gertrude to see his traplines in the bush. That decision would change her life forever. This book is illustrated with more than 30 archival and family images. "In this meticulously researched book, we see how Anahareo, a vibrant Iroquois woman, lives her life passionately in the face of the Aboriginal stereotypes of her day and, 'bucking the wind' to the end, makes her eloquent pleas for a thoughtful and compassionate interaction with the world around us." - Jane Billinghurst, Author of Grey Owl: The Many Faces of Archie Belaney "Kristin Gleeson was born to write. ...one hell of a story... I know my mother, Anahareo, would love her book as much as I do." - Katherine Moltke "She has captured the nature of what my mother, Anahareo, was: a woman born a bit before her time in the fact that she was ... the first to take on the cause for animal rights in Canada." - Anne (Bernard) Gaskell

Anahareo: A Wilderness Spirit

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Fireship Press

Song of the Bees: A literary historical novel of Medieval Ireland (Women of Ireland)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gleeson, Kristin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gleeson, Kristin