The Mystery of Mary Boland
People often ask
where my characters in Shanty Gold came from. You know,
how did I ever dream them up?
The answer
varies some. Today, I’ll tell you about my protagonist—Mary Boland. That was
the name I heard from childhood of the girl who would become my great, great
grandmother. My mother and aunts buzzed her name with an almost mystical tone.
We knew
she had come over from Ireland at some point, but that was about it. I was
curious about her.
So she
came to me. In dreams, waking and sleeping. She was young and tall. Thin and
pretty. She had long, red, curly hair which flamed behind her when she rode her
horse along the Irish Sea Coast. “Tell my story,” she whispered.
Trips to Ireland
turned up no information on Mary, so I let her drive my fingers at the computer
as I wove her tale into Shanty Gold. I think she’ll
like what I did with her life. I hope you will, too.
Next time, I’ll
tell you about Kamua Okafor (Kam), her soul brother, the African slave boy whom
she met on the coffin ship.
Represented by
Loiacono Literary Agency www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com
Published by
Rogue Phoenix Press www.roguephoenixpress.com
(release 2015)
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