On 1 January 2026 I leveled up as an author. I can now talk about my first published book, which is "The Witch's Daughter". It has a cool cover, an ISBN and I submitted paper copies for archiving it in our state library. But I don't have a cushy deal with a traditional publisher - instead I'm joining the ranks of the entrepreneurs of self-publishing.
It's a journey many authors have travelled: keep querying, hoping and after ten or twenty years finally get picked up? Or jump into being an author-as-a-business, with all the self-promotion that has to go with that. Or somewhere in between.
Some find success with doing their own publishing. Even though "self-publishing" has that connotation about it, authors taking back the machinery of book creating and distribution has been a phenomenon of this millennium. Hugh Howey wrote and self-published "Wool" which was later televised on AppleTV Originals as "Silo", and published traditionally by Simon & Schuster. Andy Weir's fame started by self-publishing "The Martian". There's dozens of other examples, and of course I'd hope to follow in their footsteps.
Want to assess for yourself if I'm the next Andy Weir or EL James? Get the ebook or paperback from your favourite store.
By the time you read this I may have other books published as well. Check them out on my author website here:
Here's the book
1169, Ireland.
The town of Duncormac is caught between a crusading bishop and Norman invaders.
The deposed King of Leinster Diarmaid mac Murchada desperate to regain his throne, entreats aid from Henry Plantagenet, the Norman King of England whose line would later result in House Lancaster and the War of the Roses. On May 1st 1169 two ruthless Norman captains land on Irish soil.
But in that small village, a group of unlikely heroes and their stone bridge stands on the route to the first Norman victory.
When Hilde Blaine, 13 year old daughter of a woman accused of witchcraft, is witness to the first scouts of the Norman force, she sets events in train that will echo throughout history.
Based on the true and startling events of the Norman invasion, "The Witch's Daughter" asks "what if" King Diarmaid were late for his own invasion? What if a few Ostmen and Irish folk meeting in battle with a vast army had the aid of the ancient spirits of the mists?
Researched by the author over ten years, including visits to the sites of the invasion, the Witch's Daughter is a dramatic take on events that changed Ireland forever.
Includes maps and illustrations of the Ireland of 1169 and codes to access full colour illustrations from the companion website.
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