Description: When an Irish clan leader steals Anwyn from her Welsh home to barbarian Ireland in a raid intended to save the clan, her betrothed, a Roman patrician's son, vows to bring her back. Meanwhile, an outcast druid receives visions that only the Great Light can save the clan, and Anwyn develops feelings for her captor.
Brief description: Mark wrote his first twelve pages at the age of ten, complete with drawings of a prairie fire, Indians, and a stampede. Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, Heritage Beacon Imprint, has published his first two novels of Christian historical fiction set in ancient, Celtic Ireland at the time of St. Patrick. He is also the author of The Scepter and Tower Trilogy, an epic high fantasy for young adults set in a Celtic world. At various times, he has welded rails for the railroad, inspected glass in a glass factory, given aid checks to welfare clients, and programmed micro-code for IBM. He recently helped plant a church. He and his wife enjoy traveling with recent visits to Japan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, France, Italy, and Switzerland Mark spends most of his time at his desk writing or following his miniature Australian shepherd on walks around the neighborhood.
Review Quotes: From author LeAnne Hardy, an early reviewer:
Despite the story's romantic beginning, there is lots of page-turning action here as the last of Roman Britain meets the scourge of barbarian Ireland in this grand adventure. Macrath, ri tuath (king) of the Cinn An Tobair, has captured a group of Christian slaves from Britannia, among them the beautiful Anwyn, with whom he falls in love. Meanwhile Anwyn's betrothed follows her to Ireland, and tension rises as we find ourselves in sympathy with both men in their pursuit of the young woman who may hold the key to lifting the curse on Macrath's tribe. Macrath worries that the curse is his fault. Chief druid Ceallach believes it is because they have neglected the traditional human sacrifices, but another druid, the elderly Athairne, dreams that the curse will only be broken when they find the Great Light.What Amazon readers said about THE BONFIRES OF BELTANE:"Speechless. Swept away. Transported. All. . . are inadequate to summarize the epically written, detail-rich story . . . an intense read."
"I couldn't put it down and was sorry when I finished that there wasn't more. That's about the highest praise I can give a book."
"It is a well written and researched story and blends truth and fiction so well you think you are getting a firsthand recounting of events."
And what they said about THE MEDALLION:
"Wow, was it an awesome read! . . .the continuing ups and downs of the journey really kept me involved."
"I loved, loved, loved, this book!!! . . . The characters are as real as we are, and you can get quite wrapped up in their lives."