A Hard Gemlike Flame, the fourth title in the Kavanagh Series, tells a tumultuous tale of love, jealousy, rage, hate and compassion between Mick Kavanagh and Cathleen Murray. Both characters are strong, both are flawed, both have difficulty expressing emotion. Only together are their flaws repaired, their emotions clear.

The first of four Kavanagh stories. It sets the stage, defines the Kavanagh family and tells of a troubled land and an equally troubled romance amid war and treachery. Time span: 1916 to 1924 in Dublin, County Cork and Northern Ireland. Major events: Easter Rising, Secret War, War of Independence, the Civil War. This last is little known and less explored, especially through the eyes of a soldier on the losing side. The main character, Danny Kavanagh, escapes Dublin in 1916 only to become one of the Twelve Apostles, that squad of executioners Michael Collins used to shut the spying eyes in Dublin Castle. As a soldier he is haunted, nearly driven mad, by what he has done, what he cannot do, yet still hold onto that deathless dream of a united Ireland. He pays the price, finally, as an exile and IRA emissary in North America. Anyone interested in high-speed historical fiction will find A Few Men Faithful to their liking.

Philly MC is the story of Jack Kavanagh, grandson of Danny Kavanagh of A Few Men Faithful, the first of the Kavanagh stories. Jack's is a twisted, tortured life. He struggles with his Irish Republican heritage; whether to side with the IRA, even join them, or follow in his father's footsteps and reject violence as a solutiion. This the the dark backdrop for the even darker streets of inner city Philadelphia during the 1960s and 70s. Jack's world is a motorcycle underground peopled by the eccentric, the criminal, the crooked cops and agents, the outlaw clubs, mobsters, hookers, junkies and crazies that almost lead to his death by stabbing during the Mummers' Parade on Broad Street. He loves twice and loses. Only a high speed flight out of the country saves him. Only a hideout in the far, far north gives him the anonymity he needs. Only killing the one man who has pursued him all his life quiets his deeply buried demons. Only the final love of his life gives him the personal peace he has been seeking all his life. Written in the first person, Philly MC portrays a dark, high speed world of violence, betrayal and blood. Ultimately, it concerns salvation.

In 2018, peace, possibly fair possibly lasting, is getting far too close, too real, for the hardliners on both sides in Northern Ireland. Shooter in a Plague Year, the third Irish historical novel in the Kavanagh saga, describes one possible outcome, a nightmare scenario that completes the gory chapters of the past. What happens if the moderates are eliminated? What happens if the New IRA, just formed on one hand, and the shadowy Core Command on the other, finally square off to determine who owns Ulster, all of it? Both claim the Red Hand of Ulster as their symbol; both claim nationalism as their own high ground. Each is as devious and secretive as the other. Who's marked for death? By whom? Why? Shooter in a Plague Year follows the twists and turns, machinations and prejudices, of these paramilitary groups as they finalize the 800 year old war in the North. High tech weapons are at the forefront; ancient hatreds are the bedrock.

This is a practical, hands on guide to baking wonderful artisan breads in a wood fired brick oven. By following a typical two-day workshop at Mary G's Artisan Breads, it guides the reader through all the little known techniques required to manage a wood fired environment to maximum effect, including how to adapt favorite bread and pizza recipes to this environment. With over two hundred photographs that illustrate everything from shaping methods and baking stages to oven types and construction, this is a definitive guide to wood fired oven selection, construction, insulation and use. The appendices alone contain a motherlode of information on baking equipment, gear sources, oven plans, starter maintenance and mixer use. Six chapters, 219 pages.