Showing results by narrator "Alana Kerr Collins" in All Categories

Over the past decade, Simon Van Booy has been listening to people’s stories. With these personal accounts as a starting point, he has crafted a powerful collection of short fiction that takes listeners into the innermost lives of everyday people. From a family saved from ruin by a mysterious benefactor to a downtrodden boxer who shows unexpected kindness to a mugger, these tales reveal not only the precarious balance maintained between grief and happiness in our lives but also how the echoes of personal tragedy can shape us for the better.

In exploring everyday life and its intersections with death, this enduring collection of stories offers a naturalistic depiction of the working class in early twentieth-century Dublin. Joyce masterfully portrays frustrations and aborted desires to escape the mundane; transformative epiphanies both great and small; and the restraints, loneliness, violence, and contemplations of lives lived.

Rebellion has always been in the O'Reilly family's blood. So when faced with the tragic death of her brother during Northern Ireland's infamous Troubles, a teenage Nora joined the IRA to fight for her country's freedom. Now, more than a decade later, Nora is haunted by both her past and vivid dreams of a man she has never met. When she is given a relic belonging to Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland, the mystical artifact transports her back eighty years - to the height of Ireland's brutal civil war.

Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust. Every child of Glasnith learns the last words of the god-gifted mortal Aillira, and Lira of clan Stone, a descendant of Aillira with the power to read people’s souls, knows the story better than most. When a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland, Lira helps the wounded man. But as they form a bond forbidden by both their clans, Lira finds herself facing the same tragic fate as her ancestor.

It’s the final years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and Bríd and her sister, Ina, try to maintain a stable life in a divided country. Pushed by her mother’s fanaticism and a family tragedy, Bríd joins the IRA and makes a devastating choice. Frightened and guilt ridden, she flees, leaving behind Ireland and her family for America. Years later, her guilt and tragic history still buried, Bríd is an overprotective mother raising her sensitive daughter, Bernie, in Southern California.

Karen will do anything for her eight-year-old daughter Scarlett, even holding together a marriage that is way past broken. So when she disappears from their rural home, Karen is one hundred percent focused on a single goal: finding her little girl as soon as possible. But time is of the essence, because Scarlett is profoundly deaf and would live in utter silence if it wasn’t for her high-tech hearing aids. Karen knows that within hours their batteries will run out, leaving her daughter even more isolated and vulnerable.

This anthology of popular American history presents the stories of nine incredible Irish immigrants as written by nine contemporary Irish-Americans. More than one in 10 Americans claims Irish ancestry and, with its celebrity contributors, Nine Irish Lives will have strong appeal for those listeners. It is also, though, a timely portrait of shared humanity. These are stories about immigrants - and in the tales of revolutionaries and visionaries, caretakers and unsung heroes, Nine Irish Lives reminds us of the values and the people that have shaped America.

Rita-Mae has lived in fear for as long as she can remember. Fear of being alone, fear of her past and, above all, fear of her husband, Harry. Until she spots an advertisement for a vacant cottage in a small town in Northern Ireland. She makes her escape filled with hope, ready to start a new life in a new home, free from the pain of her past. But her place of refuge may not be as safe - or as anonymous - as she thought.

In the midst of World War II, Ireland has declared herself neutral. Troops found on Irish soil must be reported and interned, no matter which side they are fighting for. When midwife Nan O'Neil finds a wounded young Canadian pilot at her door, she knows she's taking a huge risk by letting him in. Not only is she a widow living alone, but if caught harboring a combatant, she'll face imprisonment.

It may be impossible to alter the past, but Irish revolutionary Nora O'Reilly is determined to try. Armed with a relic given to her by the goddess Brigid and joined by immortal Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill, Nora is hurled back through time to the sixteenth century. There Nora and Fionn seek the infamous pirate queen Granuaile - Grace O'Malley - the one woman who may be fierce enough to stop Queen Elizabeth I's tyranny over the Irish people.

To save her lover’s life, Lira of Stone swore allegiance to a demigod known as the Dragon. She’s transformed into his weapon - the Dragon’s deathbringer, using her gifts to conquer nations and unleash demons. Yet there’s a part of Lira not even the Dragon can stifle, and the soul-reader must find a way to free herself before he declares war against the gods.

This heart-wrenching novel in verse describes the life of a poor girl surviving the Irish Land War and the everyday challenges she experiences.

Lottie’s relationship with Greg ends when he leaves her for Emma, a decision that intertwines their lives in ways neither woman could foresee. Emma traps Greg in marriage by falling pregnant. Later, a one-night stand leaves Lottie carrying Greg’s child, forcing them into an uneasy co-parenting arrangement. Then Lottie is diagnosed with breast cancer.