What inspires us to do what we love? As a writer, my imagination can be triggered by any number of experiences. Walking the beach. Discovering mansions that draw on my romantic sensibilities. Feeding the birds with my grandchildren at the wildlife sanctuary or conjuring up tales of castle battles as we tap into their Irish heritage or their love of King Arthur and the mysticism of Merlin. Or visiting the various towns along Ireland’s wild Atlantic way, (Irish: Slí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin), a coastal route that winds its way all along the Irish west coast from the Inishowen Peninsula in the north down to the picturesque town of Kinsale, County Cork, in the south. I am most grateful to my Irish “families” who have shared their culture, their stories, and their hospitality as they embraced my storytelling. When you consider that I am an American writer who had never stepped foot in the country until my children met their future spouses, the rest they say… is history.