Kristin Gleeson

Stylish and controversial, in the 1930s Anahareo confronted Canadian indigenous women stereotypes while she challenged the approach to wilderness conservation that focused on profit. Her view influenced Grey Owl and eventually many others across Europe and North America toward a new idea of wilderness conservation. Growing up Gertrude Bernard, an Algonquin/Mohawk girl in a small Ontario town in the time around the First World War, Anahareo was more at home climbing trees and swimming in the river than playing with dolls or sewing samplers. When she was nineteen she convinced her father to let her go and work at Camp Wabikon, a vacation spot for wealthy New Yorkers hoping to experience the wilderness first hand. There she met the handsome and magnetic trail guide, Archie Belaney, who with his long hair, buckskin pants and Hudson's Bay belt, symbolized everything she desired--an adventurous man of the wilderness. He would later become the controversial wilderness advocate, Grey Owl. The attraction was mutual and Archie wasted no time in inviting the young Gertrude to visit him at his traplines in the bush. Her decision would change her life. In this meticulously researched book, Kristin Gleeson situates Anahareo and her conservationist partner Grey Owl in the context of changing times from the days of unrestrained fur trapping in the 1920s to modern conservation movements. We see how Anahareo, a vibrant Iroquois woman, lives her life passionately in the face of the Aboriginal stereotypes of her day and, "bucking the wind" to the end, makes her eloquent pleas for a thoughtful and compassionate interaction with the world around us. --Jane Billinghurst, Grey Owl: The Many Faces of Archie Belaney

A failed barista, a reclusive blacksmith. Can they avoid the call of the Irish Gods? Saoirse knows playing traditional music once a week in a local Dublin pub won't get her a career, but it's all she's got, especially after she's fired from her barista job. But then her father dies and her life is set into a spin, especially when an unknown grandmother comes calling.. Music is Smithy's one joy that is left to him that has a residue of the magic he lost long ago. Creating things in his forge, tucked away in rural Cork, increasingly reminds him of what he's lost and why he must resist the requests of the Tuatha De Danann. They want him to join their efforts to battle their biggest nemesis, a powerful god who is threatening the destruction of Eire, the land they hold so dear. But events and gods conspire to bring Saoirse and Smithy to the path that was meant to be. It's time for the gods to awake and answer the call to defend the land. But answering that call could mean risking death. A music-filled romantic urban fantasy with a Celtic twist that will delight fans of Charles de Lint.

Scotland 1559 From a USA Today bestselling author comes a tale of love and intrigue. Caught reiving on Campbell land Morag MacGregor is sent to the Scottish court as a lady in waiting to the Dowager Queen. Morag hates the duplicitous and intrigue-filled Scots court, especially the outrageous and beguiling court favourite, Alexander Munro. She wants to return home to her secret betrothed, but not before she extracts revenge on the Campbells. Her desire for revenge traps her in a perilous scheme and entangles her with Alexander. Will treachery win out or will love? Set in the one of the most critical periods of Scottish history, when religion and politics divides the country and civil war threatens, the novel is an adventure and danger filled romance that reflects the tumultuous times. A stand-alone novel that forms part of the Highland Ballad series.

From acclaimed authors David Blixt, Jean Gill, Kristin Gleeson, J. K. Knauss, Laura Morelli, Katherine Pym, Deborah Swift, Melodie Winawer, and Lisa J. YardePlague has no favorites. In this anthology, USA Today, international bestselling, and award-winning authors imagine a world where anyone--rich, poor, young, old--might be well in the morning and dead by sundown. Readers will follow in the footsteps of those who fought to rebuild shattered lives as the plague left desolation in its wake.* An Irish woman tends her dying father while the Normans threaten her life and property--* A Hispano-Muslim doctor fights the authorities to stem the spread of the deadly pestilence at great personal cost--* A Tuscan street hawker and a fresco painter watch citizens perish all around them even as they paint a better future--* A Spanish noblewoman lives at the mercy of a jealous queen after plague kills the king--* The Black Death leaves an uncertain legacy to Dante's son--* In Venice, the artist Titian agonizes over a death in obscurity--* A Scottish thief loses everything to plague and repents in the hope of preventing more losses--* Two teenagers from 2020 time-travel to plague-stricken London and are forever changed--* And when death rules in Ottoman-occupied Greece, a Turk decides his own fate. Nine tales bound together by humanity's fortitude in the face of despair: a powerful collection of stories for our own time. In dark and deadly times, love and courage shine bright.

Venice/Silk Route 1447Barnabas and Alys have returned to Venice from Africa to find that Alessandra, the former courtesan, has vanished with their young daughter, Eleanor. Thwarted in his efforts to scry and unearth information, Barnabas pursues what Alys feels is a fool's path to get Eleanor back. They each go their separate ways and cross continents and emotional distances, each struggling to keep their hope and soul intact. Brimming with drama and rich detail, The Pursuit of the Unicorn is a vivid and tensely plotted historical page turner.

Scotland, Autumn 1556Forcefully separated from Iain, Abby is placed by her father in the care of the Earl of Huntly to keep her safe from the Comte de Damville. Bereft of the one she loves, Abby soon realises that the castle isn't the quiet refuge she hoped for. The castle is filled with people desperate to take advantage of the family's powerful connections for their own ends, using means fair and foul, some possibly treasonous. As Abby avoids falling prey to the amorous pursuit of Huntly's sons, she finds herself in a far deadlier hunt. What's at stake is not her virtue but her life, and her love for Iain can only endanger both of them. Brimming with adventure and atmosphere, the novel will take you on an exciting journey through the Scottish Tudor period.

Scotland 1556 After overhearing a plot to kill Mary Queen of Scots, Abby Gordon is sent from Paris to the Laird of Glenorchy's home at Kilchurn Castle for safety. Disguised as a boy, she becomes a lute player among the household musicians where she encounters the laird's hostage, the attractive Iain MacGregor, a pawn in the laird's struggle for power in Scotland's turbulent politics. But is Iain really a hostage to fortune or is he playing his own dangerous game? As Abby's feelings intensify for this Glenorchy hostage she is caught in the web of intrigue that permeates the household and is drawn deeper and deeper into danger. With spice, wit and action packed plotting, Kristin Gleeson's Highland Ballad Series is as compelling as Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels. 'A highland ballad brought to life - plays sweetly on the heart-strings.' Jean Gill, The Troubadours Quartet

England 1445 After four years, the threat of arrest for witchcraft still hangs over Barnabas and he dare not return to England for his childhood sweetheart, Alys, as promised. Still under the tutelage of Mustapha al Qali and posing as Giacomo, he is taken across Christendom in search of a mysterious manuscript. Barnabas grows more resentful of al Qali's tight control and secretly tries to create his own enterprise that will eventually free him. But al Qali has other plans that take them both into danger. Alys, attendant to the disgraced and exiled Duchess of Gloucester, finds herself dismissed with nowhere to go. Her only hope is to find Barnabas, but her journey leads her into perils that change her circumstances irrevocably in ways she could never have imagined. If she finds Barnabas will he recognise who she has become, and will he still want her? Kristin Gleeson's authentic historical fiction is filled with adventure, vibrant and colourful characters and intense storylines.

Belfast and Alaska 1889. A young woman haunted by her mother's death embarks on an Alaskan adventure to escape an unwanted marriage. Cunning and determination get her there in the guise of teaching at the Tlingit Indian mission. But Alaska proves more difficult than she imagined, and the hope that this new place will transform her seems out of reach with the impossible Mrs Paxson and the mysterious, troubled Tlingit Indian, Natsilane. '...this is a beautifully calibrated and vivid and interesting historical novel about love and death in the North American wilderness, ...the characters are fascinating, ...the evocation of the natural world and the social customs and practices of Tlingit is assured and convincing, and...the story, albeit melancholy, is unfailingly engaging. I wish it well.' Carlo Gebler, The Siege of Derry 'A fable as gentle as Irish laughter and as lyrical as Irish song. A magical love story of a girl who must cross the world to find the one place where she can belong.' Karen Maitland, The Raven's Head

Ireland 590 A. D. A woman is found by a track, nearly dead from appalling wounds and remembers nothing. Her terror and her injuries are so great that she is given sanctuary in Mother Gobnait's unusual community of nuns, while all around her a war is being waged in which she is a pawn. The women name her Aine. Disturbing fragments of Aine's memory begin to surface, and in desperation she asks to remain in the safety of the community, but is it really safe for her anywhere? It is only after events take another terrible turn that Aine is forced to discover who she really is and make life-changing choices - but will they prove to be her undoing? A literary novel inspired by real women - complex female characters who strain against the cruel chains and crippling prejudices of a society where no woman has power. Except, perhaps, one... Kristin Gleeson has performed with admirable deftness the difficult trick of sweeping the reader back in time to the distant emotional and physical landscapes of 6th century Ireland. The result is a highly readable and continuously rewarding novel that the reader does not want to end--Tim Weed, author of Will Poole's Island I found in this well-told story, the first strokes of paint on the huge, mostly blank, canvas that is our image and perception of our Irish or Gaelic past - the canvas of our increasingly dispossessed native culture. I found myself drawn into a realm that felt oddly familiar and full of cultural touchstones of the indigenous Irish past, faint echoes of which still linger in parts of this island today. In Praise of the Bees is a good read. GuIm faoi scAth is dIdean Gobnait is AbAin tU - go mairir--Peadar O Riada

While the storm clouds of the Wars of the Roses gather in fifteenth century London, Barnabas, a streetwise thirteen year-old orphan, dreams of sailing away to foreign countries. His mistress, Margery Jourdemayne, the Witch of Eye, and his guardian, Canon Thomas Southwell, plot to use his clairvoyant talents to further their ambitions. Vain and ambitious Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, turns to the Witch of Eye to conceive a child to secure her position as the wife of the heir to the throne, but her husband's enemies are determined to use her actions to bring about his downfall. Can this young imp, Barnabas, steer a safe path through the dangerous web of intrigue and suspicion that surrounds him? Will his 'sight' save him from burning in the flames of a witch's pyre? And will Eleanor conceive a child, or will her follies prove her undoing? 'Fast-paced and moving, 'The Imp of Eye' is the memorable story of real events told in the distinctive voice of a unique and loveable character.'- Karen Charlton, author of The Detective Lavender Mysteries 'A jewel of a story, set among the royal courts and the dark alleys of medieval London, where intrigue, betrayal and witchcraft are woven into a poisoned web to trap the innocent. The characters are so compelling that I was struggling to breathe as the net tightened around them. This is story-telling at its best.'- Karen Maitland, author of Company of Liars Book One of the Renaissance Sojourner Series

Love is eternal, crossing time spans. To escape recent betrayal and loss, Irish archaeology student, Brid Ni Laoghaire seizes the chance to be a last minute replacement on a dig in a remote Chinese desert and discovers a dangerous secret that links her to an ancient past. An Alaskan Tlingit Indian, John Sheldon, leads the team, and their incredible discoveries arouse hostility in the Chinese officials sent to observe the dig. As more items are examined, Brid begins to have startling visions that link her to the past which complicate the growing attraction between her and the emotionally troubled John. How could she be connected to a people that lived 3500 years ago? Meanwhile the Chinese officials' hostility grows and unease among staff rises, all of which threaten to undermine the expedition and, eventually, John and Brid's lives. Part of the Celtic Knot Series"

A 12th century Irish woman sets out on the legendary voyage to America of Prince Madog of Wales. Aisling, despite her best efforts has failed to become the seer her mother desired, so when her mother dies leaving her alone, she departs Ireland for Wales to be with her brother, Cormac, at the royal court at Gwynedd. There she finds he is joining Prince Madog's voyage to the western lands in order to escape the threatening war. After Madog refuses to let her come with them she stows away, desperate to remain with her brother. A terrible storm arises and she is tossed overboard by a resentful Welshman and washes up on the shores of the Gulf Coast. Caxna, a Tlingit trader and former shaman, finds her and reluctantly agrees to let her join him on a trading journey to the Mayan city of Xicallanca, and later Etowah (in modern day Georgia) in the hopes she might find Madog and her brother. Caxna must succeed in this trading journey in order to free his clan but with Aisling along everything changes ... Gleeson leaves us with a memorable and poignant love story and a vision of a wonderful culture, unique in my experience of literature. Karen Charlton, author of 'The Heiress of Linn Hagh' and 'Catching the Eagle' The underlying sexual tension is all the more powerful for the beautifully restrained writing, which makes the slightest touch electric; a medicinal massage becomes a moment of physical communion... This is what Kristin Gleeson does best; portraying different cultures and showing how humanity can cross them. Jean Gill, author of 'Song at Dawn' and 'Bladesong'