Irish-born writer, Seamus Beirne, lives in Irvine, California with his wife Ann and their dog Lucy. The stress of retirement is alleviated by their three grown children and two grandsons!! Seamus spent thirty years as a high school English teacher and administrator. Before that he worked as a priest in a Catholic high school and in neighboring parishes. .
History has always been an interest of his, especially Irish history. He is inspired by authors like Ben Kane, Jonathan Mayberry, Valerio Manfredi, Ian McGuire and D.P. Lyle--authors who bring the past to life through powerful characters and a tangible sense of place.He's received the following awards: Conference Choice Award winner for adult fiction, San Diego Writers Conference, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Runner-up for adult fiction, San Francisco Writers Conference, 2010. Finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference, 2011.
Although he had written opinion pieces for the Los Angeles Times and contributed to school newsletters, he never attempted to write fiction until seven years ago. Since that time he's completed four historical novels three of which, Breakout From Sugar Island, In Search of Brigid Coltrane and Kings Mountain have been published by Fireship Press. A fourth, Crescent Moon--a novel about Ireland at the dawn of history, is in the rough draft stage.
He's received the following awards: Conference Choice Award winner for adult fiction, San Diego Writers Conference, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Runner-up for adult fiction, San Francisco Writers Conference, 2010. Finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference, 2011.
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Lucy and her boys