Blog Tour: Interview with Sheila R. Lamb author of Once a Goddess

For the sake of peace, Brigid of the supernatural Túatha de Danann enters into an arranged marriage with Bres, the prince of the enemy, and casts aside her own hopes for happiness. Set in a time when myths were reality, Once a Goddess brings the legend of the Ireland’s magical Túatha dé Danann to life…

This week, Sheila R. Lamb celebrates her new novel, Once a Goddess, with a virtual book tour. Follow along for more unique content about this historical/fantasy novel!

Could you tell me a little about the origins of Once a Goddess? How did you first conceive of this book?

The origins of Once a Goddess are really tied in with the whole trilogy (Once a Goddess is the first book in the trilogy). I used to teach history and loved studying Irish history. I traveled throughout Ireland and worked as an archaeology student in a summer program. As I began to research Ireland’s conversion from druid to Christianity, I couldn’t read about St. Patrick without finding a mention of St. Brigid. So that took a turn, and I began researching St. Brigid - who has a very diverse interpretation. I focused on this woman who was known as Goddess, Druid, and Saint. As it turned out, her three personas are the basis for each book in my trilogy.

Did you always know you would write a trilogy?

No, originally this was one very, very long novel. At one point, a critique group member suggested dividing the book in half, which I did. Then, Once a Goddess began as a few pages of backstory in what is now book two, Fiery Arrow. The backstory began to take on a life of its own and grew to a chapter, then another. I added, cut, and revised to shape what will be three complete books. Brigid of the Túatha dé Danann really wanted her story told.

What made you decide to focus on “race”? Characters are devoted to their race/people, but the emergence of “half-bloods” becomes an issue for many.

The Danann myths and legends describe the invasions of the Fomorians into the Danann world. In various sources, the Fomorians are described as the dark-skinned invaders. The Danann are known as fairy people, and generally we think of fairies as small and translucent, letting in light, so this turned out to be a good physical contrast as well as cultural contrast between the two tribes. Brigid and Bres, along with others in the story, have children of mixed tribes. There are two issues resulting from this: inheriting Danann magical powers and tribal divisions of land. Suddenly, there are shades of gray that both groups must face.

Can you tell me a bit about your interpretation and treatment of soul mates in Once a Goddess?

The Irish language has a term anam cara, or “soul friend.” The beliefs of the ancient Irish were druidic. As such, they believed in reincarnation - the continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The idea of anam cara is a soul friend or mate who is with you from one life to the next. Brigid, in the mythology, was in an arranged marriage with Bres. What happens if that person isn’t your soul mate? Can you still have a happy marriage? Can you ignore the presence of a soul mate? Brigid is torn because she has a duty to her people and to her tribe, and she must protect them from further bloodshed. She wants to do the right thing and respect her marriage to Bres, yet it goes against everything she was raised to believe.

Was there a lot of research involved in writing Once a Goddess?

Yes. :-) I love research. I get lost in research. I can spend more time reading about things than writing about them. But the fun part about of Once a Goddess was finding different interpretations of the Dannan stories, whether it was in a book, encyclopedia, or website. And that is also the fun part about working with myths and with fiction - I could add in my own twist and my own interpretation. For example, Adraic is a character that I made up. He’s not in any of the mythology, but he carries over into the next two books.

What can readers look forward to in the second book, Fiery Arrow?

Fiery Arrow continues Brigid’s story. She’s a druid priestess who is haunted by the Túatha dé Danann. Other druids in her tribe are jealous of her mystical abilities and try to control her powers. She’s determined to stop Christianity and bring the Túatha dé Danann back to Ireland. But when she comes face-to-face with Patrick, they realize they have a shared past, tied together by a bond formed lifetimes before.

Sheila Lamb received an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University. Her stories have earned Pushcart and storySouth Million Writers Award nominations and can be found, along with a few photographs, here. She’s also the journal editor for Santa Fe Writers Project. Sheila has traveled throughout Ireland and participated in the Achill Archaeology Field School. She loves Irish history, family genealogy, and is easily distracted by primary source documents. She lives, teaches, and writes in the mountains of Virginia. Once a Goddess is the first book in the Brigid trilogy.