All The Write Stuff: The Spiral of Life: An Old Gods Story

Eilean’s life wasn’t easy and now she has to save a God - great

The Spiral of Life: An Old Gods Story

Eilean in the Otherworld Book 1

by Francesca McMahon

Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy, Mythology

The first lesson Eilean MacAlistair learned in blacksmithing: First, you harden, and then you temper.

Otherwise, your metal will break.

The same is true with life.

A few years back, Eilean didn’t temper herself, and she broke someone. Badly. Hospital badly.

Her family had to flee Scotland because of her, but now they’ve returned, and 17-year-old Eilean’s life feels like a forge with the temperature rising around her. Mamó is sick, her family is straining at the seams, and magic is real!

An Otherworld has been calling to her from beneath Loch Lomond.

When she answers, Eilean discovers a world of blacksmiths in ballgowns, cruel cyclopses, and chronically critical kelpies.

Because she didn't have enough problems to deal with already.

Will Eilean be able to temper herself against everything in this strange new world, and withstand the weight of her past? Or will she break once again?

Find out in the first adventure of Eilean in the Otherworld, The Spiral of Life, a young adult fantasy inspired by Celtic folklore.

GUEST POST

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

· So, hi, I’m Francesca (or Fran as that’s the name I use in every day, Francesca just sounded better as the author name haha) and I’m an author of fantasy, horror, and romance stories. I was born in Oxford, England to a Glaswegian dad and an Essex mother so there was often a little war about which rugby team to support.

· I became an author because that was the only thing I thought about. From the age of, like, 6? Maybe 8? I was writing poetry. By aged 11 I’d written a whole play set during World War 2 (we were learning about it in history) and at age 15 I’d written a whole novel. I just never stopped creating and I knew that was what I wanted to do – I just didn’t know it was possible until I went to university to study Creative Writing. Now, here I am, and it’s mad.

What inspired you to write The Spiral of Life?

· It may be a little bit of a cop out to say but, I have absolutely no idea. I was approached by Antoine Bandele of Bandele Books and asked if I’d like to join an expanded world of stories connected to his series TJ Young and the Orisha’s. He wanted to have multiple mythologies and folklores explored in a world, sort of like Rick Riordan’s work meets Marvel, and have authors of different backgrounds write them. So, when I said yes, I knew I wanted to explore my Scottish heritage and dove into Celtic mythology. To this day, I don’t know how I came up with the plot. I just started plotting an idea one day and BOOM 30 pages later, I had the layout for Eilean’s story completely off the cuff.

· Some things changed here and there with the help of alpha/beta readers but, I remember the only thing I had in my mind when coming up with the story was that I wanted to examine the effects of climate change and have a somewhat unconventional protagonist. I can’t say if I’ve succeeded at that, that’s up to the readers but, yeah, I guess the inspiration was those two things? But then it just went in its own direction after that haha

What made you decide to get The Spiral of Life made into an audiobook?

· It was something I always wanted to do but, with my previously published indie works, I couldn’t afford to do it. Now that I have a publisher to hand as well as an engineer, I immediately jumped on it. I want my work to be accessible to everyone. I have friends who, like me, are dyslexic or ADHD, and can struggle with physical reading. I also know people who are blind or visually impaired who have wanted to read my work but struggle/can’t. Audiobooks are incredible tools that open up the story to many people and I’ve wanted to do it so, when the offer was there, I had to do it.

What is your favourite part of the book and why?

· Ooo this is both easy and hard. I think, without spoilers, it’s the messaging I put into my characters. There’s a lot of exploration of mental health in this story, as well as a small starting look at neurodivergences, and as someone who is autistic (among other things) and has a lot of mental health conditions, I wanted readers who may have similar experiences to know that they are not alone. I know that’s something I wanted growing up and so I wanted my characters to reflect that.

· There are a few scenes throughout the book that showcase these elements, one scene I thought was important was one where a character has a panic attack after having to face their fear and must work through a calming routine to escape the fight/flight/freeze panic mode they’re experiencing. I thought it was important to show the realities of those with mental health issues and, in some cases, also show ways readers could help someone if they see them experiencing a panic attack.

Fun Facts of the Writing Process:

· I wrote the first full draft in two weeks as I’d recently left my full-time job and had a lot of time on my hands. I would NOT recommend anyone doing that as I immediately got sick from burn-out after. It is a little fun fact though, I think.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?

· Is it egotistical to say all of them? It may be how I write but every scene I work on I picture it in my head with a cast of characters. Like, when I wrote my first book Home to the Wild (a sapphic Tarzan retelling series) I would have to be able to picture every scene in a movie to know if it worked or not. It was an animated movie specifically for that story whereas with Eilean in the Otherworld I definitely see it more in live-action. I’d love if one of my stories was adapted one day – that’s the dream as an author, or at least, my dream as an author.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

· Ooh, so, I can kind of cheat with this. I was born in Oxford which, as many people might know, has a loot of author history. The main two pilgrimages I’ve gone on is going to The Eagle and Child pub which is where the literary group The Inklings, which had authors like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien part of it, and would write there sometimes. Sadly, it has since closed down due to the pandemic but it was a great experience. I’ve also explored the university parks, not for any specific author reasons but, as many classic British creatives went to Oxford, I liked the idea that I’m exploring the nature they too likely spent time in as well.

Have you written any other books that are not published?

· I have a few in the works! Including the sequel for The Spiral of Life, can’t say much on it but it is slowly working it’s way through the process. I do have a few other things, like sports romances and some cozy fantasy, in the works, but right now it’s the Eilean sequel.

For a last thing, can you give us the sales pitch for The Spiral of Life?

· If you love Percy Jackson and/or BBC’s Merlin but want a little more gay in your fantasy adventure stories, then you’ve come to the right place. With a blacksmithing lesbian, a druid sunshine queen bisexual, and a sarcastic and snide kelpie companion, The Spiral of Life is an easy-to-read young adult contemporary fantasy that focuses on the characters journey more than the journey itself.

· For the girls, the gays, and the they’s – you can get The Spiral of Life wherever you read books, and don’t forget to support your local libraries.

EXCERPT

She was about to slip on her shoes when something strange happened.

Her pendant, the spiral around her neck, grew warm. Eilean stopped what she was doing, stood upright, and reached up for the necklace. It didn’t feel warm to the touch now. Thinking she was imagining things, she slipped her shoes onto her cold feet and grabbed her socks and Mamó’s sweets.

Heading up the bank, trying to ignore the chafe of her shoes, Eilean felt her necklace grow warm again. She stopped in place.

“That’s… weird,” she mumbled, reaching up to hold the wood once more.

Eilean glanced around, trying to figure out if she was just feeling an out-of-place warm breeze.

That was when she noticed it.

The fog had spread. Before, it had been at a distance, only covering a few of the smaller islands on the farthest side of the loch. Now it had spread to the beach, dancing over the stones and heading up the pebbled bank toward her. Like it was trying to swallow her up.

“What the—” Eilean started, until she was cut off by a cry.

“Help!”

Eilean, immediately alert, searched the beach for the voice. Nothing.

“Help me! Help!” the small voice cried, followed by the sound of frantic splashing.

Eilean squinted through the fog.

In the distance, about two hundred yards from the shore, a pair of hands raised into the air, waving madly. The wet head of hair appeared above the water again. The hands belonged to a struggling child.

“Shit!” Eilean cried, searching for someone nearby who could help. Where the hell had he even come from?

“Help—” The voice cut off.

Eilean whirled around, and for a horrifying second, she couldn’t see the kid anymore. They came splashing to the surface again, clearly panicked.

She had no choice.

Dumping her items and throwing off her shoes again, she charged forward. Ignoring the stinging of the stones against her feet, Eilean leaped into the water.

Unlike before, she submerged herself fully in the loch. Her entire body screamed at the sharpness of the icy waters by sending a wrack of shivers up and down her skin.

Christ. Balls. Fack! she thought as she swam through the bone-chilling cold of the loch.

The kid’s screaming and splashing were getting closer, but so was the strength of the fog. She could barely see a foot in front of her. Eilean stopped swimming, unable to continue in fear that she could end up heading in the wrong direction.

“Kid!” Eilean shuddered out through her chattering teeth. “Shout for me!” She bobbed in place, turning frantically in every direction. “Where are you?”

Nothing.

Oh, God, I can’t have been too late, Eilean thought. They were shouting for me up until I stopped.

Then, she felt something touch her foot.

Yelping in surprise, Eilean stared down at the water beneath her. She couldn’t see a thing, the water too dark to see through, but she knew something had touched her.

Could the kid be underneath already?

Eilean threw her chin over both shoulders, hoping for a sign that she was close. Nothing happened. No call for help, no ripple in the water. Nothing.

“Crap,” she muttered as she looked down at her reflection in the water. “Crap.”

Eilean took a deep breath, then dove.

The waters of Loch Lomond had never been the clearest. While one could make out details that were in close proximity, without proper diving equipment, it didn’t make much difference. But this time, it was as if Eilean had plunged into a room where all the lights had gone out. It was a terrifying feeling.

She kicked her legs and searched as low and wide around as she could manage. Eilean held an arm out in the hopes of feeling anything but eventually the need for air forced her to swim back up to the surface.

Just as she took her first breath, readying to dive back down again, something grabbed her foot and held on for dear life.

Eilean was so surprised she almost forgot to panic. She swallowed a great gulp of frigid water as the kid pulled her farther under. Kicking and thrashing, Eilean tried to remove their grip as best she could. She even tried to reach down and

pry them off her leg. Nothing worked. Her last thought as the distant light above her faded into darkness cried out through the cold.

I’m not ready to die.

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Audiobook * Kobo * Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub * Goodreads

Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D8LZN3LG

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-spiral-of-life/id6505123153

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-spiral-of-life-francesca-mcmahon/1145945463?ean=2940180347886

Audiobook: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/x?id=AQAAAEAyH2FfQM

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-spiral-of-life-1

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1585226

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/4Nl1ON

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-spiral-of-life-an-old-gods-story-eilean-in-the-otherworld-book-1-by-francesca-mcmahon

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215953657-the-spiral-of-life

About the Author

Francesca McMahon was born in Oxford, England, to a Scottish father and an Essex mother. They gained a B.A. in Creative Writing at Edge Hill University and was shortlisted for the university’s Dame Janet Suzman Playwriting Award in 2019. Since graduating, Francesca has worked consistently in publishing while working on her writing of fantasy, horror and romance fiction, as well as various tabletop RPGs and screenplays. As a queer person, their work is dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community, and she hopes that they will all find a home in her imaginary worlds.

Website * X * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Author Links

Website: https://francescamcmahon.com

X: https://x.com/adoseoffran

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoseoffran

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adoseoffran

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/francesca-mcmahon

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Francesca-McMahon/author/B09Q1CRTL1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4612703.Francesca_McMahon