Martyrs and Traitors by: Marina Julia Neary

Martyrs and Traitors

By: Marina Julia Neary

This author sought me out because of her writer friend, Iryna Combs, the Author of “Black Wings”, which can be found within my blog. So to begin, allow me to thank Iryna for the referral, I totally appreciate it.

Marina sent me her info, along with her list of books, and ask me which one I wanted to read. I like that. So I looked over everything, and this one: “Martyrs and Traitors” just pulled me in. I read the other ones, and then re-read this one three times. 

I wasn’t sure if it was something my audience would get into, but I wanted to read it. Is that wrong? I thought for a minute. Why not. Let’s be selfish, and feed my reading needs. 

This amazing tale takes you into the past, 1916 to be exact. And it tells you the stories of one of Ireland’s own. 

Here you will learn of conspiracy theories, love stories, fights with then have make for a bloody messy, and so much more. 

Bulmer Hobson is the very misunderstood antihero, if you will, of this time frame. And when his captors capture him, and joke about shooting and killing him, Hobson’s terrified fiancé must try and find him.

Hobson was branded the most dangerous man in Ireland at one time. And all he was trying to do, was make a difference. 

Marina looks deeply into the real story, and gives us insight that you didn’t know, and helps you to understand the real Hobson better. She allows us to relive a bit of history through her eyes, giving us a wonderful five-star insight into the past, so that we may understand it better. This is a wonderful book, well written, and easy to understand, and wonderfully inspiring. A definite must read for anyone who loves history!

My questions for Marina:

1. What made you write this book and how long did it take you?

I was going through an Irish phase. While purging my hard drive, I found a few drafts of novels I attempted writing in college. So I decided to revisit them and see if I could complete them. The timing was perfect - a few years before 2016 - the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Dublin. After selling the first novel in the series, "Brendan Malone: the Last Fenian", I started writing "Martyrs & Traitors". I wrote it in the middle of a minor family crisis, and it took me about 4 months to cough up this 450+ page beast. It was a rough time, with illness and death in the family, and general economic uncertainty. I believe my overall anxiety fueled my creative process.

2. Did you do any special research for this, I mean you did date back to 1916....

Having assisted professors with research, I already had a lot of background knowledge about the Easter Rising, so I had the general outline of the events. Of course, I had to tap into more obscure resources. Some of the historical figures I was writing about were rather controversial, and many of the primary sources pertaining to them were either destroyed or hidden from the public. I wanted to get my hands on those sources, to give my readers something they would not necessarily get from textbooks.

3. Do you have any photos or descriptions of the characters?

Oh, heavens, yes! You would not believe the legwork, the sleuthing and the stalking involved in obtaining some of the photos. I was able to get in touch with Bulmer Hobson's grandson, who was kind enough to share some photos of his grandfather. Unfortunately, I cannot share them to the rest of the world. Interestingly, Hobson was "a man of a thousand faces". He had a very bland, Northern Irish appearance, and he looked different on all photos. Some people are like that.  They have that chameleon quality.

4. What is your very favorite book of all time?

Various books are tired to various seasons in my life. As a teenager, I was absolutely infatuated with Victor Hugo and the whole French Romanticism.

5. What makes you desire to write?

I always tell my readers that it's a nervous tick. You can't shake it easily. It's an uncontrollable compulsion. As a child, I would spend a lot of time inside my head, daydreaming, imagining various scenarios and outcomes.  I would construct entire worlds inside my head. And if you don't let those ideas out, your head will explode.

6. Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers?

It depends on what your goals are and how attainable they are. Do you aspire to spit out 10 paperbacks a year, like some established genre authors? Or do you want to write something authentic, sincere, outside of most people's comfort level?

7. Have you ever met any writers IRL?

Yes, I've been to a few author conferences. Where I live - Fairfield County - we have a large concentration of writers, so we naturally we bump into each other at book events.  There are fewer and fewer physical book shops.

8. Do you write many stories on History, or just this once?

Out of 8 novels, 6 of them are hardcore historical. 2 are set in 1980-1990s, but they still reference many historical events.

9. What are you working on now?

I am relaunching three of my novels that were released from my prior publisher and placed with a different publisher. Sometimes a book needs a bit of a face lift.

10. Please share with us your social media and book links:

My blog: http://ctcommie.blogspot.com/
My FB link: https://www.facebook.com/marina.j.neary
My Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Julia-Neary/e/B0030L2MK2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1469277286&sr=8-3
My bio: http://www.penmorepress.com/penmore_authors_/marina-julia-neary.html

Martyrs and Traitors: A Tale of 1916 by Marina Julia Neary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This author sought me out because of her writer friend, Iryna Combs, the Author of “Black Wings”, which can be found within my blog. So to begin, allow me to thank Iryna for the referral, I totally appreciate it.

Marina sent me her info, along with her list of books, and ask me which one I wanted to read. I like that. So I looked over everything, and this one: “Martyrs and Traitors” just pulled me in. I read the other ones, and then re-read this one three times.

I wasn’t sure if it was something my audience would get into, but I wanted to read it. Is that wrong? I thought for a minute. Why not. Let’s be selfish, and feed my reading needs.

This amazing tale takes you into the past, 1916 to be exact. And it tells you the stories of one of Ireland’s own.

Here you will learn of conspiracy theories, love stories, fights with then have make for a bloody messy, and so much more.

Bulmer Hobson is the very misunderstood antihero, if you will, of this time frame. And when his captors capture him, and joke about shooting and killing him, Hobson’s terrified fiancé must try and find him.

Hobson was branded the most dangerous man in Ireland at one time. And all he was trying to do, was make a difference.

Marina looks deeply into the real story, and gives us insight that you didn’t know, and helps you to understand the real Hobson better. She allows us to relive a bit of history through her eyes, giving us a wonderful five-star insight into the past, so that we may understand it better. This is a wonderful book, well written, and easy to understand, and wonderfully inspiring. A definite must read for anyone who loves history!

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