He had the idea for the novel in
college—but it took 20 years to
make it to the printed page.
Michael K. Reynolds’ first
novel in his Irish historical
family saga, Flight of the
Earls (B&H Fiction), is now
on shelves. Although it took
a while, he doesn’t feel as if
the span of time from idea to
paperback was wasted.
“I consider it an act of God’s
mercy in guiding me to lay
down my fiction pen for so
long. In retrospect, I had a tremendous
amount of spiritual
and relational growing to do
before I was prepared to write
this novel.”
Siblings Clare and Seamus
Hanley set out for America in
1846 after their family farm in
Ireland is decimated by famine,
discovering adventure, love
and a shocking secret. “Both of
these characters were forced
to rise above their upbringing
and their tragic circumstances,”
shares Michael. “Clare
is lifted by her powerful
inner drive to care
for others. Seamus
is burdened by his
past and often drifts
without purpose, but
his tantalizing glow
of potential is what
draws us to him.”
Each book in the
Heirs of Ireland trilogy
is spiritually
themed around a
member of the Trinity,
in a subtle yet foundational manner, as Michael
explains. “Flight of the Earls is centered around
fatherhood. It explores the generational impact
of our earthly fathers and our desperate need for
connection with our heavenly Father.”
Michael’s hope is that readers will experience
a range of emotions as they read his story.
“Historical novelists are tasked with transporting
readers to a different place and time, while providing
an experience which relates to the present.
Emotions are what make this possible. To be
successful we must include the full pageantry
of human expression. Laughter, tears, anger and
jealousy—these are but a few of the ingredients
of realism—but if there is one emotion I would
want to linger long after the book is put down,
that would be a sense of hope.”