"Bobby Mahoney awoke one morning to find a leprechaun sitting on his bedpost." And so begins the adventure. The leprechaun is called O'Shaughnessey because that's the name the little fellow's chosen for himself and because his faerie name is virtually unpronouncable by humans. Bobby flies in the leprechaun's magical tricorn hat into the deep woods to meet the crusty, antisocial O'Sullivan with his hoard of gold, to the Cave where the Ban-Shees dwell, and to the Mountain of Shadows, where is kept the dreaded Coach-a-Bower, the Deathcoach. Author Jeremy McGuire weaves the invisible realms seamlessly with Bobby's real world where he experiences the divorce of his parents, and the illness of his little sister, each world influencing and being influenced by the other.
Is O'Shaughnessey real or an imaginary friend?
Yes.
"I don't know why I let you talk me into these things, surely I don't." The shabby leprechaun pulled his tattered greatcoat around him to ward off the chill of the night and sank deeper into the crown of O'Shaughnessey's hat. O'Shaughnessey had, after a lengthy discussion, finally convinced O'Sullivan to accompany them on their adventure, and now they were speeding through the night toward the Mountain of Shadows and the grim Fortress that stood on its peak. "Do you know, O'Shaughnessey, that in the Fortress of Death we shall be as mortal as he is?" O'Sullivan jerked his thumb at Bobby. "I do," O'Shaughnessey answered. O'Sullivan grumbled and shook his head. "Why I ever decided to get involved with the likes of him I'll never know. Here I am, sailing into who knows what kind of danger with no magic to help us at all. It's madness, that's what it is, pure madness." "Oh, stop muttering like a Lanawn-Shee and have another drop of your excellent Honey Nectar," O'Shaughnessey said good-naturedly. The shabby leprechaun reached into his greatcoat and pulled out a leather flask, uncorked it and took a long drink. "A Lanawn-Shee," Bobby asked? "Is that like a Ban-Shee?" "Not at all," laughed O'Shaughnessey. "She's a faerie woman of a different sort. 'Tis she who whispers in the poets' ears the secrets of our unseen world and makes them write them all down." "Will I ever see a Lanawn-Shee?" O'Shaughnessey considered the question as he turned the hat-ship gently to one side. "Well, you've the gift, lad. I shouldn't wonder if you do." "I wouldn't welcome her," said the seedy leprechaun between sips of Honey Nectar. "Those who hear the Lanawn-Shee whisper are consumed by an unquenchable fire; they feel they must write down all she says, but so incessant is her muttering that they can never keep up with her. They'd not be able to get it all writ, not if they had three lifetimes to do it. She saps their strength and leaves them old before their time." The old one grumbled as he shoved his flask back into his greatcoat. "It's not a life I would relish." "That's true enough," agreed O'Shaughnessey. "But it'd be more blessing than curse, I'm thinking."
About Jeremy McGuire
Check out the author's web site at www.jeremymcguire.com for updates on all projects. Primarily a playwright (From All Things Evil/Sister), this is Jeremy McGuire’s first work of narrative fiction. He has also been an actor, director and teacher, but his first and most enduring loves are writing and drawing. He has a particular fondness for Nineteenth Century literature and art, which influences the narrative style and the pen and ink drawings in O'Shaughnessey.
He lives in an 1883 Victorian house on the south side of Chicago with his wife, Kathleen, who is also an artist, and two cats, who are not.
"Bobby Mahoney awoke one morning to find a leprechaun sitting on his bedpost." 
Check out the author's web site at www.jeremymcguire.com for updates on all projects. Primarily a playwright (From All Things Evil/Sister), this is Jeremy McGuire’s first work of narrative fiction. He has also been an actor, director and teacher, but his first and most enduring loves are writing and drawing. He has a particular fondness for Nineteenth Century literature and art, which influences the narrative style and the pen and ink drawings in O'Shaughnessey.