R. A. MacAvoy Returns

 

One Christmas present arrived a few days early for me this week. But first I must preface.

We all have them, those beloved authors who wrote a pivotal book, a comfort read, or some tome that resonated for some reason, sometimes undefinable. One of those authors for me is R. A. MacAvoy. I discovered her in my teens and fell in love with many of her books, especially The Grey Horse and Tea With the Black Dragon and Twisting the Rope. For me, they were simply different. They still are. The latter two have very definited aged technology in them, but The Grey Horse is ageless, and I admit, my favorite. It wasn't an easy read for the fifteen year old me when I first read it with its dialect which is quite easy for me now. But I was an inexperienced reader then. The Grey Horse is still a favorite--two original copies have resided on my bookshelve for years--then I purchased the rereleased paperback--then I bought it for my Kindle soon after I acquired my first Kindle. So, yes, it's a beloved book.

And MacAvoy's work was beloved although she virtually disappeared for years and years and years from the publishing scene. There has been no new book for a very long time. Every so often, I would stumble across someone else lamenting the lack of more MacAvoy. Her small library of titles have been on my shelves for years, escaping every purge although I don't reread all of them very regularly. But they were precious because they were by her.

Gushing much, Heidi? Sure. My fifteen year old fangirl still lives inside me.

Anyway, this week--a few weeks after publication!--I learned that there is finally a new R. A. MacAvoy title, Death and Resurrection. I ordered it within minutes of this discovery. And now I share here just to get the word out. The previews have been positive and I am thrilled. But now I am debating when to actually read it. Do I wait a few more days until the pressure of the holidays has passed? Do I stay up late tonight devouring it? What do I do?

Either way, since I haven't read it yet, I will go ahead and reiterate that if you want a lovely read, do pick up a copy of The Grey Horse. The original cover thrilled my heart back in its day. The current is rather plain and unassuming but don't let that deter you. It's Ireland. It's fae. It might sound cliche, but it's not. I have to be careful whenever I pick it up and open it because I tend to start rereading from that point and not stopping until I've reached the end. It does that for me. It just might do that for you, too.

And thanks for sharing your work again, R. A. MacAvoy. I am grateful....