Author Information:

Charles reading in his office

about Book One,
Irish the Demon Slayer . . .

In the early 1960s, I heard and never forgot a re-broadcast KPFA radio interview of the wonderful Irish poet Ella Young. She related to nature in a spiritual way, talking to trees and even rocks, conversing with them regularly, much to the astonishment of the interviewer. I feel that same connection to nature, so it was natural while thinking about this novel and reminiscing about roaming the hills of Marin County with my two best friends when I was 12, to add talking trees.

Then, while exploring Irish lore, I discovered the comprehensive treatise on Cuchulain of Muirthemne by Lady Augusta Gregory, a colleague and friend of William Butler Yeats. I was fascinated by the character and the myth, so Cuchulain and some of his contemporaries joined my story. It also began approximately two years of collecting and studying Celtic mythology, culminating in a tour of locations in Ireland that I used in the novel.

Of course there was also the influence from my Irish heritage and my Irish high school in San Francisco, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, where the sports teams were known as the Fightin' Irish.

about María's Beads . . .

As a little girl, my wife lived in Salinas, next door to her best friend, who contracted a potentially fatal kidney disease. Her personal real experience was the seed for a short story that blossomed into this novel involving Huichol culture, a mystical curandera and the Hispanic community.



awards . . .

- an honorable mention contest winning memoir, Kauai Odyssey, in the 2012 Redwood Writers Conference,
- a third place award for the short story The Bear in the 2012 California Writers Club Fault Zone literary contest.
- and an honorable mention for Chapter One of the middle grade novel Otherworld Tales 3: The Ultimate Battle at the 2016 San Mateo Fair literary contest.

publications . . .

Charles' recently published work:
- a short story, Hills Like Brown Camels in the Redwood Writers 2011 anthology, "The Sound of a Thousand Leaves,"
- a short story The Bear in both the Redwood Writers 2012 anthology, "Call of the Wild," and the San Mateo 2012 literary anthology, "Carry the Light,"
- I'm Back, Chapter 4 of the mystery serial, "Red Harvest" in the July, 2013, Santa Rosa Press Democrat newspaper, and
- Unwanted Eyes, Chapter 9 of the mystery serial, "Sonoma Squares" in the June, 2012, Santa Rosa Press Democrat newspaper.
- a short story, A Conflicted Heart, in the Redwood Writers 2015 anthology, "Journeys."

Previously published work:
- poetry in the literary magazine, First Leaves and
- flash fiction on the literary website, tiny-lights.com



school visits . . .

- Calistoga Elementary School, Calistoga, California, 6th grades, May 24, 2012
- Mary Collins Cherry Valley school, Petaluma, California, 6th grades, September 5, 2012
- Mary Collins Cherry Valley school, Petaluma, California, 5th grades, September 4, 2013



experience and background . . .

Charles was co-editor of the Redwood Writers 2012 anthology, Call of the Wild
and a member of both the Redwood Writers a branch of the California Writer's Club (CWC)
and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
He is also coordinator and meeting moderator for North Bay SCBWI workshops.

While writing his first two novels, he attended six semesters of college level creative writing, and eight years of writing workshops and conferences. His recent works of fiction followed technical writing, newsletters and magazine articles during his career as a technical manager in the Silicon Valley computer industry.

LIFE MEMBERSHIPS:
University of California at Berkeley alumni.
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

Contact me at charles-t@charlesmarkee.com or Follow Charles on Twitter

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