Julie Guarascio
Julie Guarascio asked Cathy Cash Spellman:

Dear Cathy Cash - The first book of yours that I ever read (An Excess of Love) tore at my heart and sole. Although some of your other books have come close, this will always be my favorite. How many days/weeks/months did it take to research all of the facts to match your story line? Your Devoted Fan - Beverly O'Neil (Pittsburgh PA)

Cathy Cash Spellman Dear Beverly...I'm so happy to know which of my books is your favorite!
I think the research really began in my Irish childhood, when the songs and heroic stories filled my romantic heart with the ideas of Irish freedom. I researched seriously for nearly three years, here and in Ireland, and continued the research as I wrote.
One of the most gratifying highpoints for this tale came after it was done. I received a letter from an Irishman, then in his eighties or nineties, telling me he had been at the barricades with Mick Collins on Easter Sunday 1916 and had known the man well. He said the word-portrait I'd painted of Collins in my story was the closest of any he'd ever read to the truth of the man!
Thank you for your beautiful words of encouragement...knowing readers care deeply about my characters and stories is what keeps me writing!

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