I live in Holden, a town located in Central Massachusetts, very close to the city of Worcester. I have lived here most of my life. However, both of my parents
are from Vermont and many of my relatives live there. I dearly love Vermont and consider myself an “honorary Vermonter.” I am 54, single, and the caretaker of my amazing 91 year old mom. I also have two adorable cats (a Russian Blue named Smokey and a calico Maine Coon named Autumn Amelia.) Books and cats are pretty much all I need to be happy!
I work full-time as an Administrative Assistant in the Tribunal Office for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. I also just started teaching online courses in theology for the University of Dayton, Ohio. I have an undergraduate degree in history and a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry.
Visit Eileen's website to learn more about her books and her plans for future projects.
Click link below to read the Feature story in Catholic Free Press:
http://digital.catholicfreepress.org/app.php?RelId=6.5.7.2
1830s Birch Falls, Vermont
One by one Jerusha Kendall’s siblings fall victim to consumption, the scourge of the 19th century. Devastated by the loss of her children, Jerusha’s mother Mary is horrified over the outlandish folk remedy proposed by her dearest friend, Lavinia. Unable to divert the people of Birch Falls from carrying out Lavinia’s ghastly plan, Mary succeeds only in convincing them never to let Jerusha find out what they’ve done. But Jerusha knows a secret is being kept from her, and she is determined to uncover it.
1973 Middlebury, Vermont
Newly-minted folklorist Charlotte Lajoie accepts the position of Assistant Director at the New England Folklife Museum, the perfect first step in her career. But her sexist boss uses her to hide his incompetence and steal her ideas. Charlotte’s misery at work is assuaged only by a gift from her grandmother – the diary of their ancestor, Jerusha Kendall. Fascinated, Charlotte suspects that her family may have been involved in the 19th century’s New England Vampire Panic. Her discoveries could prove to be a goldmine for her career but only if she can outwit her jealous boss and pacify a vengeful ghost.
Smokey, an architect employed by Fluffington ArCATecture, lands the account of her dreams -- designing the first ever cat park in Faunaburg. Her boss, Abigail Fluffington, says that if Smokey is successful, she'll become a partner and inherit the business.
A dream come true? There’s one problem. The proposed park is adjacent to Rodent Way. Activist Jerome J. Ratley, quickly forms R.A.T. (Rodent Action Taskforce) and stages a protest.
Meanwhile, Smokey’s lovable but quirky sister and cooking savant, Autumn Amelia, is busy dishing up meals too delicious for any fur or feather to resist. And wandering uninvited into the kitchens of local restaurants to improve their recipes.
Together with their furred and feathered friends, Smokey and Autumn Amelia must find a way to make the proposed park a reality. But how to abolish the long-standing animosity between felines and rodents?
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In 1851 Irish Famine survivor, Meg O'Connor, buys passage to America for her younger sister, Kathleen, and arranges employment for her as a maid. Kathleen's feisty spirit soon puts her at odds with her employers, the bigoted and predatory Pratts. Driven from their home, Kathleen ends up on a wild adventure taking her to places she could never have imagined.
As a domestic servant in the Worcester, Massachusetts home of the kindly Claprood family, Meg enjoys a life beyond her wildest imaginings. Yet she must keep her marriage to Rory Quinn a secret. Rory, still in Ireland, eagerly awaits the day he will join her. But as the only jobs open to Irish men pay poorly, Rory's imminent arrival threatens to plunge her back into dire poverty.
On the eve of the Civil War, while America is being rent asunder by the fight over slavery, Irish Catholics wage their own war with the growing anti-immigrant Know Nothing party. Through grave doubts, dangers, and turmoil, Meg and Kathleen must rely on their faith and the resilient bonds of sisterhood to survive and claim their destinies in a new and often hostile land.
On an evening in 1846 engaged couple Meg O’Connor and Rory Quinn join in an exuberant moondance. Observing is the parish priest, Father Brian O’Malley. The moondance brings bittersweet memories of Siobhan, the long-dead love of his youth, with whom he still feels a spiritual connection. Within days of the dance, the villagers of Kelegeen awake to find their potato crops destroyed by blight. They’ve been through famine before. But this is an Gorta Mór, a monster the likes of which Ireland has never seen.
At first Meg and Rory devise ways to help provide for their families, Meg through her sewing, Rory with his wood carving. But when tragedy and a costly mistake end those means of survival they turn to more dangerous ventures.
Father O’Malley reluctantly teams up with an English doctor, Martin Parker, to alleviate Kelegeen’s suffering.
When Meg learns of ships carrying Irish passengers to a new life in America she is determined to go and bring Rory and their families after her. It will take all her strength and courage along with the help of her beloved priest and the English doctor to make the plan succeed.
Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite
This is a compelling story filled with emotion, a beautiful story beautifully told. It features memorable characters like Father O’Malley and the British Doctor, Martin Parker. The author captures the culture of the Irish people with skill, creating a setting that readers can easily visualize. The writing is confident and gorgeous, filled with wonderful descriptions and dialogues. Eileen O’Finlan has a gift for plot and character and readers feel the sense of despair in the community and Meg’s resolve to find solutions.
Reviewed By Amanda Rofe for Readers’ Favorite
Kelegeen is a compelling and atmospheric book which contains an important story in Ireland's history. A sensitively written narrative of the horrors of famine will stun readers simply because it recounts the horrors of a true story. However, despite the unendurable suffering, the strength of the people does shine through and there was hope for many through emigration.