There have been a lot of comments about the cover of Checkmate: Clans and
Castles. Eye-catching and unusual, reviewers and contest judges have
been keen to connect the dots between all the different elements, leading to
this post on the thought that goes into a cover.
The background is a photograph of fire, inspired by the fact
that “all of Ulster was burning.” The fires began in Derry, bordered by the
River Foyle to the east and County Donegal to the west, set by the last Gaelic
Irish King of Ireland, Cahir O’Doherty, and his men at the same time as O’Doherty
killed Derry’s Governor, Sir George Paulet.
William Neely and others that had sworn allegiance to King James were a
scant group against O’Doherty’s more powerful and numerous forces and as the
sun set, Wills asked, “What day is this? I am afraid I do not even know the
date.”
The men thought for a moment. “April 19,” Tomas said finally. “A
Tuesday, it is.”
They fell silent then, each with his own thoughts, as the last vestiges
of the sun descended beyond the horizon. It was odd in a way, Wills thought; he
could not recall a single day in which it had not rained. Even on the most
beautiful of mornings with naught a cloud in the sky, there was always rain by
afternoon. It was the hide of the beast, being on an island such as this with
nothing to stop the clouds as they blew over the Atlantic. And it was the
reason, he knew, for the varied shades of green; for the forests that sprang
back up even after they had been trampled down or burned out; for the lush
vegetation that stubbornly grew amidst the rocks and the limestone. And yet on
this date—Tuesday, April 19, 1608—as Derry was torched and burned to the
ground, not a single drop of rain had fallen to douse her flames.
O’Doherty would rally all of Ulster together, joining clans
that had traditionally fought against one another, in a brazen attempt to
regain Ireland and drive the English and Protestant Scots from their island,
depicted on the cover as soldiers on horseback within the outline of chess
pieces:
All of Ulster was burning.
Colonists flooded the tiny settlement of Fort Stewart in the ensuing
days; each questioned regarding their village, its inhabitants and possible
identification of clans involved. They came from the east and west, north and
south, all with the same tale: surprise attacks, civilians ordered out of their
homes before they were torched, and men killed when they fought back. They came
in overwhelming forces flying flags of a dozen or more clans and in each
instance they were urged to return to their native countries. It appeared as if
the Irish were expelling the immigrants and there was nothing and no one to
stop them.
Some simply passed through on their way to Donegal and a ship to carry
them back to their native country. Others were en route to Dublin, where they
believed they would be safer. Outside of Ulster, there was unrest but nothing
like the uncertainty of attacks and rebellion they faced here.
From the fields, he could watch the water on Drongawn Lough and his
eyes would inevitably wander to the land mass on the other side of it;
O’Doherty property, it lay like a silent sentinel, waiting, waiting.
The chess outlines were inspired by this scene that included
an altercation between Cahir O’Doherty and George Paulet:
Cahir made a move for the sword he carried across his back, but Phelim
held him steady. “Not here,” he said, the pressure on Cahir’s shoulder visibly
increasing. “Pick your place and time.”
After an awkward moment, Cahir glanced meaningfully at the chess board
and said, “You have allowed yourself to become flanked.” With that, he
reluctantly shifted his eyes away from Paulet and slowly continued toward the
door. When Wills turned back to the bar, he found three mugs waiting and Fergus
had joined his side.
“I’ll just be taking these two,” Fergus said, his large hands grasping
two mugs.
As Paulet returned to his chair, he shouted, “Serving wench! Where is
that disgusting bint? Bring me another ale. Someone has absconded with mine!”
Wills made a move to point out Paulet’s mug but Fergus moved into his
line of vision. “Don’t,” he said. “Stay out of it.”
“I am afraid,” Paulet’s chess partner stated, moving his bishop to capture
Paulet’s king, “that the ruffian was quite correct. I flanked you, dear George,
and now your king is finished. Checkmate.”
Usually, only one of the elements would have been used on
the cover: the fire, the men or the chess pieces. But the book is non-stop
action and adventure as William Neely seeks to find his fortune and his future
in Ulster, only to be caught up in O’Doherty’s Rebellion. The Neely family had
originally lived in Ulster, ironically in and around the Inishowen Peninsula
that the O’Doherty family ruled for over a thousand years. They left in the 13th
century for Scotland, and William returned in 1608. As O’Doherty’s Rebellion
broke out, he had a choice: to remain loyal to King James I of England or switch
sides and fight alongside men that might have been his distant cousins.
Watch the book trailer below or on this page: https://pmterrell.com/checkmate-clans-and-castles/
The book is available in all book stores; if you don’t see
it on the shelf, ask for it. Or you can buy
it today on amazon. It is also available in all ebook formats.
