Where are all the Celtic Gods? That was what I asked myself when I started researching for my books. There are lots of Scottish books, and plenty about Norse mythology, but nothing about Celtic Gods. Which is perfect.
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I’m Irish, like a lot Irish, nearly half. Also nearly half Italian. I’m one of the few that genuinely is Irish when I claim to be on St. Patrick’s Day. According to my O’Connell heritage, I’m mostly from Munster. And Ancestry DNA tells me that Munster is known for its ‘literary prowess’ toting names like Swift, Joyce, Yeats, O’Brien, and Rooney. And now I guess me haha.
There’s not a lot of literature specifically about the Irish though. Even though everyone wants to be Irish around one certain holiday, happy St. Patrick’s Day, by the way. But as I researched Celtic Gods I found it was unheard of unless you’re specifically reading tedious books about it. You can find paranormal romance books referencing some similar themes but none directly.
So while there were tons of Fae, fairies, leprechauns, and so on in modern stories, I couldn’t find any specifically referencing the mythology itself. While my husband and I are Marvel junkies, even in the famous universe borne out of Stan Lee’s head, I only found two characters directly related to the Celts.
And well, that kind of bummed me out. I love Thor, I mean who doesn’t? But I wanted to see my people represented somewhere!
That’s why I decided to write about Celtic Gods myself!
I found an underserved market, I filled a need, and I did it in a unique way. Romance novels about Celtic Gods were nowhere to be found. You might be thinking great, good for you. But it’s good for you too and I’ll tell you why.
Although I’m poring through the internet, I can’t find the specific clip, so if you can please comment with it! But on Shark Tank I recall I believe Kevin O’Leary stating that the success of any business is filling a need in the market, serving a market that has more demand than people doing that, and doing something that others have done in a unique way.
The first two sound the same but they can be different. Filling a need in a market can be by creating something that no one has ever seen before to serve a market. Or serving a market that has a solution to their problem but not enough of it. Make sense?
So for myself, I wanted to see Celtic Gods and Goddesses somewhere. Anywhere really. I could tell you all about Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology because I’m a history/psychology/spirituality nerd. So I could tell you that the Celtic Gods were lost to Christianity. But I couldn’t tell you a ton about Celtic myth.
Celtic Gods just weren’t anywhere to be found.
At least nowhere I was looking. Granted, there are plenty of people with Celtic knots, Claddagh rings, leprechauns, and shamrocks all over the place. But the mythology of it all was lost in the shuffle.
When I had my idea to write a novel I kind of stumbled into it. I was thinking about the Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trials when I decided to research who was the first to be tried and hanged. That woman was Bridget Bishop.
And so I researched the name and found that there was a Celtic Goddes, Brigid. I won’t give it all away but those two things brought forth my romance novel. But I knew I wanted to bring in a lot more Celtic Gods into the story so I could and my audience could learn more about them in a fun way. The way I like to learn.
Apply this principle to your business and you’ll do great!
The thing about it is, you can apply this to nearly anything you do. If what you want to do has so many people doing it already, how can you throw in your own unique twist to make it feel new and exciting?
Or what about what is something you have always wanted but can’t find anywhere? Solving a problem that lots of people have is a key component to success.
That’s what I tried to do by writing about Celtic Gods. Now, I don’t know how many people have the same problem as me. Maybe I could do a poll about it. But I do know that it was something that I was looking for.
In my English Literature class in college, we learned alot about Greek Mythology. The God’s in these stories totally contradicts my religious belief. However, I found them interesting. From a biblical point of view, it is written that in the last days there will be more sellers than buyers. I agree with you when you say that providing a unique twist to a service or niche that caters to the need of one’s audience is key to success. But with so many entrepreneurs, bloggers, businesses… selling the same product, it’s kinda difficult to be unique. It’s great that you are able to apply the idea of Celtic Gods to your new project. I am sure you will gain much success. All the best Shea.
Fascinating! Thank you, Kevin. Yes, it is difficult but it is possible to create something new and exciting. Standing out from the crowd, as you do! All the best to you as well and here’s to your success as well.
I am half Irish half Italian too! I loved reading about your writing process and where your ideas come from. Thanks for posting!
Jaclyn
https://lightningdroplets.com/
Thank you so much! Yes, it’s a popular combination at least where I’m from haha.
I like how you did research to be able to add more to your storyline on the Celtic Gods to give it a twist and make it more interesting and fun. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Denise! Research is part of the fun for me. I appreciate your support.
I had no idea about this part of history. What a beautiful share. Thanks for it!
Thank you!