Patricia Aakhus
Encyclopedia
Patricia Aakhus also known by the pseudonym Patricia McDowell, is an Irish novelist and the director of International Studies at the University of Southern Indiana
. She won Readercon
's Best Imaginative Literature Award in 1990 and the Cahill Award for The Voyage of Mael Duin's Curragh. She has a BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz
and an MFA from Norwich University
.
, an adopted son of a chieftain's widow who accidentally learns of his true parents. He unearths the truth that his mother is a madwoman living in a cave and his father, was killed by Viking raiders. He seeks to avenge their death and builds a large curragh
and sets out for the Viking lands with 16 men. They are caught in a storm near enemy territory and drift through mystical islands, which permits the writer Aakhus to increase the magical aspect of the subject matter, as the novel becomes increasingly enchanted with prophetic visionary.
Other publications include Astral Magic in the Renaissance: Gems, Poetry and Patronage of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft and the short story The Spy . She is currently working on a contemporary novel, entitled, Dogtown.
Aakhus is the Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and program director of International Studies at the University of Southern Indiana
. She also teaches classes on classical and world mythology, the history of magic, and international studies.
University of Southern Indiana
The University of Southern Indiana is a public university in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. This publicly funded institution has been among the fastest growingcomprehensive state universities in Indiana. Record fall enrollment in 2010 reached 10,702...
. She won Readercon
Readercon
Readercon is an annual science fiction convention, held every July in the Boston, Massachusetts area, in Burlington, Massachusetts). It was founded by Bob Colby and statistician Eric Van in the 1980s with the goal of focusing exclusively on science fiction in the written form Readercon is an...
's Best Imaginative Literature Award in 1990 and the Cahill Award for The Voyage of Mael Duin's Curragh. She has a BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
and an MFA from Norwich University
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university located in Northfield, Vermont . The university was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six Senior Military Colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of...
.
Career
Her debut novel, The Voyage of Mael Duin's Curragh dramatically retells the ancient Irish legend of Mael DuinMáel Dúin
Máel Dúin is the protagonist of Immram Maele Dúin or the Voyage of Máel Dúin, a Christian tale written in Old Irish around the end of the first millennium. He is the son of Ailill Edge-of-Battle, whose murder provides the initial impetus for the tale.Máel Dúin is the son of a warrior and chieftan....
, an adopted son of a chieftain's widow who accidentally learns of his true parents. He unearths the truth that his mother is a madwoman living in a cave and his father, was killed by Viking raiders. He seeks to avenge their death and builds a large curragh
Curragh
The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
and sets out for the Viking lands with 16 men. They are caught in a storm near enemy territory and drift through mystical islands, which permits the writer Aakhus to increase the magical aspect of the subject matter, as the novel becomes increasingly enchanted with prophetic visionary.
Other publications include Astral Magic in the Renaissance: Gems, Poetry and Patronage of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft and the short story The Spy . She is currently working on a contemporary novel, entitled, Dogtown.
Aakhus is the Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and program director of International Studies at the University of Southern Indiana
University of Southern Indiana
The University of Southern Indiana is a public university in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. This publicly funded institution has been among the fastest growingcomprehensive state universities in Indiana. Record fall enrollment in 2010 reached 10,702...
. She also teaches classes on classical and world mythology, the history of magic, and international studies.
Works
- Voyage of Mael Duin's Curragh, the (1990) ISBN 0934257310
- Daughter of the Boyne (1992) ISBN 0863273491
- Sorrows of Tara, the (1995) ISBN 0863274692