A literary family drama, with a murder at its heart, full of emotional twists and surprises.

Will you side with mother or daughter?

When Mercy Mulcahy was 40 years old, she was accused of killing her elderly and tyrannical father. Now, at the end of her life, she has written a book about what really happened on that fateful night of Christmas Eve, 1989.

The tragic and beautiful Mercy has devoted her life to protecting Star, especially from the father whose behavior so blighted her own life. Yet Star vehemently resists reading her manuscript.

Why? What is Mercy hiding? Was her father's death, as many believe, an assisted suicide?

Or something even more sinister?

In this book, nothing is what it seems on the surface and everywhere there are emotional twists and surprises. ("Breathtaking, and I mean literally -- actual gasps will happen" said one reader review).

Set in Ireland and California, Blue Mercy is a compelling novel that combines lyrical description with a page-turning style to create an enthralling tale of love, loss and the ever-present possibility of redemption.

Praise for Orna Ross and Blue Mercy

"A lyrical, gripping and heartbreakingly beautiful tale of love, loss and the ever-present possibility of redemption." - WE Magazine for Women

"Epic sweep...ambitious scope... an intelligent book". - Sunday Tribune

"A riveting story...vividly brought to life." - Emigrant Online

About the Author
ORNA ROSS has worked in every branch of books publishing: as author, editor, teacher, mentor, novelist, poet and even as an (accidental) literary agent. Since 2012, she has been successfully self-publishing her own books and she is founder and director of The Alliance of Independent Authors. Get an email when Orna launches a new book: http: //www.ornaross.com/connect/new-book-out/ ORNA SAYS: "My NOVELS usually take the form of family-based dramas. Often they are historical fiction and usually there's a murder mystery or other buried secret from the past causing chaos in the present. I enjoy writing emotional twists and surprises around big themes -- identity, family loyalty, the struggle between freedom and belonging. My POEMS are simple and accessible and tend towards the inspirational. My NONFICTION is about applying the creative process to everything in life. We've all been educated to neglect our creative capacities -- a big mistake, as the Creative Age overtakes the Information Age. Thankfully, as with strength in any other muscle, we stop losing it by using it. The 'Go Creative!' books show how to become more creative in every aspect of life. INSPIRATIONS: #1: HISTORY: I agree with Mr Hartley that the past is, indeed, another country and it's my favourite place to travel -- reading and writing historical fiction is my favourite thing to do. I'm especially drawn to bohemian times and places where shackles are thrown off and creativity flourishes -- fin de siecle Paris (1890s); literary revival and revolutionary Ireland (1910/20s); hippy (1960s) and gay lib (1980s) San Francisco... #2: GENDER: I write the kind of women's fiction that explores what it is to be a woman, in various times and places. But I think both men and women have feminine and masculine dimensions. We are all seeded by man and born of woman and we all carry 'male' and 'female' characteristics. How these play out, in an individual life and in different societies, is endlessly fascinating to me. #3: IRELAND: I don't only write about Ireland but it is a strong influence. Because so many millions have emigrated from there, its stories reach beyond its own shores. There is always a particular flavour to Irish writing and readers tell me they experience in my books too. #4: THE SEA: Everything I really needed to know, I could have learned by watching the waves. #5: THE SPACE BETWEEN THE WORDS. About which the less said, the better.