Redmonds from across the world reunited at Loftus Hall, returning not just to a place—but to a purpose. By Cece/Cecelia REDMOND 18 April 2025 Where the Flame Was Never Extinguished The Redmond Return to Loftus Hall “More Irish than the Irish themselves.” These words carved into stone at Loftus Hall speak not only of a family—but of a fire that would not be snuffed out. For nearly 600 years, the Redmonds held strong on the wild edge of Ireland, their home standing sentinel over the graveyard of a thousand ships. From the battlements of Redmond Hall—now

Where Trees Remember and Shells Whisper Stories A soulful reflection on sacred ground, sunlight through trees, and the stories the sea still tells. By Cece/Cecelia 12 April 2025 A Walk Through Time on Dauphin Island Where Trees Remember and Shells Whisper Stories After days wrestling with book formatting, website tweaks, and getting every detail just right, I felt like my body needed to exhale. The Island was calling me — not just for sunshine, but for stillness. And when I stepped onto that beach, I felt something shift. It was exactly what I needed — and

The Woman Behind Tilbitha: How My Ancestor Talitha Whitlock Inspired a Fierce Fictional Voice The real-life Civil War widow whose strength helped shape one of my fiercest fictional voices. By Cece/Cecelia 2 April 2025 Introduction Most people assume fictional characters are plucked from pure imagination. But for me, some of the strongest voices in my historical fiction novel, Mary’s Burden, come straight from blood memory. Tilbitha — the sharp-tongued, opinionated aunt who never backs down — was inspired by a very real woman. Her name was Talitha Whitlock, and she was my 3× great-grandmother. The Real

When Skywalker Touched the Earth When there are no words for comfort! By Cecelia The day before Dee headed to Mississippi, she called and asked me to meet her for lunch at Cracker Barrel.Her usual spot. The one she used for everything from catching up with friends to hosting family Thanksgivings. It wasn’t unusual for Dee to gather people around a table, but that day felt different.Usually when we met for lunch, Carroll and Melba were part of the gang—but not today. Dee isn’t likely to be jocular or jovial; her demeanor is usually reserved and