“What the Tide Leaves Behind” is a love letter to a part of Ireland our local author holds dear. It also explores themes of community, connection and the transformative power of unexpected companionship.
Thomas McKay has shuffled through life since losing his father in one of the last explosive acts of the Troubles. Now he finds himself tending to his late mother’s cottage in the remote, wind scoured Donegal coast and trying to connect with her enigmatic border collie. As he adjusts to life in the small village of Dunnybegs, he discovers the rhythm of the community, filled with colorful characters and rich archaeological history.
So begins a year of self-discovery, as Thomas forms a deep bond with the dog and learns to really see the world. On long walks along the stunning coastline, he becomes a keen observer of the area, documenting their adventures through photography. Their story gains international attention on social media, turning them into local celebrities and embroiling them in a battle over the future of Killfish Bay. There is an American corporation eying the bay and an offer on the cottage. Thomas may have finally found his place in the world, but will he lose it all? What the Tide Leaves behind is a heartwarming tale of personal growth, the authentic charm of small communities and the enduring bond between man and dog.
Malcolm McDowell Woods is an editor and journalist, a professional freelance writer and a university lecturer. He co-wrote the book, “Irish Wit and Wisdom” and was a co-founder and managing editor of the former Irish American Post magazine. Woods edited the popular Outpost Exchange magazine and was founding editor of Graze, Around the Kitchen Table with Outpost Natural Foods. He has written for a variety of periodicals in the U.S. and Europe and has authored numerous short stories. He has received national honors for editorial writing and page design and was awarded the Milwaukee County Individual Arts Fellowship for Fiction Writing. “What the Tide Leaves Behind” is his first novel.
Scottish by birth and Northern Irish by ancestry, Woods lived in Wauwatosa for nearly two decades. He now resides in Bay View, Wisconsin, with his partner, Nicki, and their dogs, Neville and Molly. His two adult children (Wauwatosa East High School grads) live nearby.
First, we have recipes from author Malcolm McDowell Woods! Try these easy recipes for Malcolm Woods’ stew and soda bread the way they were made by the author’s mother.
An Irish tea might include tea and/or Irish coffee along with Irish Tea Cake (with or without berries and whipped cream), the sweet, sticky no-bake (addictive!) confection known as Fifteens or the Lemon and Sultana Scones.
If dessert in the dining room after the discussion is your book club’s tradition, then the Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake or Guinness Chocolate Cake served with tea and/or Irish Coffee, is the way to go. Or be bold and offer Guinness as a beverage to mirror the flavoring in the chocolate cake.
Finally, you can go all-out with an Irish meal featuring County Clare’s Root Soup and the Irish Sausage Rolls, with or without “chips” (French fries), capped off by any of the desserts included here.
Adult prompt/theme:
This year’s authors, both Wisconsinites, were inspired by the world around them to write and create art in the form of fiction. Draw upon your own experiences or interview a creative person in your life to answer this year’s essay prompt: What inspires you (or the person you are interviewing) to create? Describe times you were inspired and/or specific places that inspired you (either here in Wisconsin or traveling the world) and what was created from that inspiration.
Student prompt/theme:
This year’s Tosa All-City Read authors were inspired by the world around them to write a book! Think about your life here in Tosa or trips you have taken to other places. Describe times or places that inspired you to create, and what you created (it could be a drawing, a painting, a story, a poem, a song, a photograph, a video, or anything else).
Winners:
Grades 3-5
First Place: On The Horizon – Isabel White
Second Place: Essay entry – Art is All Around Us – Mame Croze McCully
Honorable Mention: Becoming an Inspiration – Lucy Marvel
Grades 6-8
First Place: Family Games – Clara Ost
Second Place: The Wrong Motivation – Elizabeth Cover
Honorable Mention: Inspiration On Ice- Tegan Brown
High School
First Place: anything and everything – Elyse Ost
Adults
First Place: Home for Sale – Katie Witt
Second Place: A Writer’s Wish – Taylor Vraney
