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Former N.H. writer drew inspiration from Merrimack River

By George Pelletier - Milford Bureau Chief | Nov 7, 2020

Cindy Donnelly Kibbe (Photo by Mike Harvey/Peak Image Photography)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Cindy Donnelly Kibbe lives in Arizona, but as a local, award-winning journalist, she began writing a book when she lived in the Granite State.

Kibbe moved to Merrimack, New Hampshire in 2000 because she and her husband had both secured jobs here. And it was here that she got her inspiration for a fantasy novel, as she walked in the snow at the Merrimack River.

“We were back there last year for a wedding,” she said. “We visited our old stomping grounds and got together with friends.”

As a journalist, Kibbe spent 14 years in New Hampshire, working as a writer, assistant editor and contributor as various outlets.

“I loved it there,” she said. “It was a dream come true. I would write about thorny laws and with my background in healthcare, chances are I would do that or a lot of tech stories.”

Although she was a business journalist, it was here that she had an inkling to write her first novel, a young adult fantasy.

“I was probably always into fantasy,” she said. “It all really opened up for me as a kid when I saw ‘Star Wars’ for the first time. I was the first generation to see it when it opened, in 1977.”

Kibbe said from then on, she was “a lost cause.”

“That just spring-boarded into other science fiction,” she shared. “I read the ‘Desert Planet,’ and ‘Dune’ and ‘Lord of the Rings.'”

At that time, Kibbe said there were not many young girls reading fantasy novels.

“I was the only one,” she said with a laugh. “I think I was the first ‘D&D’ player in Chicagoland, where I lived. It was unique, but I didn’t care.”

With her new book, “Trine Rising,” written by Kibbe under the nome de plume, C.K. Donnelly, the protagonist Mirana Piral was born with three magical powers – seeing the future, defending and healing. Kibbe said she had a backstory in her mind.

“I thought, ‘Is there a way I can break out that character?'” she said. “And I needed a cool name- my husband came up with that. Now I have plot hooks for the next eight or nine books.”

Kibbe said she leaves hints and tidbits in her book, as teasers for something that may appear in a future story.

As for the fantasy theme, Kibbe said she has invested so much in what she has written, that she’ll probably stick with the genre.

“It’s a world that I love,” she said. “I love the magic- I like playing in my universe. I don’t know whether that’s adorable or conceited.”

She does hint at a family legend, a “lazy” uncle named Wolfgang, an artist who painted forgeries during the 18th century.

“I thought that would be fun to turn Uncle Wolfgang into a fictionalized story and series,” she said. “Something where his artworks get him in and out of trouble.”

The timing of “Trine Rising” couldn’t have been better, as everybody is currently house-bound.

“The reason why I decided to release the book now is because people are home-based,” Kibbe said. “People are curling up at home with a good book and reading. So, this actually was a beneficial time for that. And I’m hoping to give folks something to enjoy, look forward to and take them out of their stress with a great story.”

As for returning to New Hampshire some day for good, Kibbe said there is that tiny urge.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a gorgeous beach cottage in Rye Harbor?” she said. “Or on Winnipesaukee. So there is definitely that tug to life a little closer to water. And I miss the autumn. There is that desire. Who knows?”

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