Love of the written word has been part of Murphy's life since a child. An avid reader, she began to pen stories as young as age 8, when she wrote her first book about a horse named Lightening. As the years progressed, her writing primarily focused on her nursing career and educational pursuits but venturing onto the stage one day, she broadened her horizons into acting and music. This led her into script, poetry and songwriting.In 2001, she left a 25 year career as a psychiatric nurse and as a community health clinical nurse specialist, entered school nursing. Freedom in the summers enabled her to pursue her creative writing endeavors. A love of genology and history, as well as fantasy, were a combined influence on her first novel, The Pipes Are Calling.Murphy's passion for her Irish heritage permeates her writing. Raised in the Pensylvania coal region, she extensively researched the Molly Maguires, a group of Irish immigrants who battled for workers rights in the coal mining industry of the mid-1800's. Her research led her to write The Pipes Are Calling, which uses the story of the Mollies as a backdrop.Currently, she is compiling a volume of Irish poetry and finishing her second novel entitled wwwirishhearts.com based on the legend of Finn McCool's son Ossian and his band of men, the Fianna.

Upcoming book signings: Wednesday May 30th, 2007 - Tamaqua Train Station/Anthracite Authors Book Signing Event Friday June 8th, 2007 - 7 pm - 9 pm Wine & Cheese Social featuring The Schuylkill River Ethnic Heritage Display with Book Signing by Loretta A. Murphy/Girardville Borough Hall Saturday June 9th, 2007 - Girardville 175th Anniversary Picnic at the Borough Park Sunday July 22 Bluegrass Festival and Fiddler Fest, Eckley Miners Village 10 - 6 pm Sat. July 28th and Sun. July 29th, appearance as Master of Ceremonies at Clover's Irish Weekend festival, Clover Fire Company, Heckshersville, Pa. and Booksignings Friday August 31st - Homecoming Weekend, UpperSchuylkill PRIDE event, Mahanoy City Elks along with a coal mining themed perforamnce by the Catholic Churches of Ashland Community Theatre Players; Sunday, Sept. 1, Booksigning at Top O' The Morning Irish Mass and breakfast...enjoy music by the LowLander Highlanders, Irish stepdancing, and more...

The Pipes Are Calling
Webpage about my novel, including a poetry sampler and some additional biographical info

Scriobh
link to the Irish author site where I write under the pen name "Maggieofthegypsies" - Maggieofthegypsies was an Irish gypsy lass, one of the characters I portrayed as an actress in a Rennassiance Faire troupe

Paranormal Romances
Review page for my novel, The Pipes Are Calling, on the one of a kind web showcase where love is truly a magical event

Sceala
The grandest Irish website on the net...full of Irish craic...check out my stories, novel under construction, and poetry in the Writers and Poets forum where I write under my pen name, Maggieofthegypsies...great fun for those who love Ireland and the Irish culture