top of page

WELCOME

to Traces of Magic

by

Rev. Patrick Dolan

Traces of Magic
Books by Rev. Patrick Dolan
(Available in audiobook, paperback and e-book)

Rustic characters use good magic and prayers to help unicorns and other creatures stop an assassin's guild from inserting a weather control spell into a pre-colonial Kentucky valley.

A spell book from an assassin sorcerer causes fear in the city and its destruction lets in a major devil whose very touch kills by fear.  Plans to heal the rupture begin.

Trapping that devil requires all members of the community (clerics, magic users, holy knights, druids, barbarians and rangers) to trick the devil back into hell and reweave the protection net.

After the devil is gone, the Assassins still hold the weather control spell and the characters seek to remove it from their power without damaging the valley.  

Click on any book to find out more information and see a sample of each on Amazon.

Traces of Magic - 1 minute Video Trailer

​Excerpt from the Kirkus review, where they mislabeled these "folklore literature" stories as fantasy:  "This first book in Dolan’s fantasy series has an intriguing premise, which the author discusses in some detail in the foreword; in it, he intriguingly notes that the inspiration for this novel came from his own speculation on what a Celtic-Norse community might have been like if, in the 12th century, it had settled in an uninhabited region of what’s now Kentucky."

​

​

"Each book in the Traces of Magic series is a riveting magical adventure story so blended with reality that it will make you wonder if it really could have happened."   

--Dr. David Overley, MD, Louisville Kentucky

 About the author

 

Father Patrick Dolan is a retired US Army Brigadier General chaplain who served more than 25 years (including 4 times in Iraq)--concluding his duties with the National Guard, where he mentored all the state chaplains in the Nation, and also gave spiritual guidance to all National Guard Generals.  His experience there, as well as a PhD chemist and a Catholic priest, flavors all the characters.

Contact info: 

St. Steven Martyr Parish

2931 Pindell Ave

Louisville, KY 40217

or

MUCL@hotmail.com

The Facebook posts each day are now being put on the lower portion of this page.  May you enjoy them here or comment on them there.

From an Educator: “Traces of Magic” is a truly epic, ingenious, imaginary journey not only across the clearly identifiable landscape of Kentucky, but across another landscape that reveals the profound impact our choices have to promote good or evil, fear or courage, love or hate. As a Catholic school principal, it is refreshing to read a book for young readers that is both adventurous and suspenseful while highlighting the importance of knowing and living the truths of our faith in a way that is transferable to real world experiences. To get the full impact, however, you must read the entire series; it is a landscape you will not easily forget!

Kathy Fehder, 

Corpus Christi Catholic School Headmaster,

Simpsonville, KY

Book of Poems: 'Vigil Light Echoes' now available for download
​
​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folks have asked for the book of poems and prayers that has just been completed. We are uploading it for free, and it can be shared with anyone interested.

​

Click Here to download or a hard copy can be purchased from  the printer, New Hope Publications which has added it to their catalogue.

 

Blessings!

 

Fr. Pat

Today, on the feast of St. Barbara (patroness of Artillery, of which I was a part all through most of my service in the National Guard) and of St. John Damascene (a major figure in the Maronite Rite of which I was asked to be a local representative for more than 40 years), I finally listened to the urgings of my Guardian angel and these saints and declined a wonderful invitation to supper with a great group of priests.

 

Normally I would have felt obliged to join them, but these saints and my wonderful guardian angel convinced me otherwise.  I had a funeral today, including a graveside service in the snow.  This was immediately followed by a VTC with about 25 professional military from many countries and almost all continents—at which I gave the first of three presentations on drone warfare.  Shortly thereafter I got called to move furniture at OMOS.

 

Once this was finished, I had the desire to drive to Bardstown (part of the Traces of Magic holy-land area) to rejoice with the other priests—but I simply did not have the energy for the long drive in the dark in the country with potential black ice on the way home.  Though I called in my regrets, I still felt guilty; but it is clear that my guardian angel is much more prudent than I am—and so I’m recovering instead of driving.  Advent blessings!

© 2025 by Traces of Magic. Publishers. Powered and secured by Wix

bottom of page