Welcome to my website!

I’m R. W. Thompson, an author of books for young readers and adults. I am a retired history teacher and elementary school principal who can now take the time to write and publish the stories that I used to make up for my children and students. My children's books are listed under available books, and if you wish to purchase them, you may find them at Barnes&Noble.com; go to the site, type in the title or ISBN number of the book, and follow their directions, or order them directly from me at robert.thompson58@verizon.net

I live in Massachusetts with my wife, our Staffordshire Terrier, Etta, and our cat, Venus. 

There is also a poetry section where you will find poems about life, a special section entitled Anam Cara, poems for the soul, and a section for short stories. 

Feel free to come on in and stay as long as you like, and if you get the urge to eat chocolate while you read, please be my guest. If you like something on any of the pages, please leave a message and your e-mail so I may respond to you!

All works on this site are the property of the author and are subject to copyright laws.  They may not be copied without the written permission of the author.

Always check the bottom of this page to see what is new!

Kind regards,

NEW NOVEL

Just released! Barnes & Noble Publishing has just released my new novel, The Last Harp

The ancient Irish kings employed harpists to entertain them, so harpists held great prestige in society. Gaelic society was the dominant social structure across Ireland and the Scottish Highlands until the 1600s. These two territories were intimately connected. At one sad point in Irish history, British invaders made it illegal to possess an Irish harp and set out to destroy every Irish harp in a failed attempt to kill the “Irish spirit.” Queen Elizabeth signed an edict ordering harps to be burned and hanging the harpists wherever they were found. Then, the preservation of ancient Irish harpists’ music became a challenge.

         Cormac Byrne never set out to be a warrior. As a traveling harpist, his hands were made for music, not bloodshed. But Ireland is drowning under British rule, and when his melodies carry whispers of rebellion, he is left with no choice. He must trade his harp for a rifle.

         Drawn into the resistance led by Seamus O’Connell, Cormac joins a fierce band of rebels, including the bold and cunning Brigid Callahan, whose fire matches his own. As the war escalates, the British send General Tobias Blackwood, a relentless tactician, to crush the uprising. Unlike his predecessor, Blackwood does not make mistakes; he hunts.

         When the rebels flee Cork after a costly battle, Cormac and his fighters vanish into the bogs outside Dublin, where they stumble upon a forgotten stone relic from the 1798 rebellion. The outpost, hidden by time, becomes their sanctuary, allowing them to strike from the shadows. Dublin, once thought to be lost to British control, begins to awaken.

         With the help of Declan O’Rourke, a pub owner turned rebel spy, Cormac orchestrates his boldest mission yet—the theft of British weapons and grain, crippling enemy supply chains and fueling Ireland’s fight. But Blackwood retaliates with brutal precision, tightening his grip and placing a bounty on Cormac’s head. The rebels refuse to back down, and Cormac is forced to ask himself: How much longer can they survive this war?

         As Dublin burns and Blackwood closes in, Cormac faces the hardest choice of his life—does he continue fighting for Ireland, or does he fight to protect the family he never thought he’d have?

   A tale of defiance, exile, and legacy, The Last Harp is the story of a man who traded his strings for a rifle yet never forgot the battle he left behind. His journey will end, as Ireland edges ever closer to reclaiming its fate.