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1. Architectural Foundation &amp; Narrative SettingIn Dr. Niall MacGiolla Bhuí’s new children's book, titled 'Ruby's Dream: A Tale of Horses and Friendship', the core literary thesis asserts that virtues such as kindness, quiet empathy, and patience are not passive, weak traits, but dynamic, active drivers of narrative plot and character transformation. Rather than relying on physical aggression or loud dominance to resolve conflict, the narrative demonstrates that emotional regulation and authentic understanding are the true catalysts for growth, agency, and moral authority.The story is anchored in the rural setting of Craughwell, County Galway...a place where fields stay green even in January, sideways rain blows off the Atlantic, and the community is tightly knit. At the literal and thematic peak of this landscape sits Mr. O'Leary’s stable yard atop the hill. With its ancient grey stone walls, wooden doors painted so thick with layers over generations that they feel like biscuits, and a smooth mounting block worn down by decades of riding boots, the yard acts as the story's moral crucible. It is a physical prize for two local young girls, but more significantly, it represents a sacred space where intent, truth, and psychological readiness are tested."There's a difference between being humble and being hidden. One of them is strength. The other one is a shame." — Ruby's FatherThis foundational lesson from Ruby's father underscores the thematic framework of the narrative: true humility stems from internal confidence and moral strength, whereas hiding oneself out of fear or embarrassment surrenders agency to unkindness. While Craughwell's wind-swept physical landscape and the elevated stable yard provide a vivid setting, they ultimately serve as a mirror reflecting the inner psychological landscapes and moral maturity of the two main characters.2. Character Contrast &amp; Motivations: Two Paths to the Same HillTo understand how moral choices drive narrative outcomes, storytellers must look beyond surface labels like "hero" and "bully." Both Ruby Murphy and Emma Brennan share a profound, fierce passion for horses, yet their contrasting motivations and psychological responses shape completely different behaviors and results.Unpacking Emma’s Psychological MotiveTo analyse Emma effectively, one must understand that her malice is not innate, but born out of deep-seated insecurity. As established in the book, Emma adopted the destructive belief that "the only way to be worth something was to be better than someone else." Her jealousy functions as an externalised defense mechanism; a sour, trapped feeling described as "a wasp in a jar." When she sees Ruby’s natural affinity with animals, Emma perceives Ruby's quiet competence as a direct threat to her own self-worth. Consequently, her drive for dominance is a desperate attempt to protect her fragile ego from feelings of insignificance.The Narrative Significance of MindsetThe fundamental "so what?" of this character contrast lies in how animals and perceptive adults react to them. Horses...such as Mrs. Callaghan's half-blind grey pony Bramble, the nervous chestnut gelding Bracken, and the traumatised grey mare Star...cannot be deceived by surface bravado or library knowledge. They respond strictly to genuine emotional calm and patience.Because Ruby approaches animals without demanding immediate validation, horses like Bramble and Bracken lower their heads and lean into her hands. Conversely, because Emma approaches out of a need to prove her superiority, her sharp movements and demanding posture cause horses to raise their heads, flatten their ears, and back away. Mr. O'Leary, an experienced observer of human and equine nature, recognises that while riding skills can easily be taught, patience and authentic empathy must come from within.These contrasting mindsets and approaches to relationships are soon put to the ultimate test during pivotal story events that determine the characters' fates.3. Deconstructing Plot Mechanics: Key Narrative Turning PointsThe plot of Ruby's Dream advances systematically through moral choices rather than random chance. Each major narrative beat illustrates how character virtue or flaw produces direct plot consequences:Emotional Escalation &amp; Equine Intuition (The Interview &amp; Handling of Bracken): During the interview for the stable hand position, Emma displays emotional volatility by interrupting Ruby, boasting about her show ribbons, and demanding immediate control of Bracken. She approaches the four-year-old chestnut gelding head-on, causing him to shy away in fear. In contrast, Ruby utilises a slow, side-facing posture, low vocal cues, and patient waiting, allowing Bracken to sniff her hand and rest his neck against her. Ruby's understanding that a nervous horse needs space directly earns her the stable hand position. Narrative Karma &amp; Moral Integrity (The Hen Gate Sabotage): Driven by jealousy, Emma unlatches Mrs. Kilbride's hen gate, coiling aside the securing wire and driving fifteen hens into the lane to frame Ruby for negligence. However, structural justice unfolds through physical evidence: Ruby's father uncovers small boot prints in the mud and notes the clean opening of the latch, while Mr. O'Leary confirms Ruby was by his side all afternoon. Integrity and consistency protect Ruby, leaving Emma burdened by the internal rot of deceit. Therapeutic Patience &amp; Vulnerable Transformation (Gentling the Traumatised Pony): When Mr. O'Leary invites Emma to help with Star, a grey mare traumatised by previous abuse, Emma faces her crucial turning point. For nine days, Emma must stand still in the grass without shouting, pushing, or demanding quick results. This process breaks her habit of demanding instant validation, forcing her to cultivate genuine patience until Star finally leans into her touch, marking the beginning of Emma's internal redemption. Restorative Empathy &amp; Mentorship as Character Expansion (The Shift to Teaching): Rather than harbouring bitterness over past sabotage, Ruby chooses active restoration. When assigned to guide Emma in grooming, Ruby hands her a curry comb and patiently explains the circular motion following the coat's natural lay. This moment represents the thematic peak of the narrative arc: Ruby experiences an expansion of her core dream. She realises that holding knowledge privately is incomplete, and that mentoring others, "lighting the lantern for others", represents a higher stage of character growth than personal achievement. By examining these turning points, young readers can trace how specific narrative choices directly connect external plot resolution to deeper moral lessons.4. Mentorship and Moral Framework: Voices of WisdomThe thematic arc of Ruby's Dream is anchored by adult mentors who offer grounded moral guidance, helping the young characters navigate complex emotional terrain.Animals as Truth-Tellers (Mr. O'Leary): Mr. O'Leary serves as an unyielding standard of authentic horsemanship. His philosophy centers on the fact that horses look past external arrogance, titles, and talk; they evaluate intent, physical calm, and emotional consistency. By evaluating the girls on how they answer basic care questions, such as prioritising fresh water, clean straw, and reporting illness over personal glory, he models a world where merit is based on quiet responsibility rather than self-promotion. Refusing to Let Unkindness Win (Ruby's Dad): When Ruby considers quitting the stables to avoid Emma's relentless teasing, her father offers vital perspective on perseverance. He points out that giving up a passion because someone else is cruel allows that cruelty to dictate one's life. Furthermore, he grounds her in a crucial principle of competence: "You'll not win it by wanting it. You'll win it by knowing it." This advice empowers Ruby to realise that standing her ground through quiet, rigorous knowledge outweighs loud ambition. The Courage of Apology (Authorial Framework): The moral architecture of the novel explicitly aligns with the narrator's overarching framing introduced in Chapter 1: "notice how much easier it is to be angry than to be sorry, and how much braver it is to be sorry than to stay angry." The adult mentors reinforce that staying angry or defensive is easy, whereas acknowledging fault demands immense personal strength. True bravery is not displayed by refusing to yield, but by having the humility to admit mistakes, face the truth, and seek restoration. These adult insights provide the structural beam supporting the narrative, guiding the story smoothly toward its ultimate thematic conclusions.5. Curriculum Synthesis: Thematic Takeaways for Aspiring StorytellersFor literature students, curriculum designers, and aspiring creative writers, Ruby's Dream offers key insights into structural narrative construction and character development:Internal Growth Drives External Resolution: Satisfying plot climaxes occur when external events depend directly on internal character choices. Ruby earns her dream position not by luck, but because her quiet practice of empathy made her objectively ready for the responsibility. Antagonists Require Human Depth and Psychological Logic: A compelling story avoids one-dimensional villains. Emma's misbehaviour stems from fear, envy, and a misguided belief that she must excel at others' expense to have value. Giving her a shared love for horses creates a believable, satisfying path toward redemption through patience. Themes Must Be Demonstrated Through Tangible Action:Central themes like patience and kindness are shown through physical, externalised actions, such as standing still in a field for nine days or carefully guiding another's hand with a curry comb, rather than abstract lectures. Ultimately, 'Ruby's Dream' demonstrates that true mastery, whether in horsemanship, storytelling, or life, is never achieved through force or quick displays of dominance. It is built slowly through active kindness, quiet observation, and the courageous willingness to learn from failure.Team ShadowScript, October, 2026.&nbsp;

A deep dive into the book 'Ruby's Dream'

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A lawsuit against OpenAI raises a question society can no longer leave to technology companies: what protection should children expect from machines that speak the language of friendship?A child sitting alone with a phone may appear to be in conversation with someone. The replies arrive instantly. The tone is patient. There is always another answer, another invitation to explain, another apparently sympathetic response. But who, precisely, is listening? And who takes responsibility when the conversation becomes dangerous?Those questions give the recent legal action against OpenAI a significance beyond the courtroom. Reuters reports that eight US states have sued the company, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged harmful behaviour, including among teenagers, and that its safety was misrepresented. These are serious allegations, not established findings. OpenAI is entitled to contest them, and the courts must examine the evidence. The public debate, however, should not wait for a verdict. We need to consider what happens when a commercial product becomes a trusted presence in a child’s private emotional life.There are good reasons to welcome artificial intelligence. A patient explanation can help a struggling pupil. A writing prompt can unlock an idea. For a young person embarrassed to ask a question in class, a conversational tool can offer a useful starting point. Those benefits deserve to survive the present scrutiny. They also make scrutiny necessary. A technology capable of helping children learn should be designed with particular care when the conversation moves beyond homework.The difficulty is that the same conversational warmth that makes a chatbot approachable may encourage a user to give its answers more authority than they deserve. A reassuring tone can make a weak answer sound dependable. Agreement can feel like understanding. For a distressed child, that distinction could matter enormously.A responsible adult sometimes interrupts. A teacher challenges an assumption. A friend expresses concern. Care can involve disagreement, boundaries and the uncomfortable suggestion that somebody else needs to become involved. We should expect a system used by children to recognise the limits of keeping a conversation going. Sometimes the safest response will end an exchange, redirect it or encourage contact with a trusted person. Success cannot simply mean that the user remains engaged.OpenAI says it has protections for younger users, including parental controls, break reminders and age-appropriate safeguards. Those measures warrant examination on their merits. The practical question is how reliably they work when a conversation becomes prolonged, ambiguous or emotionally charged. Parents deserve understandable evidence about that. Independent scrutiny would offer more reassurance than either corporate confidence or political outrage.Yet parental responsibility cannot become a convenient place to deposit every difficult question. Parents should take an interest in what their children use and whom they appear to trust. They cannot reasonably be expected to evaluate the behaviour of a changing AI system or supervise every exchange. Responsibility should follow control. Companies decide how these products respond, which features they introduce and what evidence they require before release. Those decisions should carry obligations proportionate to their consequences.Regulators, in turn, need to be precise. Demanding that AI become “safe” is an ambition; it is not a workable test. Requirements should identify foreseeable risks, establish ways to assess safeguards and make companies answerable when protections fail. Restrictions should be supported by evidence and open to review.For us here in Ireland, this deserves attention well beyond the technology sector. Schools need clear expectations about the place of conversational AI in education. Families need accessible guidance. Children need help recognising that fluent, friendly language does not establish knowledge, judgement or care. They should also have somewhere human to turn. Any serious response must include adults with time to listen and services able to offer support. We cannot criticise children for seeking an available conversation while making human help difficult to reach.The lawsuits will test particular allegations against a particular company. The wider question belongs to all of us. If we permit products to speak to children with the intimacy of a confidant, we should demand safeguards that reflect that intimacy. A friendly voice is easy to produce. Earning the right to be trusted should be harder.Reference<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/eight-us-states-sue-openai-claiming-chatgpt-harms-children-2026-10-14/">https://www.reuters.com/world/eight-us-states-sue-openai-claiming-chatgpt-harms-children-2026-10-14/</a>?

What Protection should Children expect from Machines that Speak the Language of Friendship?

Reader's hands selecting a book from colorful shelf with diverse titles in warm natural light

Opinion PieceAs a writer and editor, I find the decision by publishing giant, Faber to stop supplying Irish author, Sally Rooney’s, books in the United Kingdom deeply troubling. A mature literary culture should be capable of accommodating an author whose political convictions provoke disagreement. If writers can participate in public life only while their opinions remain comfortable, we are defending a freedom that disappears precisely when it becomes most necessary.A critically honest response must begin by acknowledging what has happened. Faber has not simply rejected Rooney because it dislikes her politics. According to its statement, UK legislation prevents it from passing on earnings because of her declared intention to financially support Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation. The decision to stop supplying her work was taken with her agreement. This distinction matters: expressing an opinion and pledging financial support are different acts. Defending literary freedom requires us to confront that complexity.Even so, the cultural consequences deserve scrutiny. A restriction concerning the intended use of royalties has reached into the circulation of novels. The immediate issue obviously concerns money; but the resulting loss concerns literature, readers and the space available for dissent. We need to pay attention because this is where my unease begins.The phrase “cancel culture” can illuminate this situation, but it can also obscure it. We now use it to describe everything from criticism on social media to the withdrawal of professional opportunities but these are not equivalent things. A reader refusing to buy a book exercises a freedom of their own. A critic challenging an author’s views contributes to public debate. Neither automatically constitutes censorship. And censorship is something I have been interested in since the late 1980s when I wrote a very lengthy Master's degree thesis on that very topic ('Censorship and Social Discourse').Here, however, legal restrictions have helped produce the withdrawal of an author’s work from a national publishing market. Whatever our position on Rooney’s politics, that outcome demands more than the familiar observation that actions have consequences. The serious question is whether those consequences are justified, proportionate and compatible with a modern pluralist, democratic literary culture.And, of course, as a writer, I must also examine my own instinct to defend another writer. Professional solidarity can sharpen our awareness of injustice, but it can also make us selective. Would I defend the same freedom for an author whose politics I found objectionable? Would I insist on the distinction between their novels and their public commitments if those commitments offended me? If my answer changes according to the writer involved, my defence of freedom becomes more a defence of my own preferences.Rooney’s literary achievement does not place her beyond criticism. Nor does being a novelist confer special immunity from laws governing financial support. The strongest defence of her freedom must recognise that governments have a responsibility to protect people from violence and that political conviction does not make every means of pursuing a cause acceptable. But that responsibility does not place government decisions beyond challenge.The legal history of Palestine Action’s proscription demonstrates that its justification has been seriously contested: the High Court found against the decision, the Court of Appeal upheld it, and a Supreme Court hearing is scheduled for 4 and 5 November. The dispute includes the balance between proscription and freedom of expression and assembly. We should therefore resist treating a legal designation as the end of moral or political discussion. Citizens must remain able to question how state power is exercised, including when that power is exercised in the name of security.Faber’s position is also more difficult than the language of cancellation suggests. It remains supportive of Rooney’s work and has said it cannot accept selling that work while being unable to pay her. Its decision exposes a troubling predicament for publishing: an institution can value an author, defend her books and still conclude that it cannot continue supplying them under the prevailing legal conditions.For other writers, the possible chilling effect is clear. An established novelist has a readership and a platform from which to explain her position. An emerging writer may look at the same events and quietly decide that speaking is simply too expensive and a feared landscape that should not be explored. We cannot measure all the opinions that remain unpublished, the statements never made or the convictions softened before they reach an editor.This is why the freedom to write involves more than permission to put words on a page. It also concerns the conditions under which a writer can publish, earn a living and participate in public debate. There is a comfortable cultural expectation that writers should possess a conscience, provided it remains safely contained within their books. We celebrate their ability to question power in fiction, then become uneasy when they carry that questioning into public life.I do not believe a writer should have to surrender political agency as the price of literary circulation. Equally, I do not believe that defending a writer requires endorsing every position they take. We can scrutinise Rooney’s commitments, challenge her judgement and debate the organisations she supports while remaining troubled by the disappearance of her novels from a major market. That capacity to hold disagreement and freedom together is essential.A healthy literary culture needs readers who can argue with writers, publishers who can sustain difficult work and laws whose effects remain open to examination. It needs room for conviction, error, criticism and reconsideration. Otherwise, we risk producing a culture rich in books about courage and increasingly inhospitable to writers prepared to exercise it.

The Current Sally Rooney and Faber Impasse

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Most of us like to think we are actively directing our lives, yet much of daily behaviour runs on patterns we did not consciously choose: familiar assumptions, emotional reactions, habits, memories, fears, and beliefs about who we are. The result is a strange kind of contradiction. We may understand what we want, yet keep doing what moves us in the opposite direction. Relu Giani Gauca debut book, 'The 33 Powerful Laws of the Mind' begins with a simple proposition: the mind can become either an ally or an obstacle, and the difference begins with awareness. Relu's book is not a promise that positive thinking can control the universe, it is an invitation to examine the patterns shaping our choices, then practise responding to life more deliberately. And who doesn't welcome a nice invitation. The first act of freedom is noticing A learned response can eventually feel like identity. A repeated thought can become a belief; a repeated behaviour can become a habit; a familiar habit can begin to sound like “this is who I am”. But familiarity is not destiny. The book’s central distinction is that patterns can be examined, challenged, and changed and that this work begins by seeing them clearly. That may sound obvious until we apply it to ordinary moments. Why do I avoid this conversation? Why does criticism feel like rejection? Why do I postpone the task I say matters? Why do I keep returning to the same kind of relationship, argument, or self-defeating story? Awareness does not require self-condemnation. It creates an interval between what happens and what we do next. In that interval, a reaction becomes information rather than an order. Work with reality, not against it The book’s framework is strongest when it refuses the easy version of manifestation culture. Our thoughts do not control every external event. Biology, other people, chance, and circumstances all matter. A positive outlook cannot prevent loss, illness, betrayal, or failure, and hardship is not proof of a hidden personal defect. What the mind can influence is the way we interpret and respond to those events. Two people may experience the same rejection but assign it different meanings and where one sees proof of inadequacy; another sees feedback, redirection, or a reason to improve. The event is the same, but the interpretation can shape the next emotion, decision, and action. This distinction protects responsibility from becoming blame. We cannot control everything that happens to us. We can, however, examine what we are bringing to the moment and what remains within our influence. Every strength has a shadow The book’s most distinctive tool is its “Law + Shadow” method. Each constructive quality has a possible distortion: discipline can become rigidity, confidence can become arrogance, acceptance can become passivity, and positivity can become denial. Growth therefore cannot mean collecting only admirable qualities. It also requires recognising the patterns that quietly undermine them. A person may call avoidance “protecting my peace.” Another may call endless analysis “self-awareness.” Someone else may call stubbornness “resilience.” The shadow can borrow the language of the virtue it distorts. This is why the goal is integration rather than perfection. Anger may point toward an unresolved wound. Jealousy may reveal an unmet desire. Defensiveness may expose an identity we are trying to protect. Procrastination may be fear wearing the mask of delay. To see these patterns is not to excuse harmful behaviour. It is to make change more accurate. Change the thought, then test it in action One practical principle in the book is substitution: when an unhelpful thought appears, replace it with a more accurate and constructive interpretation. “I always fail” can become “This attempt did not work; what can I learn?” “I cannot handle this” can become “This is difficult, but I can deal with the next step”. The point is not to force optimism or deny pain. It is to choose a thought that is truthful enough to guide useful action. Cognitive approaches to psychology similarly emphasise examining unhelpful thinking and developing more balanced alternatives, while the book cautions that repetition alone does not make a thought true. The method is straightforward: Notice the thought. Test whether it is fact, fear, assumption, or habit. Substitute a more accurate interpretation. Act in a way that supports it. Reinforce the new pattern through experience. A new belief becomes more credible when behaviour supplies evidence. Telling yourself “I am disciplined” is weaker than repeatedly keeping a promise, completing a task, or returning after a setback. Repeated courageous action can provide evidence from which confidence develops. Repetition is building you...whether you intend it or not The Law of Repetition is one of the book’s most practical ideas: what you repeat, you strengthen. This applies to skills and healthy routines, but also to avoidance, resentment, self-doubt, and procrastination. Repetition is neutral. It reinforces whatever we practise. That is why consistency matters more than dramatic beginnings. A single decision rarely changes a life by itself. The decisions that follow it matter more. Small actions become powerful through repetition: one page read, one workout completed, one difficult conversation begun, one promise kept. But repetition must be paired with feedback. Practising the wrong technique can make the mistake more automatic. The useful cycle is not mindless repetition; it is action, observation, adjustment, and renewed practice . Mastery grows when consistency and correction work together. The same principle explains why avoidance can become an identity. One postponed task is usually insignificant. Repeated postponement can become a pattern, and repeated refusal is practice in the opposite direction. Choose what you want most over what you want now Modern life makes immediate rewards easy to access: entertainment, shopping, food, social approval, and distraction are always close at hand. The challenge is not eliminating pleasure. It is learning not to let immediate relief repeatedly overrule what matters more. Delayed gratification, as the book presents it, is not deprivation. It is conscious choice. Rest can be wise. Enjoyment can be healthy. The question is whether the present decision serves or repeatedly undermines the person we want to become. A short pause can create space to ask what you are seeking right now...pleasure, relief, escape, validation, or genuine recovery . What will this make easier tomorrow, and what will it make harder? The environment matters too. Put the phone farther away. Turn off unnecessary notifications. Automate savings. Prepare for important work before distractions take over. Creating friction around unwanted behaviours and convenience around desired ones reduces the burden placed on willpower. Manage the mind like a garden The book’s final image is a useful one: the mind is a garden. It needs attention, nourishment, pruning, protection, and rest. We cannot prevent every unwanted thought from appearing. We can become more discerning about what we entertain, reinforce, and act upon. That means protecting attention from a constant diet of outrage, comparison, fear, and distraction. It means questioning catastrophic or all-or-nothing thoughts. It means making room for learning, meaningful relationships, reflection, prayer, creativity, movement, and recovery. Mental management is not total control. A healthy mind still experiences sadness, anger, uncertainty, and doubt. Its strength lies in the ability to notice disturbance, regain perspective, and return to what matters. The practice begins after the last page The central message of 'The 33 Powerful Laws of the Mind' is not that we can perfect ourselves. It is that we can become more conscious of the person our choices are making us become. The book describes transformation as a progression from awareness to understanding, choice, action, repetition, character, and change. That progression is deliberately ordinary. It looks like pausing before reacting, telling the truth, apologising, beginning again, setting a boundary, finishing the task, forgiving wisely, or choosing responsibility over blame. The mind may explain the past, but it does not have to imprison the future. We are not responsible for every thought or emotion that enters us. We become increasingly responsible for what we repeatedly entertain, reinforce, practise, and turn into action. The work, then, is not to become someone who never struggles. It is to become someone who can return: return to awareness, return to truth, return to purpose, and return to the next right choice. So, who is this book for? Coming in at over 300 pages, I think it's for those people willing to invest in a deep dive into psychology, religion, spirituality, mind management and metaphysics. Clearly, the author has invested years of study into his book and this shows. It is not for the faint-hearted as it requires concentration and a genuine dedication to understanding why we think and operate in the world as we do. One can, of course, choose to read individual chapters out of sequence which is always a nice choice to have with a book. A very solid contribution to the literature and I learned a great deal on my reading journey with this one. -Karen Gallen, Book Reviewer, October 2026.

Review of 'The 33 Powerful Laws of the Mind (forthcoming, 2026)'.

We’re delighted to announce that Rowan Gate Press has been chosen as the independent publishing house for our ShadowScript clients. Created with a clear focus on quality, individuality and author-led publishing, Rowan Gate Press will provide a dedicated home for books developed through ShadowScript and will house a range of commercial titles. The aim is simple: to give every book the care, professionalism and identity it deserves, while allowing authors to retain a strong sense of ownership over their work.<figure id="figure-it2dqy4gucmtvw174m"><img id="it2dqy4gucmtvw174m" src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/16GPUkrJykufJAI59FYWasTV8bOTeBI9Ea9H43nCkmOSCVgG7XEjo74PUu3Xf4Ac.jpg" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="1:1" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/16GPUkrJykufJAI59FYWasTV8bOTeBI9Ea9H43nCkmOSCVgG7XEjo74PUu3Xf4Ac.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 1/1; object-position: center center;"></figure> The rowan tree has a particularly rich place in Irish folklore and imaginative tradition. In Irish, the rowan is 'caorthann' and in folklore it was widely regarded as a protective tree. There is also a strong sense that the tree occupied a liminal space between the ordinary world and the supernatural one, and some traditions treated it as a “gentle” tree that should not be cut. So the rowan is not merely protective; it stands at a threshold. That makes the word Gate especially apt alongside it. In Irish mythic storytelling, rowan trees and berries can carry even greater powers. Rowan also appears in material connected with the Fianna and in traditions surrounding Bruidhean Chaorthainn, the “Hostel/Hall of the Rowan”, showing that the tree had a place in the wider heroic and narrative tradition. In literature and oral poetry, the rowan also functions beautifully as a landscape image. It appears naturally in Irish-language song and verse as part of the remembered countryside. Something under which people meet, shelter, love, remember or tell stories. The rowan belongs to memory, place and storytelling. For Rowan Gate Press, then, the symbolism can be read very neatly: Rowan speaks to protection, wisdom, resilience, imagination, memory and Irish cultural rootedness and Gate to passage, opportunity, entry, transition and opening a way forward.Rowan Gate Press. Books to Inspire. A new chapter for ShadowScript. And, we hope, the beginning of many more. References&nbsp; [1]: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5162105/5154773/5200513... "Old Customs and Beliefs · Enfield · The Schools' Collection | dúchas.ie" [2]: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493632/4405671/4515841... "Na Crainn Choitianta atá ag Fás anseo · Más an Easa (B.) · The Schools' Collection | dúchas.ie" [3]: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493792/4420995/4536885... "Superstitions - Trees · Swanzy Memorial N. S. · The Schools' Collection | dúchas.ie" [4]: https://sacred-texts.com/.../the-story-of-the-fairy-rowan... "The Story of the Fairy… – The King… | Internet Sacred Text Archive" [5]: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922027/4919830/4948243... "The Tale of the Bruíon Caorthainn · Shountrade, Adare · The Schools' Collection | dúchas.ie" [6]: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4427785/4344053/4456691... "Amhrán · Sáile · The Schools' Collection | dúchas.ie"

Introducing Rowan Gate Press

Strategist hands interacting with holographic AI interface display showing data visualization in modern office with city skyline view

AI is moving publishing from a business built mainly around producing and distributing human-made works toward one that also manages machine-assisted production, machine-generated supply, and competition for attention inside AI interfaces. The transition is real, but it is uneven: adoption is fastest for routine work and workflow support, while questions of authorship, consent, quality, and accountability remain unsettled.The main shifts1. Publishers are using AI as workflow infrastructure. In books, reported uses include ideation, editing, translation, marketing copy, pricing, recommendation, and audiobook production. A 2026 study of book-industry stakeholders reported that more than 60% of publishers and self-published authors had integrated AI into some stage of production, with independent authors benefiting because one person can cover several formerly separate functions (Olszewski and Krawczyk, 2026).The same study reports rapid experimentation with AI narration and multilingual access, but also persistent listener preference for human narration because of emotional engagement. These figures come from industry-facing surveys and reports rather than a single representative census, so they indicate direction and intensity more confidently than they establish a universal adoption rate.In news, AI is being used for drafting, summarisation, personalisation, analytics, and distribution. A 2025 study by Zhao and Berman, linking audience, hiring, access-control, and content data, found that publisher visits began a persistent decline after August 2024, but found no discrete post-GenAI collapse in editorial hiring; publishers instead changed access rules, page formats, and interactive features (Zhao and Berman, 2025). That is a shift toward augmentation and defensive adaptation, not evidence that AI has already replaced newsroom production at scale.2. The bottleneck is moving from production to discovery and monetisation. AI answer engines can satisfy an information need without sending the reader to the publisher’s site. A 2026 Association of Online Publishers/Deloitte snapshot reported a 4.55% fall in digital revenue among 13 surveyed publishers in the first three months of the year and linked especially large declines in classified and off-platform revenue to users receiving information inside AI answers; the same report said only 26% of ChatGPT users reported that they would click at least one media link in a response (“First tremors” of AI earthquake showing, 2026). The sample is small and the causal attribution is not clean, but the strategic problem is clear: publishers may supply the information that makes an AI answer useful while losing the visit, advertising impression, subscription opportunity, and behavioural data.This creates a new bargaining question. Publishers can block crawlers, negotiate licensing deals, improve metadata, or optimise content for machine citation, but each choice trades reach against control. A 2026 media-industry compilation reported that 81% of publishers used AI in editorial or production work and 23% had a content-licensing deal with an AI firm, while 62% reported declining referrals from AI answers (AI in Media and Publishing Statistics, 2026). Those numbers are useful as a market signal, not as a definitive industry census: the page is a secondary compilation and its estimates should be checked against the underlying surveys before use in investment or policy decisions.3. The supply of publishable material is expanding faster than the market’s ability to reward it. Generative systems reduce the cost of producing books, illustrations, summaries, and promotional material. That lowers barriers for independent creators, but it also increases competition and makes catalog quality, provenance, and discoverability more valuable. A 2026 analysis of platform data reported that books with substantial detected AI content represented 20% of the studied catalog but 12.1% of sales and 11.3% of revenue, while books without detected AI text represented 62.9% of the catalog and 72.5% of revenue (AI-generated books are flooding Amazon and, 2026). The same analysis found that the catalogue grew much faster than quarterly revenue, implying intensified competition and lower revenue per title. Because the study concerns a particular platform sample and detection method, it should not be generalised to all publishing; its stronger conclusion is that more output does not automatically create more demand.Scholarly publishing is becoming a governance problemAcademic publishers are converging on a basic rule: an AI system cannot be an author because it cannot accept responsibility, manage conflicts of interest, sign publishing agreements, or answer for errors. A comparative study of the five largest academic publishers found consensus on prohibiting AI authorship and requiring disclosure, but substantial divergence in what must be disclosed, how policies are phrased, and how reviewer and editor use is governed (Lendvai and Petra, 2026). Current guidance commonly permits limited assistance such as language polishing while requiring disclosure of substantive generated text, images, analysis, or references (Chigwada and Ngulube, 2026).The harder issue is verification. Large language models can generate plausible but false claims and references, reproduce bias, and obscure how an answer was produced. A 2026 review of scientific publishing identified benefits in language quality, editorial screening, and access for researchers working across language barriers, but also hallucinated content and citations, confidentiality breaches, automation bias, and inconsistent enforcement across journals (Generative Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing, 2026). Detection alone is a weak solution: a 2026 editorial argues that AI detectors cannot reliably distinguish assisted from manual writing, while disclosure can be underreported when authors have incentives to conceal use (Hanneke et al., 2026). The practical direction is therefore not “detect everything,” but require human verification, record responsibility, and make high-stakes uses auditable.Peer review is a particular fault line. Reviewers and editors are generally prohibited from uploading unpublished manuscripts or review reports into public AI systems because doing so can expose confidential data, methods, and findings. A 2026 policy review describes this as a confidentiality rule distinct from author disclosure and notes that publishers are experimenting, cautiously, with publisher-hosted systems that do not send manuscripts to external providers (GenAI in scholarly authorship, 2026). AI may help with screening or structured feedback, but delegating evaluative judgment creates risks of automation bias, prompt injection, confidentiality loss, and unexplained changes in acceptance decisions (Hanneke et al., 2026).Copyright, consent, and bargaining powerThe central legal conflict is not only whether an AI output is copyrightable. It is also whether copyrighted books, articles, illustrations, voices, and news are being copied or ingested for training, whether that use is licensed, and who receives compensation. Current author guidance reports that standard book contracts often leave AI-training rights with authors rather than publishers, so publishers seeking to license books for training have been asking for permission; it also recommends negotiating explicit terms for training, AI narration, translation, and cover generation (AI and Publishing, 2026). That is contract guidance, not a universal legal rule, and it does not resolve disputes over material already obtained or used without consent.Creators’ resistance is therefore partly about ownership and partly about market substitution. A 2026 review of trade publishing found that authors generally resist GenAI because of labor displacement and disruption of creative work, while publishers are more willing to use it for non-creative tasks; it also found that the roles of literary agents and acquisition editors remain under-researched (Kehoe, Nagle and Feller, 2026). A separate 2026 synthesis of creative-industry evidence describes the emerging policy demands as transparency, consent, compensation, and human-centered design, while reporting that a UK consultation on AI and copyright drew more than 11,500 responses, 88% of which opposed expanded AI-training rights (Woodbridge and O’Hare, 2026). The consultation result shows the depth of creator opposition; it does not by itself settle the legal merits of either side.What is likely to matter nextFirst, provenance will become a product feature. Publishers will need reliable records of who made a work, which systems assisted, what material was licensed for training, and whether a voice, likeness, or style was authorised. Second, contracts will carry more of the practical burden: training rights, synthetic narration, translation, cover art, disclosure, audit rights, and revenue sharing will be negotiated explicitly. Third, human judgment will remain economically valuable where readers care about trust, taste, lived experience, and accountability; AI can lower production costs, but low cost alone does not create attention or reputation.The largest unresolved question is distribution. AI may help publishers make more content, but it can also intercept the relationship between publisher and reader. Evidence so far supports a mixed picture: workflow efficiency and access gains, pressure on creative labour, a growing flood of low-cost material, and emerging traffic and licensing conflicts. It does not support the simple claim that AI will either destroy publishing or merely make it more efficient. The likely outcome is a reallocation of value toward platforms that control models, discovery, rights, and audience access and toward publishers that can prove the origin, quality, and accountability of what they publish.*Article authorship assistance by Harry, our AI Bot.ReferencesOlszewski, R. and Krawczyk, D. (2026) “Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Book Industry: A Path Toward the Knowledge Economy,” Knowledge Economy and Lifelong Learning, 2(1), pp. 67–98. doi:10.61093/kell.2(1).67-98.2026.Zhao, H. and Berman, R. (2025) “Strategic Response of News Publishers to Generative AI,” ArXiv [Preprint]. Available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/2512.24968v4.“First tremors” of AI earthquake showing in digital revenue hit (2026) internet. Available at: https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/first-tremors-of-ai-earthquake-showing-in-digital-revenue-hit/.AI in Media and Publishing Statistics 2026 (2026) internet. Available at: https://presenc.ai/research/ai-in-media-and-publishing-statistics-2026.AI-generated books are flooding Amazon and tanking sales for human authors (2026) internet. Available at: https://the-decoder.com/ai-generated-books-are-flooding-amazon-and-tanking-sales-for-human-authors/.Lendvai, G.F. and Petra, A. (2026) “Artificial intelligence in academic practices and policy discourses across ‘Big 5’ publishers,” Research Evaluation, 35, p. rvag004. doi:10.1093/reseval/rvag004.Chigwada, J. and Ngulube, P. (2026) “Use of artificial intelligence tools in the publishing process: expectations from publishers through author guidelines,” Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, 11, p. 1740510. doi:10.3389/frma.2026.1740510.Generative Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing: Ethical Governance, Challenges, and Responsibilities (2026) internet. Available at: https://jms.ump.edu.pl/index.php/JMS/article/view/1571.Hanneke, B. et al. (2026) “Academic Publishing in the Age of Generative AI,” Business &amp; Information Systems Engineering, 68(4), pp. 729–737. doi:10.1007/s12599-026-01013-0.GenAI in scholarly authorship: the 2026… (2026) internet. Available at: https://casrai.org/news/genai-disclosure-scholarly-authorship-2026.

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