 McCaffrey made a fast start in Ireland, completing for 1971 publication "Dragonquest" and two Gothic novels for Dell, "The Mark of Merlin" and "The Ring of Fear".With a contract for "The White Dragon" (which would complete the "original trilogy" with Ballantine), her writing stalled.During the next few years the family moved several times in the Dublin area and struggled to make ends meet, supported largely by child-care payments and meager royalties.