art Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Ailish Sinclair

August 20, 2025August 20, 2025

The Warld’s End, Fraserburgh

The Warld’s End (World’s End) is said to be the oldest house in Fraserburgh. I’m not sure if that’s strictly true. It was rebuilt in 1766 after being seized from its Jacobite owner and sold. I don’t think it’s known quite how old the original building was. It played host to Jacobite plotting and was one of the hiding places of Lord Pitsligo after Culloden.

The blue plaque by the door mentions the fact that the land in front of the house was reclaimed from the sea. The house would have stood much closer to the harbour’s edge originally, hence its name, Warld’s End. The plaque also commemorates the Fraserburgh-born merchant Thomas Blake Glover, who may or may not have been the inspiration for the bad guy in the opera Madame Butterfly.

The Warld's End, Fraserbugh. Bright yellow door, grey-stone house

It’s a lovely old house, made all the more striking by the recently painted yellow door. It used to be dark blue as you can see in this older picture of the under-step window:

The Warld's End, showing a small, square window under the door and steps.

If you enjoyed this ‘old building’ post, you might also like the one about The Wine Tower, the actual oldest building in Fraserburgh.

Fireflies and Chocolate

Torn out of an isolated life in a Scottish castle, Elizabeth embarks on a determined quest to return home. Exhilarating adventures unfold on the high seas, love blossoms, and the chocolate, purchased in Benjamin Franklin’s printing shop, is delicious!

FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the 600 children and young people who were kidnapped from Aberdeen during the 1740s and sold into indentured servitude in the American Colonies.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

“Filled with excitement and suspense…” Historical Novel Society Editor’s Pick

From the press release: “We really love working with Ailish,” says Wendy Lawrance, co-founder of GWL Publishing. “She knows how to write characters and place, she does her research, and it shows in every word she puts to paper. In Fireflies and Chocolate, Ailish has tackled the difficult topic of slavery with a deft hand. Nothing is sugar-coated. She doesn’t hold back in showing the cruelty of the times, but her characters lead the rallying cry against their tormentors, and it’s impossible not to want to join them. She’s created a true heroine in Elizabeth Manteith. Fiery and forthright, Elizabeth isn’t someone to be argued with. She knows her own mind, and isn’t afraid to speak it. Through her experiences, the reader sees her grow from a girl, into a woman with a powerful voice… a woman of her time, but very much of ours too.”

Fireflies and Chocolate, the new historical novel from Ailish Sinclair

About Page

See my About Page here

Newsletter and Free Story

You will receive a free short story in e-book form when you sign up for my occasional, more-intimate-than-the-blog newsletter (the story can be read in a browser too).

The Performance: sometimes going home for Christmas is just one huge performance…

Author Page and Signed Copies

If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page. Signed copies are available from my kofi shop.

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May 27, 2025August 4, 2025

The White Horse on Mormond Hill

History of the White Horse on Mormond Hill

The white horse on Mormond Hill in Aberdeenshire can be seen for miles around. Constructed of white quartz, the horse is said to have been built by a Captain Fraser in the 1790s after the Flanders campaign. His own horse was shot from under him in battle and his sergeant offered his mount as replacement and was shot in the process. The white horse is a memorial to Sergeant Henderson.

Visiting the Horse

I have visited the horse a few times, by car a long time ago, and also on foot. It’s quite a long walk. From the village of Strichen, you head up Hospital Road and keep going. The road becomes a track which leads to fields. You cross a stile at one point. Then there’s a wee path, and it all gets rather steep.

But it’s worth it. Look at the views!

And. of course, the horse itself:

Folklore

According to a local saying, if you turn round three times in the horse’s eye (just visible in the lower right corner of the above photo), your wish will be granted!

The nose of the white horse on Mormond hill. — The nose.

Do be careful if walking on the hill. Parts of it are boggy, and the ground once swallowed a whole tractor.

The remains of an 18th century hunting lodge in Aberdeenshire.

The aforementioned Captain Fraser is also credited with the hunting lodge on top of the hill, now a ruin.

View from the hunting lodge on top of Mormond Hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. — View from the lodge.

A Pirouette and a Wish

So, let’s perform a triple pirouette in the eye of the white horse as we make our wish. There’s just time for one more gaze across the countryside while we try to pinpoint which village is which… and then we head back down to earth.

Naughty Contemporary Fiction

Book covers of A Dancer's Journey series by Ailish Sinclair: celebratory dance.

Scotland’s all misty lochs and magical forests and perfect boyfriends, right?

When dance student Amalphia Treadwell embarks on a secret relationship with her charismatic new teacher, she has no idea of the danger that lurks in his school in Scotland…

My dance background and love of history and spicy stories are what inspired this heady mix of contemporary romance and ballet set in a castle. Readers of my historical fiction will recognise the castle and stone circle that feature in these books.

There are no cliffhanger endings in this series; each book completes a story, but then there is more. So much more. Read all the blurbs here

Series on Amazon UK

Series on Amazon worldwide

My Latest Historical Novel

From the provocative opening scene to the later dramatic and devastating events of the story, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD is a book that will continually surprise, delight, and sometimes shock the reader. The novel features the beautiful hill of Bennachie, and the stone circles of Aberdeenshire along with the cliffs and caves of Cullykhan Bay.

“Ethereal and spellbinding….” Historical Novel Society

Review from Terry Tyler: “It’s a fabulous story, a real page-turner and so well written. It made me think about the passage and circle of time, of the constancy of the land on which we live and the transient nature of human life. Loved it.” See the whole review here.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Read the article Aberdeenshire in Roman times takes centre stage in author’s latest book from AberdeenLive.

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May 24, 2025January 12, 2026

A Small Blue Ball of Pain

oorange tulip behind barbed wire — Tulip behind barbed wire

Originally posted May 2022 in the midst of an autoimmune flare-up.

Small Blue Ball

I am a small blue ball of pain.

Curled up.

Can’t eat. Can’t sleep. Can’t write.

Life on hold.

Wondering what went wrong. Why I am here again.

A pause by the bluebell woods on the way back from hospital. A biopsy may provide answers to the mystery of me and my strange body, who knows?

The flowers smell sweet. I breathe them in.

Pink

An easing comes. A moving on from the small blue ball. A sort of ‘pinkening’. Lilac flowers are taken in from the garden, and I sit in a delicately scented cloud of beauty.

Then, a few steps, and I am outside.

It is glorious. Painful still, but better. I can envision being well again.

The sunshine. The breeze. I love it all.

pink bench and blossom — Blossom caught in the pink bench.

Writing

Thoughts of writing come. I left my poor characters in the middle of the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. War. A situation far worse than my own. I must release them from it soon.

Cover Reveal

Before all this, before I became ill again, a cover was designed. My own photos of stones from Aikey Brae Stone Circle were used.

The main character in the book is neurodivergent.

As am I.

Illness makes me open, bared and true. Pain peels back layers of politeness and hesitancy and doubt. I just say things. And, I just am.

I still hope for a summer release, a later one obviously, maybe early autumn. My body will have its say in the matter. But it will come…

Update: Sisters at the Edge of the World came out in September 2022

Ethereal and spellbinding... says the Historical Novel Society of SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

When Morragh speaks to another person for the very first time, she has no idea that he is an invader in her land…

Set in 1st century Scotland, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD includes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. The book features a neurodivergent main character and some rather complicated romance!

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide/Barnes & Noble

See the article Roman Aberdeenshire features in author’s new book from Grampian Online.

Newsletter and Updates

Sign up to the mailing list for news about my life and writing, and some exclusive photos. If you would rather just hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.

My About Page

Read about little old me here!

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May 23, 2025October 14, 2025

Bow Fiddle Rock and Swan Lake

Bow Fiddle Rock

I had hoped it might be sunny on my recent visit to Bow Fiddle Rock, a natural sea arch near Portknockie. It was. Very briefly. Between the car and the benches, the sun shone brightly for a few seconds.

Then the clouds closed over, but the place was still beautiful.

Swan Lake

I was reminded of the stunning Swan Lake photos of husband and wife Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel, taken by photographer Fabrizio Ferri below. Overcast, wet weather did not stop beauty there either.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fabrizio Ferri (@fabrizioferriofficial)

Back at Bow Fiddle Rock, I slipped and slid over recently rained-on pebbles to take my photos.

I stopped to admire red clover on my way back up the cliff. And that was beautiful too.

Sisters at the Edge of the World

“Ethereal and spellbinding….” Historical Novel Society

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Amazon Worldwide

Read the article Roman Aberdeenshire features in author’s new book from Grampian Online.

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April 21, 2025July 25, 2025

Up on the Roof of Aberdeen Art Gallery

You can now go up on the roof of the newly done-up Aberdeen Art Gallery. It’s quite nice up there among the green domes of the city. That’s the theatre straight ahead and Union Terrace Gardens (also going through the process of change) to the left.

His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, as seen from the roof of Aberdeen Art Gallery

Arriving on the roof of Aberdeen Art Gallery

I was relieved to arrive up on the roof during my recent visit. I’d displayed distinctly codger-like tendencies until then. Where were the old marble stairs? Why were there new plastic-covered ones instead? How was that an improvement? And what about the fountain and the thing that used to be in the middle of it?

Works of Art

‘The thing’ was on the roof, and I was glad to see it.

oval form, Aberdeen Art Gallery — Oval Form – Trezion
Dame Barbara Hepworth

There were other old favourites throughout the gallery too, and photography was allowed everywhere.

Penelope, her milkshake bringing all the boys to the yard:

Penelope and the suitors by John William Waterhouse — Penelope and the Suitors
John William Waterhouse

A lit-up love poem:

For You by Tracey Emin, Aberdeen Art Gallery — For You
Tracey Emin

Then there was a buttery, a local delicacy, a sort of salty, fatty squashed roll. Unfortunately, I did not note the name of the artist.

Visit the official website of Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Kirk of St Nicholas

The Kirk of St Nicholas could be seen from the roof of the gallery. I do seem to see it wherever I go in the city.

View from the roof of Aberdeen Art Gallery

I wandered down to the kirkyard before leaving Aberdeen. The grass had obviously not been cut all season, giving the place an unkempt and uncared-for feel. There was a poppy, though. And that was beautiful.

poppy below the steeple of St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen

People accused of witchcraft were imprisoned in the old steeple of that kirk long ago, as mentioned in THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR.

The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair, and a harp

Taking place mainly in a castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR blends an often overlooked period of history, the Scottish witchcraft accusations, in particular the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, with a love story.

See the press release here

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

From the Press and Journal: New book by Fraserburgh author highlights horrific extent of witch trials in Scotland

See my About Page here

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April 9, 2025December 17, 2025

Chasing a Cover Reveal Along Snowy Pathways

This is the cover reveal for FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE!

Other reveals can be seen here for THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, and more recently, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.

Last time I had a cover to reveal we journeyed down a rabbit hole to find it… but I haven’t been anywhere exciting like that lately, so we’ll have to stick closer to home, starting on the snowy track into the woods.

Reaching the end of the track, we nip up this narrow path:

Here we are on the loch-side walk now, sunshine to our left.

Wait! What’s that? Something’s moving in the woods, running and leaping through the trees…

The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair in the snow by deer tracks

No, that’s not it. That’s the first book (out now!) and some foot prints left by a deer. We need to retrace our steps, I think…

And yes – finally we come to it – the cover reveal for FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, out April 1st 2021!

Fireflies and Chocolate by Ailish Sinclair, out 2021

The cup featured on the cover is an actual chocolate cup from the 1740s when the book is set.

Inspired by the 600 children and young people who were kidnapped from Aberdeen and sold into indentured servitude in the American Colonies, the story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s proper derring-dos on the high seas (as opposed to my previous metaphorical ones)! And there’s chocolate…

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

“Filled with excitement and suspense…” Review from the Historical Novel Society

Keep up to date with all my news, from visits to Scottish castles and stone circles, to books and writing and life, by signing up to the mailing list!

My Other Books

Set in 1st century Scotland, my latest novel, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, includes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. The book features a neurodivergent main character and some rather complicated romance!

“Ethereal and spellbinding….” Historical Novel Society

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

See the press release here

Read the article Roman Aberdeenshire features in author’s new book from Grampian Online.

Cover of Ailish Sinclair's 'The Mermaid and the Bear'

Taking place mainly in a fictional castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR blends an often overlooked period of history, the Scottish witchcraft accusations, in particular the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, with a love story.

See the press release here

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

From the Press and Journal: New book by Fraserburgh author highlights horrific extent of witch trials in Scotland

See my About Page here

Writer’s Tip Jar

April 3, 2025July 28, 2025

Tarlair and the Halcyon Days of Summer

Tarlair now

I recently explored Tarlair Art Deco open air swimming pool with my husband and children. Despite having fallen into serious disrepair over the years, it retains a certain beauty, and is evocative – for me anyway – of times past.

Tarlair in memory

It was the scene of many halcyon days one summer. I was fifteen, and due to head off to dance school in London that September. I recall lying on the grass in the sun, messing around in the boating pool, buying sweets from the shop and chatting with friends. The hazy, golden hue of these bright points in memory is augmented by the nature of other events from that time.

A Dark Summer

That same summer, there was a face off with an old school bully. There was an abusive incident with a particularly disgusting family member. He was much respected, and I didn’t think I would be believed, so I didn’t tell anyone what had happened. An older boy grabbed me on a bus and kissed and bit my neck. Actually that last event is not a dark memory. Non-consensual and unexpected as it was, I found it rather exciting at the time.

There were other daily disappointments, but it can be bitter to dwell too deeply. Some things are over when they’re finally over, and they are now.

Tarlair as seen from the cliffs above today

Nostalgia

But Tarlair remains bright, both as it is now, and as it appears in my nostalgic image of the past. Four girls on the brink of being women laughed together and talked of their hopes for the future. We swam in the water of the North Sea with all our clothes on, and got changed in the only one of our homes that was free from adult disapproval. We ate chocolate in an abandoned campervan. White Russians were enjoyed in a local nightclub where no one questioned our age; hangovers were revelled in the next day by the pool.

None of our lives turned out quite how we envisaged. We trailed away from those teenage maps we drew for ourselves that summer. We’ve all tasted despair but known great joy too. Maybe we couldn’t have had one without the other.

Restoration

Tarlair is being restored. I look forward to making new memories there soon.

Friends of Tarlair Facebook Page

Restoration of iconic Tarlair Pool from the Press and Journal

Below: looking out to the wider ocean through the Needle’s Eye, a rock formation beside Tarlair.

My Books, set mostly in Aberdeenshire

The latest novel, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, features Romans, Celts, romance, a neurodivergent main character and the Battle of Mons Graupius.

“Ethereal and spellbinding….” Historical Novel Society

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

See the article Roman Aberdeenshire features in author’s new book from Grampian Online.

More titles

Set in an Aberdeenshire castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR features the Scottish witchcraft accusations, a handsome Laird, an ancient stone circle and a love story.

FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the 18th century kidnapped children of Aberdeen and is set in both Scotland and Colonial Pennsylvania.

Paperbacks and kindle: Amazon UK or Amazon Worldwide

“Filled with excitement and suspense…” Historical Novel Society

See my About Page here

Newsletter and Free Story

You will receive a free short story when you sign up for my occasional, more-intimate-than-the-blog newsletter (the story can be read in a browser too).

The Performance: sometimes going home for Christmas is just one huge performance…

When Ariel returns home from dance college, her mother expects her to perform the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a pink, sequined tutu in front of many, many party guests. Ariel adjusts the costume and choreography to expose dark truths about her life, but, as it turns out, this is not the biggest performance of the night…

New Books and Special Offers

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March 25, 2025August 20, 2025

Music and Words on the Making of Meaning

Music and Words

The composer Rhodri Williams-Wandoch has created an amazing blend of music and words on the making of meaning. He describes the piece as an intricate and profound improvised invention on a chromatic theme. I’m the second author, a little after 2.20 minutes in, reading an excerpt from SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD entitled On War.

Listen to my dulcet tones (I think I was putting on my ‘posh’ voice) below:

The Garden

I wish I could share the sweet scent of the honeysuckle and lavender. The garden has reached its overgrown summer phase. The poor pink bench looks like it’s about to be reclaimed by nature.

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

“Ethereal and spellbinding…” Historical Novel Society

Read the article Roman Aberdeenshire features in author’s new book from Grampian Online.

Meanwhile…

I return to editing. Down the dungeon steps I go… Edit: the whole series is out now.

A Dancer's Journey, a three-book series by Ailish Sinclair

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March 24, 2025May 6, 2025

Persephone and the Maiden Stone

Persephone statue in the woods near Inverurie

The Maiden Stone

The beautiful pink granite Maiden Stone stands near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It is an 8th century Pictish stone. On one side it bears designs favoured by the Picts, such as the comb and mirror, the mysterious Pictish Beast (Dolphin? Elephant? Mermaid? Nobody knows…) and a centaur at the top.

On the other side there is a very worn Celtic Cross, indicating that this may have been an early Christian preaching site.

Maiden Stone Folklore

There’s a rather wonderful tale attached to the stone.

A maid from Durno was baking a batch of bannocks one morning when a handsome man appeared at her door. He bet her that he could build a road up the hill of Bennachie before she could finish baking the bannocks. If he won, she had to marry him. Unfortunately, the man was actually the devil, and he built the road with great speed. The maid ran. He chased after. Just as he caught up to her, she prayed to be turned to stone rather than have to wed him. The notch on the stone is where the devil grabbed her shoulder as she transformed.

The Statue of Persephone

A couple of hundred yards to the west of the Maiden Stone, in the woods, is a statue of Persephone. She was carved from 8.5 tonnes of millstone grit in 1961 by the artist Shaun Crampton, and her story echoes that of the Maiden Stone. In the Greek myth, Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, Goddess of the harvest, was innocently picking daffodils when she was carried off to the underworld by Hades to become his wife.

Zeus decreed that Persephone should be released as long as she had not eaten anything in the underworld. But, poor quine, she had consumed some pomegranate seeds. So she only got to return for six months of the year, the six months of growth and harvest.

The statue holds some pomegranate seeds in one hand, and a mirror like the one on the Maiden Stone in the other.

Persephone near the Maiden Stone in Aberdeenshire

On the day I visited, someone had left a pomegranate at her feet.

And, like the Maiden Stone, the back of the statue is worth viewing too.

Ariel: Dancing on TV

The night before Ariel, a sixteen-year-old girl with a deformed hand, starts at the most prestigious dance school in Scotland, her mother tries to kill her.

Torn from a life where she never fitted in, Ariel quickly becomes the focus of a reality TV show. In the castle school, she forms deep friendships and meets Alexander, the best looking boy she’s ever seen. Together, they unravel the mysteries of the castle’s shadows and confront the demons of Ariel’s past.

Can she rise above a lifetime of pain and embrace the possibilities of fame and love that beckon to her?

‘Ariel: Dancing on TV’ is a mesmerising tale of resilience and the pursuit of a brighter future against all odds.

On Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Historical Fiction

My historical novels combine little-known dark events with love stories and a hint of magic.

The historical novels of Ailish Sinclair

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD: ancient battle, neurodiversity and forbidden romance.
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR: witchcraft, a stone circle, a castle and six chapters of medieval Christmas.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE: kidnapping, friendship and chocolate.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

About Page

See my About Page here

Newsletter and Free Story

You will receive a free short story when you sign up for my occasional, more-intimate-than-the-blog newsletter (the story can be read in a browser too).

The Performance: sometimes going home for Christmas is just one huge performance…

New Books and Special Offers

If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.

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March 20, 2025March 20, 2025

The Neolithic Stone Balls of Scotland

neolithic stone balls from Aberdeenshire — The Neolithic stone balls are about the size of tennis balls.

The Neolithic stone balls of Scotland are beautiful things. They’re mainly found in Aberdeenshire, sometimes buried beside stone circles. The carvings on them are varied, and some of them have knobs. Yes, we could have a lot of fun with the balls and knobs of this post, but let’s not go there 😀

The exact use of the balls is unknown. Many of them are lacking signs of wear and tear, so they’re not generally thought to have been weapons.

The above stones are in the Arbuthnot Museum in Peterhead. I took the picture in 2020, right before lockdown, having just become well enough to go out and about again. I posted on Twitter about including such a stone in my – then – work in progress.

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD is set well after the date of these balls. They’re estimated to be 5000 years old. But Morragh knows that it’s an old object. She calls it the ‘ancestor stone,’ and sometimes it travels about with her.

Excerpt from SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

I am before the Calgach and we look into one another’s eyes. It does not hurt too much, this looking, this time. He does not question me or try to interrupt what I am doing. I lay the knife in front of him, still looking into his eyes, and then the stone ball which makes a large hollow echoing sound as it connects with the table, silver sickle encircling it.

More Information on the Neolithic Stone Balls

You can read more on the National Museum of Scotland site here. Below is the stunning Towie ball which is part of their collection.

Recent Reviews

SISTERS is an unusual book with an unconventional narrative voice, as is noted in the following review.

Andrew G Lockhart: “Morragh walks in a mystic and magical realm, but one which recaptures the wild simplicity and beliefs of the peoples of pagan Scotland.” See review here.

And then MERMAID got a great review from Louisa Blackburn: “I really, really like the way the accents are written. I talked about them enough to where my mom asked me, “Are you reading the story, or are you listening to it?” I read the book, but the accents were written in a way that I knew what everyone sounded like.” See the whole review here.