green places Archives - Page 19 of 23

May 23, 2023August 25, 2023

Some Depressing Time Travel

That’s what my son said of my little video attempt below. “Wow, that’s some depressing time travel.”

Romantic Time Travel

I do like those sad stories, though. Not that they’re sad, beginning to end, these books. There’s romance in them all, happy romance, sometimes a little bit naughty too. And one of them has chocolate… No actual time travel, though. None at all.

You can be depressed by them all here in the UK, or for worldwide depression, go here.

Writing with no time travel

I’ve been writing, writing, writing, living in the intense and sexy atmosphere of A Dancer’s Journey. I love it. I don’t want to leave it. It’s fun and romantic, if a little devastating and dramatic in places. But leave it, I will, later this year, when all three books finally get released.

Pink Things

I’ve been enjoying the pink phase of the garden…

pink bench in a time travel post — Pink bench and cherry blossom

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!

Writer’s Tip Jar

March 24, 2023March 28, 2023

Just Some Spring Flowers

spring flowers - crocus in the garden — In the garden

It’s good to see the spring flowers. And the sunshine. As illness recedes a little along with the winter.

SISTERS

Romans + Celts = some rather complicated romance!

Set in 1st century Scotland, the novel features a neurodivergent main character, chosen sisters, fierce warriors and the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Go here to sign up for occasional emails that always include some exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a more intimate space than the blog. If you would rather just hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.

My About Page

Read my bio and see all the social links and articles here.

Writer’s Tip Jar

December 17, 2022December 17, 2022

Silver Ice and Deer Prints Today

Silver Ice

The thaw, and then the frost, made for a scene of silver ice up at the loch yesterday. It’s still very cold, but milder temperatures are supposed to arrive this week. And, personally, the next few days will be more hectic, so the daily blogs may be at their end. I’ve really enjoyed writing them, and may return to this practice again at some point.

Review

I stumbled across a new review for SISTERS this week on the blog My Little Hawk: “If you’re like me and you also want to allow a book to paint the most vivid and beautiful images in your mind and be transported to another place and time, please spare some time to read this book. You’ll notice its powerful magic from page one.” See the whole review here.

Deer Prints by the Loch

All My Books

My historical novels all involve dark events, romance and a little magic…

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD opens on a snowy winter solstice.
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR has 6 chapters of medieval Christmas.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE features Christmas in Colonial Pennsylvania.

They’re all available in paperback, kindle and on kindle unlimited.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Signed copies from me

Go here to sign up for occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a more intimate space than the blog.

Writer’s Tip Jar

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022

Dark and Brooding Skies

There’s brooding skies over the loch now. You can see the wee island that the landowner is building for wildlife. But the snow has turned to sleet, so things are about to get less pretty. Will these little daily blogs continue? I don’t know. Perhaps. Other scenic things may happen.

It’s Mermaid Time!

The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair. Christmas image.

Everyone knows about the Salem witch trials that took place in seventeenth century America, but less well known are the instances of witch hunting that occurred across Scotland.

Ailish Sinclair painstakingly researched this fascinating and terrible subject for more than a year, before blending it with a love story in her debut novel, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR. Featuring three real women who were accused as part of the Aberdeen witchcraft panic of 1597, the book is set against the beautiful backdrop of the Aberdeenshire countryside and tells the story of Isobell, and her desperation to escape London and an arranged marriage, to find a better life.

Upon landing in Scotland, Isobell’s dreams of faery castles, ancient woodlands and misty lochs seem to be coming true, as she finds herself kitchen maid to a handsome Laird, who offers not only safety but also the hope for a brighter future, filled with love and kindness. All is not how it seems, however, and enemies, both from the past and the present, conspire to test Isobell to the limits of endurance, and beyond.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Signed copies

Updates

If you want to be kept updated about when new books are available, you can sign up for the mailing list (lots of photos there too), or the little newsletter on Twitter, or follow my Amazon author page.

Writer’s Tip Jar

December 14, 2022April 4, 2023

A Snowy Loch Today

We have reached the snowy loch milestone of winter, with snow sitting atop a layer of ice over the water. Today is windy, and there may be more snow, but it’s a balmy 1 degree. Will the loch be even snowier tomorrow? I suspect so.

Here endeth the weather report.

Christmas Folklore

The Wee Writing Lassie (of the cheeky questions and assumptions) has been blogging some Christmas folklore. It’s nice, if not quite enough to make me feel festive yet.

I still just want to sit and write. And today I shall.

Book of the Day: Fireflies and Chocolate

Fireflies and Chocolate by Ailish Sinclair

Ailish Sinclair has turned her attention from the terrible subject of witch hunting in sixteenth century Aberdeen, to the equally disturbing events that surrounded child kidnapping and the slave trade in the mid 1700s.

Using the experiences of real characters, she tells the story of Elizabeth Manteith, captured on the docks of Aberdeen and transported on a slave ship to the Colonies, where a fearful and uncertain future awaits.

Friendships forged on the journey are soon shattered, leaving Elizabeth alone and desolate. However, she retains her passionate desire to find the young man who befriended her on board the ship… and to get back home to her beloved Scotland.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Signed copies

Updates

If you want to be kept updated about when new books are available, you can sign up for the mailing list (lots of photos there too), or follow my Amazon author page.

Writer’s Tip Jar

December 12, 2022December 12, 2022

Winter Deepens in Scotland: frosty and pink

Winter deepens. The sky and loch are pink.

Walking is crunchy through the frozen mud.

I want the Solstice to come. I need more light. My body doesn’t like the extreme cold. It threatens to turn monstrous. And it’s -7 here today.

But it’s beautiful. And the beach is pink too.

Books for the Deepening Winter

My historical novels all involve little-known dark historical events, romance and a little magic…

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD opens on a snowy winter solstice.
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR has 6 chapters of medieval Christmas.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE features Christmas in Colonial Pennsylvania.

They’re all available in paperback, kindle and on kindle unlimited.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Signed copies from me

Go here to sign up for occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a more intimate space than the blog.

Writer’s Tip Jar

December 9, 2022January 7, 2023

a little bit of snow

pine cones in snow - Ailish Sinclair, author

How could I have forgotten what proper cold feels like? It pulls you up short as you realise that just breathing in the sub zero air is going to chill you, no matter how well wrapped up you are. And the dark, the days that don’t begin until half way through the morning and seem to end at 3 in the afternoon. This is the truth of December in Scotland. Even when there is only a tiny amount of snow.

Scots Pine in snow - Ailish Sinclair, author

I complain (this was especially evident during the five hour power cut we had last week), but I love it. It’s a time of hibernation, of books and log fires, and writing, writing, writing; no hot sun to distract and lure, only the occasional frosty bright sunrise. And that little bit of snow.

sunrise over the loch - Ailish Sinclair, author

I’m also enjoying all the Christmas cookies and hot chocolate of the season, sparkly tree lights, nostalgia made real.

It’ll all be over soon. The Solstice will herald the lightening of the nights, that’s always noticeable quite quickly. But for now I appreciate the views of winter: the loch is frozen and my neighbour forgot to take in his boat, now also frozen.

boat om a frozen loch - Ailish Sinclair, author

And the field makes me think of chocolate cake dusted with icing sugar…

fields dusted with snow - Ailish Sinclair, author

My books:

FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the 18th century kidnapped children of Aberdeen.

Set in a castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR features the Scottish witchcraft accusations and a love story.

Paperbacks and kindle: http://author.to/mermaid

Go here to sign up for my occasional emails that include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life.

December 4, 2022March 17, 2023

Aberdeenshire Stone Circles in Winter

Aberdeenshire stone circles: Aikey Brae stone circle

I love the way Aikey Brae Recumbent Stone Circle seems to materialise as you step out of the dark woodland path. It’s my favourite of the Aberdeenshire stone circles; it feels like my ‘home’ one. I did used to live nearby so have visited it more than any other. This was Boxing Day.

Aberdeenshire stone circles: frost and sun

It was bright and frosty and enchanted. There was chocolate.

A few days later, on the way to see a friend, I stopped by Loanhead of Daviot:

The day was damp and dark and cold. The circle felt calm and steadfast. Timeless.

The double recumbent:

And then, in the new year, many weathers happened at Berrybrae circle. First there was sun (pictured below) before a gale blew up and brought horizontal sleet.

Let the rest of the year hold more timeless enchantment (and chocolate) for us all, rather than horizontal precipitation!

Winter Reading

My novels all involve dark historical events, romance and a little magic…

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD opens on a snowy winter solstice in 1st century Scotland. The main character is neurodivergent, and has been non-verbal until that first scene of the book.
If you like castles, Scotland, history, witches, stone circles and Christmas done medieval-style, you might like THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR. There’s also a love story.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children of 18th century Aberdeen, and features Christmas in Colonial Pennsylvania.

They’re all available in paperback, kindle and on kindle unlimited.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Signed copies from me

Stone circle quote from THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR

December 3, 2022January 7, 2023

Oh, to wander in the woods…

Post from December 2019.

The Woods in Winter

That is my favourite bit of path in the woods by my house. It’s also the most productive. When I get stuck with a storyline or a finicky little plot detail that just won’t iron out, that’s where I go, and solutions become clear. Big epiphanies about characters and back stories happen there too. Maybe it’s because it’s a timeless landscape. Or maybe I just feel relaxed and at peace there.

Just now though, I am recovering from flu and can’t walk in the woods. Soon, I tell myself. Soon. I can sit up and write so I may really need to go there soon! (Edit 2022: it would not be soon. This was the start of a non-woodland path to an auto-immunity diagnosis that would wind its way through hospital stays and many monstrous moments!)

Reviews

I’ve been deeply touched by how much thought people have been putting into their reviews of THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR.

Local Quine Kate the Quiet Knitter’s review “This wonderful magical tale then takes a deviation towards the darkness and from here Sinclair’s research and writing really shines. Her portrayal of 16th century Scotland is entrancing, and the details of the witch-hunts taking place in that time are fascinating.”

On the Mum, Write NOW blog “Overall the characters are lovable, I found it interesting that their lives intertwined slightly with Shakespeare and also touched on LGBT culture and attitudes at that time. It really felt that there was a depth of historical knowledge informing the narrative which I always enjoy.”

An Impertinent Interview

And the Wee Writing Lassie wrote about the book and asked me 7 impertinent questions! “Another inclusive detail in Ailish’s novel is the fact that her heroine – Isobell – is a plus sized woman, and this is never treated like a problem, or something about her that needs to be fixed, by the narrative. All body type inclusion, yeah!”

The Woods in Summer

The same path, though the other end and other direction, in the woods, in summer:

For updates about my life and writing, sign up to the mailing list. It always includes some exclusive photos and is a more intimate space than the blog.

Read my books for free

All my novels are on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon’s lending service, and that has a 30 day free trial, though some people are being offered 3 months for free just now. See all the books here. Also in paperback.

Writer’s Tip Jar

November 6, 2022March 17, 2023

The First Frost of Winter

We’ve had the first frost, that seasonal reminder of what real cold actually is. Many of the trees are bare now and the skies are icy blue.

The first frost at the side of the track, Scotland

It does make for crisp, less muddy walks.

In the older post Walking the Witchy Ways of Aberdeen, I mentioned that I was called ‘weather obsessed’ in the Evening Standard. Recent writings here do suggest that might, in fact, be the case. I’ve certainly been waxing lyrical about autumn all over the blog.

But, you see, I often miss seasonal beauty due to medical condition flare-ups. I remember being sad about missing autumn last year. Seeing it through the windows was no substitute for marching through those crunchy leaves.

So, this year, I march. And I stop to appreciate the sparkle of that first frost.

Sisters at the Edge of the World

Romans + Celts = some rather complicated romance!

Set in 1st century Scotland, the novel features a neurodivergent main character, chosen sisters, fierce warriors and the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

From recent reviews: