writing Archives - Ailish Sinclair

August 1, 2026August 1, 2026

Byronic Heroes and the Bad Boys of Ballet

Quote from TENDO by Ailish Sinclair, a book with a Byronic hero.

This post about Byronic heroes was written back in 2022 when I was very ill but still editing Tendu, a book that some people have since found to be just as shocking as the antics of the dancer Sergei Polunin, mentioned below. All three books in that ‘diabolical’ series are out now. They are not pink-and-fluffy ballet books, and the blurbs have always refuted that idea 😀

Original Byronic Heroes Post

I’m still deep in the TENDU manuscript, though the end of this edit approaches, and I’ll soon be returning to SISTERS (later note – Sisters at the Edge of the World is also out now).

Between chapters, I’m watching things like this:

Bad Boys

Sergei Polunin, known as the bad boy of ballet, was born in Ukraine, as was my own ballet bad boy from TENDU. There ends the similarity, though. The fictional character of Aleks is not based on Polunin, or anyone else.

Byronic Heroes

Unlike the mainly perfect men from MERMAID and FIREFLIES, Aleks is a Byronic hero. What’s that, you ask?

From Dictionary.com:

A Byronic hero is a type of fictional character who is a moody, brooding rebel, often one haunted by a dark secret from his past. The term describes the type of main character found in many fictional works by Lord Byron, who is said to have had this type of personality.

I love Byronic heroes. I love reading them. And I love writing them. He is very naughty, though, and I will have to punish him for the rest of his life. Oh, the FUN!

Side note: see my post on Gight Castle, the ancestral home of Lord Byron.

Interview

I was recently featured over on Instagram in a Fast Facts type interview. Read about my obsessions, fears and atrociously bad singing here.

A Dancer’s Journey Series

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 wild 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

Historicals

Historical Fiction from Ailish Sinclair. Witches, kidnapping, Romans and romance.

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. There’s a neurodivergent main character and some rather complicated romance.

Set in a castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR features the Scottish witchcraft accusations 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 Editor’s Pick (Fireflies)

About Me

My About Page

Go here to sign up for my occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.

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July 18, 2026July 18, 2026

Isobel Gowdie: I Shall Go into a Hare

Isobel Gowdie mural in Auldearn. Artist: Helen Wright

Small update, July 2026: a year on, and my Isobel Gowdie novel is in its third draft… It’s strange and dark, and I’m loving it. And the mural has had a colourful wee glow-up (above), as seen on my last visit to Auldearn.

Original post from June 2025

I shall go into a hare,
With sorrow and syt and meickle care;
And I shall go in the Devil’s name,
Ay while I come home again.

The quote is part of the extraordinary witchcraft confessions of Isobel Gowdie from 1662. She confessed to shape-shifting, flying, and various activities involving the devil, and it’s said that she offered this information without torture.

There’s no record of torture, just as there’s no record of Isobel’s execution, but, of course, this doesn’t mean these events didn’t happen.

Mural of Isobel Gowdie

It was wonderful to meet artist Helen Wright when my research took me to Auldearn. She has created a beautiful mural depicting the life of Isobel. In the panel above, it is theorised that Isobel may have earned money telling stories to children, an occupation that was available to local women at the time. The tone and narrative of the confessions do suggest she was a gifted storyteller.

The Battle of Auldearn

Isobell Gowdie mural in Auldrean, this panel depicting the battle of Auldrean

The battle of Auldearn between the Covenanters and Royalists took place in 1645. There were still troops at Auldearn in 1647, the year when Isobel claimed she had carnal relations with the devil. This part of the confession is lurid and detailed, and, to me, it seems to be some sort of trauma response.

I took a video of the whole mural:

@ailishsinclair
It was great to meet the artist today. From Isobel’s confession (apparently obtained without the usual t0rt*re): I shall go into a hare, With sorrow and sych and meickle care; And I shall go in the D€vil’s name, Ay while I come home again. #history #art #mural #witchcraft #womensart #authorlife #research
♬ WITCH WITCH WITCHHESS – ARTHUR LEAL

Auldearn Kirk

You’d think the old kirk where Isobel set some of the meetings with the devil and others would feel creepy and dark. It was atmospheric, yes, but it seemed welcoming somehow. I wanted to stay inside it as if someone had ushered me in and offered me tea.

Interior of the kirk:

Interier of old Auldrean Kirk - Isobel Gowdie

So that’s where my writing research has led me… and there’s LOTS of reading to do.

Inside Auldearn Kirk, Highlands, Scotland

My debut novel involved such research too, and another Isobell…

The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair

Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish Sinclair’s debut novel, 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.

Published by GWL Publishing, the book is out in paperback and Kindle now.

See the Press Release here

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

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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…

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July 16, 2026July 16, 2026

Marvellous Migvie Kirk and Pictish Stone

Migvie Kirk, near Tarland in Aberdeenshire, is misleadingly unimposing when you first see it. The present structure, now deconsecrated, dates from 1777, though there was an older medieval church there from at least the 12th century.

That was as much as I knew about the Kirk when I visited the kirkyard to see the Pictish stone, so what transpired was all rather delightful.

The Migvie Stone

This is a class II Pictish stone thought to date from the 8th century. This class of stone has a cruxifix on one side and traditional Pictish symbols on the other, unlike earlier stones which just display the older Pictish designs. Another good example is the Maiden Stone near Inverurie.

The cross is clearly visible on the Migvie Stone, but the other side is very worn and lichen covered, so I struggled to make out the images.

But all was about to be made clear…

Migvie Kirk

I’m nosy about old buildings. I push doors to see if they’re open, and this one was. It showed pitch-black darkness inside though, and having just encountered the same at the Culsh Earth House, I reached for my torch.

I stepped inside, and then there was light.

Motion sensors had activated lights and revealed a wonderful space which is now used for quiet contemplation and also as an arts venue. The interior of the door is carved with the symbols from the stone outside. The cross has loops as if it’s hanging on a necklace. Most unusual!

The landowner, along with local craftsmen and artists, renovated the derelict Kirk, after a battle with the council who had lost the original plans, and the work completed in 2001.

There’s a second Pictish stone inside:

Fragments are embedded in the walls too. I liked these Pictish feet:

The artwork and inscriptions are made up of a mixture of Christian writings, Pictish symbology and biblical passages written in both English and Ogham.

At one point, when all was still, the lights blinked off and everything went pitch black again.

Moving about soon summoned the light.

I intend a return to Migvie. I missed a cup-marked stone in the kirkyard and also an inscription of words from William Penn.

Migvie Kirk Facebook Page

Fireflies and Chocolate is set in both Aberdeenshire and Pennsylvania

Fireflies and Chocolate by Ailish Sinclair

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!

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

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. The story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith from the castle and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s derring-dos on the high seas… and there’s chocolate!

See the publisher’s Press Release here

“Ailish Sinclair spins this Scottish tale filled with excitement and suspense…” Review from the Historical Novel Society

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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.

About Page

See my About Page here

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July 1, 2026August 1, 2026

Finding Loudon Wood Stone Circle

Loudon Wood Stone Circle is so deep in the woods that it is almost impossible to find. There are many little paths that look like they might lead into it from the main track, but the one that actually does? Virtually hidden. I succeeded in finding it again in 2020. And it was wonderful.

One stone from the circle in Loudon Wood

Within the circle glade, it was peaceful. It was warm. It was calm.

There was a brief rain shower while I was there, and even that felt gentle and soft, in direct contrast to the horizontal in-the-face precipitation we often get here.

I didn’t want to leave. Surrounded by dense trees, the circle felt separate from the somewhat crazed world outside. It made me think of the person who commented on a recent Instagram post, saying that the image freed them from ‘all the bullshit’ for a moment. This was that picture:

Loudon Wood Stone Circle is like that too. Free of things that can maybe be symbolised by this beer made by a local brewery:

The stones are old. True. Dignified and simple.

And the pathway out? Easy to find.

You can read an interview I did recently on The Trainee Journalist blog: Novels by North-east author tell unheard stories from the past.

And there’s a nice review of THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR over on Goodreads here. “The ending is gorgeous and deeply moving. I had a hard time putting the book down. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction, love stories, tragedies, and the resilience of love, kindness, and faith.”

Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish Sinclair’s debut novel, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, features an often overlooked event in history, the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, and a love story.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Waterstones

Scottish author Ailish Sinclair at Berrybrae Stone Circle — At Berrybrae…

Explore more stone circles with me by signing up to the mailing list.

See the About Page here.

July 1, 2026August 1, 2026

Spoonie Days, a Pink Sunrise and Snowy Spring

Post from 2022. That was a beautiful pink sunrise a few weeks ago over a local doocot. Before I got ill. And spoonie time started. Again. Sigh.

Having revelled my way through the beauty of winter, celebrating the fact I was staying so well, I have been struck down once more. But I’ve been a lot worse. And I’m not in hospital, so that’s good. And, as my appearance here today shows, the medication is starting to kick in.

Spoonie Days

I have managed to keep up my writing schedule. My first spoon of the day goes on that. There’s quite a good explanation of the term spoonie here. Basically, spoons represent the energy you have for tasks and activities each day. And with chronic illness, the spoons can be very limited.

A Dancer’s Journey Series

These books are long, and involved. They’re rather a Magnum Opus at over 100,000 words each. They’re all at different stages of the editing/proofing process. I’m so enjoying working with all the editing feedback and bringing them together into something strange, intense and, hopefully, beautiful. So they will still be out this year. I will not stop till they’re done. Update: Amazon!

But that’s my blogging spoon spent. For today. I’ll leave you with the scene that greets me most mornings at the moment… I’m not sure what happened to spring!

My Books

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 is set in both Scotland and Colonial Pennsylvania.

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

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

Newsletter and Updates

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.

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June 23, 2026July 18, 2026

Working Girl: a WordPress Prompt Goes Dark

What jobs have you had?
A WordPress Prompt

Well, WordPress prompt, when I was fifteen, I took over my ballet teacher’s school for a few months before going to college.

Despite being far too young for such a responsibility, I loved it, and it paid for all the dancewear and equipment I needed for my studies.

In my second year of dance school, I got a job in a shop in Covent Garden. It was a very nice shop. I had more money. No more choosing between food and decent pointe shoes.

But here is where things go a bit darker than the WordPress prompt probably intended. I knew really, that working both Saturday and Sunday, after a hard week of dance training, was a bit foolhardy. My sensible friend, Suzette, who would have counselled against this, had returned to Mauritius. More about Suzette and dance training here

So, I became exhausted. There was dance injury after dance injury. I developed a chest infection that lasted five months.

The shop sacked me for being ill. This left me even more vulnerable than I had already been, at seventeen, alone in London.

There was a violent predator.

There was an incident from which I was lucky to escape with my life.

Fast forward to the present, skipping several other jobs…

And my writing is influenced by my past. This is most evident in my contemporary work. There is a dark event in TENDU, the first book of A Dancer’s Journey, that I knew how to write because of my own experience. Not that it’s exactly the same, of course. In fact, it’s quite different. Fiction has to be more dramatic than reality, and more interesting. Far more interesting…

And have an infinitely more exciting setting…

These books have dark moments, but they are actually quite fun, overall, I think. And naughty. Like life, if you’re lucky!

Update: the whole series is out now!

He's a 10... TENDU by Ailish Sinclair — See slides on TikTok

Series on Amazon UK

Series on Amazon worldwide

Page with blurbs and quotes

Dance and Despair: Writing What You Know on Women Writers, Women[‘s] Books.

A Dancer's Journey series by Ailish Sinclair

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

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June 21, 2026August 1, 2026

Looking for Reindeer in the Cairngorms

Cairngorm Skies

There were dramatic skies the last time I went to look for reindeer in the Cairngorms. They were beautiful though. These were skies to stand and stare at.

And mountains to walk around in.

The Funicular Railway

The funicular railway was out of service, due to cracks having been discovered in the cement so, with my autoimmune conditions flaring, I didn’t venture as high into the landscape as I would have liked.

Lentil Soup

It was more of a restful day than an energetic one. A ‘lentil soup in the cavernous restaurant at the base station’ type of day (you will get lentil soup everywhere you go in Scotland).

Those Reindeer in the Cairngorms

The free-ranging reindeer herd remained elusive on this trip, but here’s an older photo of them. There are much better pictures on their own website!

Chosen Sisters, Romans and Romance

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.

“Ethereal and spellbinding….” Historical Novel Society

See the press release here

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

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.“

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

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June 21, 2026August 1, 2026

The Ancient Sound of the Carnyx

misty morning at Midsummer — A misty Midsummer morning: a perfect time to hear the carnyx

It’s Midsummer, and I’m in celebratory mode and sounding my (imaginary) carnyx, a wind instrument of the Iron Age Celts.

in the woods; can you hear the carnyx? — Midsummer in the woods

Sound of the Carnyx

In the video below, a musician plays a reconstruction of the Deskford Carnyx. The original was discovered in this area of Scotland and dates from the time of my Iron Age novel, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

Midsummer, or High Summer, is important to the people of the book. There’s dancing, singing, storytelling and other, naughtier, activities in the stone circle. There’s also feasting and fighting, and the sound of a newly constructed carnyx.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

“Ethereal and spellbinding…” Historical Novel Society

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

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, featuring a carnyx.

About Page

See my About Page here

Go here to sign up for my occasional emails that always include some exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.

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June 20, 2026June 20, 2026

The Battle of Auldearn and Dead Man’s Wood

The Battle of Auldearn

The Battle of Auldearn took place on the 9th of May, 1645 as part of the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought between a Scottish Covenanter army who were aligned with the English Parliament, and the Royalist forces of Charles the 1st. The Royalists won the battle despite being hugely outnumbered 4000 to 1500.

It was a long and bloody day, and the fighting took place over quite a large area around and actually in the village of Auldearn right between the houses.

A view of Garlic Hill, one of the battle sites, from under my umbrella:

Battle of Auldearn - view of Garlic Hill

I’ve been researching the battle as part of my wider research about Isobel Gowdie; it took place 17 years before her famous confessions. What a horrific and traumatic event it must have been for the people of Auldearn, and not one that anyone who lived through it would ever forget.

Liking to immerse myself in the history, places and times that I write about, I stayed in the friendly and relaxed 1645 Inn in Auldearn. It’s situated right on the edge of the battle field, and I had strange and disturbed dreams about the battle at night. Will this make the novel more strange and disturbed? Quite possibly.

The Boath Doocot

The 17th century Boath Doocot (dovecot) is a good place to overlook the battle field. The doocot itself would not have been there at the time of the battle, but the old motte that it stands on certainly was. It dates from the 12th century and was the site of a medieval castle called the Old Castle of Eren, the source of the name Auldearn.

Pigeons coming in to land:

Dead Man’s Wood

I wanted to find Dead Man’s wood. Sometimes just referred to as the ‘Dead Wood’, this is a tiny woodland that is said to be the burial site of the slain Covenanters from the Battle of Auldearn. Several map apps on the go, I travelled the roads round Auldearn looking for it. And there, in the middle of a ploughed field (so I did not cross) I found it.

There were poppies growing nearby. Storms have had their way with the wood, and most of the older trees have blown down. Elderflowers bloom on the site.

It’s said that people who were executed on Gallows Hill were sometimes buried in Dead Man’s Wood too, so it is possible that this might be the final resting place of Isobel Gowdie herself. There are no actual trial records for Isobel and her accomplice Janet Breadheid, and though one was granted, it had caveats, so the fate of the two women is unknown.

An iris grows beside the battlefield today… and on with draft two I go.

Read more on the Battle of Auldearn here
And the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Isobel Gowdie Posts

The Mermaid and the Bear (a novel about a different Isobell)

Lost in ancient woodlands and caught up in whispers of witchcraft, Isobell must navigate danger to reclaim her life. Can she find her happily ever after?

Paperback and kindle on Amazon

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

“A delight from end to end…” Undiscovered Scotland

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

New Books and Special Offers

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June 5, 2026June 5, 2026

Into the Greenwood

First draft done. Through the sky window I go, towards the greenwood.

I walk through yellow petals.

There’s standing stones. A little dance may be in order.

I weave between yews, into the greenwood, and take the scary path to draft two.

Out of the greenwood to other posts on this project

Ancient Battle and Forbidden Romance

The Romans called it the edge of the world

From the misty hills of ancient Scotland emerges a tale of love, betrayal, and the fight for freedom. Join Morragh in SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD for an unforgettable journey.

Set in 1st century Scotland, the novel includes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. There’s a neurodivergent main character and some rather complicated romance.

Amazon UK

Amazon Worldwide

“Ethereal and spellbinding…” Historical Novel Society

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

Newsletter and Free Story

For more bits of obscure Scottish history and photos of places I visit, sign up for my occasional, more-intimate-than-the-blog newsletter. You will receive a free short story in e-book form when you do (the story can be read in a browser too).

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