The garden is all pretty in pink just now. There are polyanthus all through the grass.
And the flowering currant is, well, flowering… as the pink bench glows in the distance.
FOUETTÉ: Dancing with the Past
FOUETTÉ goes nicely with the ‘pretty in pink’ theme of this little post, but it’s also the book where Alexander, the titular character of my latest release, first shows up. He’s still very much on mind. Is he looking after that castle properly?
Amalphia Treadwell thinks she’s living her happily ever after.
She’s achieved fame, fortune and notoriety. She’s blissfully happy in her unconventional marriage and is very excited about the plan she’s just made with her best friend Justin.
When she encounters a mysterious child, a child who desperately needs her help, she knows that life will never be the same again.
Amalphia explores the deeper, darker places of her world, encountering long-forgotten danger and uncovering truths that might have been better left unknown.
Beginning six years after the end of the previous book in the series, the third and final part of Amalphia’s journey is a steamy tale of love, dance, obsession and forgiveness.
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
If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
No, it’s not me that’s inherited a castle. (But how great would that be?) It’s Alexander. He’s eighteen today, and the castle that appears in so many of my books is his now. What will he do with it? Well, that’s the book, that’s the story, but also… it’s the end. The end of the series, really the culmination of two series.
Alexander hasn’t just thrown his friends and family out of the castle school; he’s shown the author the door too. It feels like I’ve finally finished writing that great building.
It’s time for me to relinquish any responsibly I had towards the castle, and have fun running around beautiful places. I can stand still for a while and appreciate the softness of redwood bark…
And gaze at carved squirrels:
Front and back.
Browsing book shops. I can do lots of that too (also at the Logie Steading).
The castle is in safe hands. I can relax 🙂
Out Today – Alexander: Dancing With Fire
When Alexander turns eighteen, he learns that he has inherited a castle, the one that houses the dance school he attends, to be exact. He’s always wanted a do-over, a chance to fix the broken parts of himself and his life. Could this be it?
Instead of allowing the school to continue on as normal, Alexander throws the students and teachers out and claims the castle as his own.
At first he’s lonely. At first he’s hesitant. Will he have any friends left after this? The events of his uncle’s televised wedding at the castle prove that, while Alexander definitely still has friends, his broken ankle is actually the least damaged part of him.
Within the ancient castle walls, a world of dark family secrets is revealed. Join Alexander as he dances on the edge of sanity and survival, navigating through the flames of his turbulent past to forge a new future.
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
If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
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
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…
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 rather just hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Daffodils are popping up all over the woods here in Aberdeenshire. How pretty they would be in a vase, but no, Scottish daffodil folklore warns against this.
A little daffodil folklore
It’s bad luck to pick wild daffodils in Scotland. The reason? Fairies might be sleeping in the trumpets. Scottish fairies do tend to be quite fierce beasties with a habit of spiriting people off to Fairyland, or Elfhame, to answer for their flower-picking crimes. So, it’s probably not a good idea to wake them.
It’s said that it was the Romans who introduced daffodils to Scotland. Soldiers would chew on the bulbs to alleviate pain after being wounded in battle.
Daffodils in 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.
And while I did chance picking a cultivated bloom from the garden…
I think we’re safer with a nice primrose. Also known as ‘fairy cups,’ eating the flowers (as I mention doing here in this article on writing historical fiction) is said to help you see fairies, and placing them on your doorstep brings blessings.
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.
Sisters at the Edge of the World – historical fiction from Ailish Sinclair 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 the 1st century, the story includes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. There’s a neurodivergent main character and some rather complicated romance! #booktok#kindleunlimited#womensstories#ancientworld#historicalromance
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
If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
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.
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.
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
If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
GWL Publishing have accepted my next historical novel, FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, for publication Spring 2021. I am lucky to have a publisher who is so understanding about my current health issues; all the deadlines for various edits are flexible.
The book was inspired by the 600 children who were kidnapped in Aberdeen during the 1740s and sold into indentured servitude in the American colonies. You will meet the Manteith family again, and see the castle and the stone circle, though the story doesn’t stay there long.
There’s some real historical figures again. There’s a love story again, though it’s quite different from the one in THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR. And, this time, there’s chocolate, in the form of hot chocolate 😀
I hope you’re all staying safe and well during these strange times of lockdown and isolation. I’m posting photos of #goodthings from my phone archives on Twitter and Instagram each day at the moment.
This article of magical sites in Aberdeenshire was originally published on the official tourism site for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in 2019. Years have passed, and now the original version is here with added links to more detailed posts on the places mentioned.
Magical Sites in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire has a rich and colourful history, made up of fascinating people, mysterious events and magical places. Some of these places are so well tucked away in wee corners of the shire, they seem to be well-kept secrets, never busy and known only to a select few. From stunning beaches to ruinous castles and ancient standing stones, I have 10 to share!
1. Rosehearty Beach
This small bay is sheltered by harbour walls on both sides, making it calm and mellow even on stormy days, and its sands are silver. It’s not visible from most parts of the village, but you’ll find it beyond the bus stop on the main road.
Up on the hill behind Rosehearty, this castle was once home to the enigmatic Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord of Pitsligo, who ran a Mystery School there for several years, based on his study of Quietism. The ruin, easily accessible from the road, still has a calm and zen-like quality to it.
A short distance away, on Gallows Hill, in the middle of a dry stane dyke, is the 8ft tall Hanging Stone. Reputedly a place of execution, both the stone and nearby ‘Pit’ are said to have been ‘for witches’. The fact that the stone is wrapped in barbed wire only enhances its ominous presence in the landscape.
Inland, near Lonmay, within a walled enclosure surrounded by trees, nestles one of my favourite ancient stone circles. You can just make out the larger stones there under the midwinter sun, casting their shadows across the field.
In the middle of the village of Memsie there is a huge Iron Age burial cairn. On excavation a leaf-shaped sword was found, like something out of Lord of the Rings.
This mysterious tower, hidden away behind the excellent Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, has its own ghost story. The 8th Laird’s daughter was imprisoned in the higher room there, while her lover was incarcerated below. When he drowned during a storm, she fell to her death from the window, and is said to appear before bad weather.
This white quartz structure dates from the 18th century, and local legend has it that if you turn round three times in the horse’s eye, your wish will be granted! There is a (long) walk up to the horse starting from Hospital Road in Strichen.
Located two miles south of Fraserburgh, in the woods of Witch Hill, this stone is said to be where people accused of witchcraft were burned in the distant past.
The sands of this golden beach are often left wet and glassy by the early morning tide, causing them to reflect the sky like a mystical, magical mirror.
I hope you enjoy visiting these lesser known places. Do follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code when exploring the more remote sites.
Ailish Sinclair’s debut novel, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, and featuring the Aberdeen Witchcraft Panic of 1597, is out Autumn 2019.
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?
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.
On International Women’s Day, 2022, the Scottish Government issued a formal apology for Scotland’s witchcraft trials. You can read more about it and watch the First Minister’s address to parliament here.
Chasing the sunrise…
Anniversary
On this day in 1597, Bessie Thom and Christen Michell were executed in Aberdeen, having been found guilty of witchcraft. I wrote about both women in THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, and remembered them today as I chased the sunrise round Strichen Lake.
Maria Robertson reviewed the performance ‘Witch Hunt’ here, which took place in St Nicolas Kirk in Aberdeen. “It made me think of Ailish Sinclair’s first novel The Mermaid And The Bear as there are a couple of chapters in that based around the treatment of witches in the Mither Kirk back in the days of yore.”
In other news (less dramatic and much less historic than an apology for Scotland’s Witchcraft Trials) the new book is now with the editor. So, progress towards publication is being made. And, apparently, I can now chase sunrises round lakes so health progress is happening too.
There were some lovely spring flowers planted along the path through the woods. They seemed like wreaths to me, today. Purple and white. Beautiful and sombre.
For Bessie, Christen and Isobell, and all those persecuted as witches.
Newsletter
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My 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!
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.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children and young people of Aberdeen. 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!
Dunnottar Castle sits high on the cliffs near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. It’s scenic and sprawling and, though peaceful now, it boasts a turbulent history.
Great Hall
History of Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar was attacked by Vikings in the ninth century, and captured by William Wallace in 1297. Kings and queens loved to visit: Mary Queen of Scots, James VI, and at one point during my own visit, I was standing in the bedroom of Charles II.
The Old Smithy
Ghosts!
Though I didn’t meet them, there’s said to be a lassie in a green plaid searching for her lost Pictish children, a young deer hound, and a Scandinavian military gentleman who likes to stare out to sea.
I understand the need to stare across the ocean. The seascape at Dunnottar is mesmerising.
Seeing across the sea…
The elevated position of the castle means you can see across miles and miles of silvery sea. The window below is located in the Whigs’ Vault that held imprisoned Covenanters in 1685. It’s a dark and terrible place. I had to reach out to the air and the sky and the light.
A dark window
Views, views, everywhere…
Sea and cliffs
But it’s time to go. It’s time to walk back up the many, many steps that seemed so inconsequential on the way down…
Dunnottar
For more information on the wonderfully atmospheric Dunnottar Castle visit the official site.
My Historical Novels
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!
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.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children and young people of Aberdeen. 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!
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
If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
The dense block of pine trees that partially encircled the stones on Aikey Brae has been felled, leaving the site feeling like a windswept wasteland.
I knew it had happened but it was still a shock when I visited the circle at the weekend.
Originally posted 2020.
This was the first sighting of the stones after walking up the, admittedly, much improved and cleared, track:
Gone is the path through the dark forest.
Gone is the experience of stepping out into the sunlight and the stones.
Traversing the, now rough, ground at the top of the hill, I got a bit closer, the taller uprights coming into better view.
Running to the circle
I ran the last bit of the way, wanting to be within the circle to get my bearings, so the place could feel like it used to. I sought views that would not have changed, having been open to the countryside all along.
Facing the great recumbent:
It still felt different. With no treeline at the side of my eye, everything seemed bright and glaring. I never fully appreciated just how much the trees sheltered the site before, till I was buffeted by wind at every turn. That shelter contributed to the calm feel of the place.
Now it feels stormy.
Cold.
Things Change
But I’m going to stop my complaining now. Because… well… things change. I’m sure the circle has looked like this many times during its 4000 year lifespan. Trees will have grown. People will have harvested them. Current thinking is that the surrounding land would have been tree-less when the circle was built.
And improvements have been made to the place. There’s a new path round the hill, boasting benches and a picnic table; a shiny new sign announces this upon arrival. I didn’t explore the path and the views it offers, still being a bit post-pneumonia feeble, but I will go back and walk it later in the year.
I’ve spent so much time at this stone circle, both physically and at my desk while writing, because though the circle in my books is fictional, it’s Aikey Brae it’s based on. The change will take time to settle. I need to notice the new beauty it brings. The light is different, I see that already. There are plans in place to plant indigenous trees; I will enjoy watching those grow large over the coming years.
And, no matter what changes we make around them, the stones still stand tall and majestic against the sky.
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR has a new sexy review from Grumpytyke: “Not far into the second half it became pretty sexy! I didn’t expect that, not from the first half of the story nor from Ailish’s blog posts.” See the whole review here.
My Books
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!
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.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children and young people of Aberdeen. 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!
Go here to sign up for my occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. If you would rather just hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
