It’s getting brighter. I feel it already. Or maybe I only think I can. For how much lighter can it really be, so few days after the Solstice?
It’s quiet too, in this between time, during this lull of activity in the world.
I notice things that I wouldn’t normally notice. Below is the part of SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD that has been most highlighted by kindle readers.
We are all that big. And we all change the world every day as we go about making choices, taking action, sitting still and most of all: by adding more love into the places around us.
That’s what I want in 2023. More love in the world. More happiness. More peace.
A little lull has been reached at the end of a hectic week. The colours of the loch are gentle, muted now at the darkest point of the year. I’ve seen a few blog posts about Christmas reading, such as this one here from Jacqueline Seewald. People are sharing the books they’re reading, and those that they’ve written, and I thought I’d join in.
So, share away! What books are you reading over the next couple of weeks? And/or, which books of yours should we consider delving into just now?
I’m reading Where There’s Doubt (romantic suspense/psychological thriller) by Terry Tyler and The Essex Serpent (historical fiction) by Sarah Perry. They’re both very good. My own books are down at the end of this post.
Feel free to add to the previous sharing posts too. They will be brought to the front of the blog perennially, so won’t vanish into the abyss. Share Your Books and Writing, and also Share First Lines.
Christmas Reading
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
I still just want to sit and write. And today I shall.
Book of the Day: Fireflies and Chocolate
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I took a little stroll along Rosehearty beach. No exaggeration. It was a stroll. Recovery from pneumonia (posted 2020) is a slow process, so the walk was slow too. It was a meander along the sands, if you will.
We know extremes of light and dark in Scotland. At the height of summer, it never gets properly dark. Around the time of the winter solstice, it barely gets light. But just now, the low sun illuminates spaces and objects from an angle that highlights both shadows and light. Oh, the photo-taking opportunities!
A river runs into the sea at St. Combs beach in Aberdeenshire.
White frothy waves crash against grey rocks.
Glorious rocks and sand and sky.
The break in the clouds is brief. The sand darkens under a blue and white patchwork sky.
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.
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.“
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 include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a more intimate space than the blog.
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.
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.