Tiger Hill is the largest sand dune at Fraserburgh beach. There are different theories as to how it got its name. One is that it looks a little like a crouched tiger. The other involves actual tigers. It’s said that four fighting tigers were used to ward off Viking invaders in the past, and that the animals were then buried where the dune is now.
Whatever the truth, Tiger Hill is beautiful.
Sunrise
Yesterday’s sunrise was beautiful too. It lit up the town.
I loved the pinks and blues of the sky.
TENDU Aesthetic
The Wee Writing Lassie made this TikTik for TENDU, capturing many elements of the story:
Check out my new post “The 8 1/2 Overly Pretentious Questions for Ailish Sinclair: The Second Question” weewritinglassie.home.blog/2023/10/21/the… #WritingCommmunity#authorlife#ballet#dancer
An Autistic Dancer, a Byronic Hero and an Obsessive Scientist
Read my series A Dancer’s Journey. There’s ballet. There’s lots of naughtiness. And there’s peril!
Enjoy a kiss on the London tube in the first book, TENDU. Romp up and down the castle stairs. Dance in a stone circle. Attend a Ceilidh in the great hall. Have your brain studied in the dungeon. All fun, I assure you. Well, not quite all…
And there’s also this slightly strange little post about what the characters of A Dancer’s Journey get up to when I take a rare day off from writing.
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.
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Clouds of mist swirl over the surface of the loch.
The picture above was taken after an unexpectedly hot day led to unexpectedly beautiful conditions. Well, not completely unexpected. It’s always beautiful, always different.
Summer Loch
Summer brings lush green foliage and colour to the loch*. It’s not very deep so swimming can be warm, though muddy.
Autumn
That glassy ‘stand and stare’ stillness can happen at any time of year, but it most commonly occurs in Autumn. Sunsets are pink, silver or even purple. Whatever the sky is doing is intensified in reflection.
The Loch in Winter
Scottish winters are fierce. One year layer upon layer of ice and snow built up so thick that people and dogs ran about on top of the loch. I watched a fox run right across from one side to the other. It was at once surreal and yet so very real, unconnected from civilisation as it feels up there in the woods. No TV, no computers, just life and joy and fun on a natural huge flat screen among the trees.
I hope I will be well enough to walk up there soon. And what will await? A liquid mirror? Slow moving ripples? The slightest change in airflow is made visible by water. If there’s blue in the sky, there will be blue in the loch. Maybe there’ll be whooping swans with their yellow beaks, or an otter leaping about on the banks. I love the sound of otters giggling in the evening… I miss it.
Whooper swans over the loch
* I freely admit to having overused the word ‘loch’ in this post. The word ‘lake’ is not a suitable substitute. If you don’t come from Scotland you can have no idea how very wrong that notion is. And while we’re at it, let’s make sure you’re saying/thinking the word right. The ‘ch’ sound is like a Scottish wildcat (something I once saw up by the large expanse of water, but no one believes me) hissing in the back of your throat. There you are, got it.
Boating days…
A Dancer’s Journey (completed series)
When dance student Amalphia Treadwell embarks on a secret relationship with her rich, handsome new teacher, she has no idea of the danger that lurks in his school in Scotland…
“POV: You thought it was just another ballet book… then it emotionally body-slammed you in pointe shoes. Slow burn, enemies to lovers, fate, and a Scottish setting that delivered.”See this TikTok review here
Castle Dancers (completed series)
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…
“Knowing how beautiful each of Ailish Sinclair’s novels are, I tucked into Ariel giddily. Boy, did she deliver! I read this book with indulgent haste. Returning to the setting of previous novels, it was comforting to read this book. The way Sinclair writes makes it feel like the main character is speaking directly to the reader, making Ariel feel like a friend.”Goodreads review
Sisters at 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 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!
Isobell needs to escape. She has to. Her life depends on it.
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish’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.
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.
Isobell needs to escape. She has to. Her life depends on it.
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, 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.
When Elizabeth is torn out of her isolated life in a Scottish castle, she 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!
The story 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.
Go here to sign up for my newsletter. It’s a more intimate space than the blog and always includes some exclusive photos. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Originally posted 2023. We’ve reached the cusp between autumn and winter. The blue loch reflects dark skies. There’s pumpkins and wind and rain and piles of leaves everywhere. Autumn is almost over.
And yet, we still have brighter days and blue skies. Sometimes.
Sisters at the Edge of the World
The main characters are fiercely bonded chosen sisters, one of them neurodivergent.
The story is set in 1st century Scotland and features the battle of Mons Graupius between the Roman invaders and the Caledonian tribes.
There’s romance, but it’s rather complicated romance this time.
The stone circle is still there in all its glory.
The castle is not, obviously, but there is a great round house where it will be one day. And a wee hoosie in the woods.
Go here to sign up for occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a bit more intimate than the blog. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Originally posted November 2023. We’re firmly on that road to winter now. There’s been no frost or snow, but it’s coming.
I went out. Briefly. I took some pictures. Quickly. My current illness/medication situation is still preventing sleep and making me a bit hyperactive, and I thought I might attempt some daily blogging this week. So, there will be some seasonal Scottish photos being shared over the next few days.
First Review of Cabriole
Cabriole, the second book in the Dancer’s Journey series, is out now. This is the notorious one, the one that a publisher wanted me to change. To be fair, they did assure me that it wasn’t because they were bigoted or prudish, but because it had to have set tropes to fit their romance line. But still, I have wondered how people would react to this more unusual story.
From emmalolly13 on TikTok: “This series has a special place in my heart… I feel so blessed to continue reading Amalphia’s story… Her journey with love has been rough… this is such a soul-touching series.”
See you a little further down the road to winter soon!
Newsletter, Updates and ARCs
Go here to sign up for occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a bit more intimate than the blog. If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Continuing on in my weather-and-landscape obsessed way, it’s another post about the season. I shall endeavor not to make every title end in ‘of winter’ over the next few months, but that’s what is happening today. The dark blue hues of the loch and the sky got me.
The dark of the trees and the light of the moon too.
It happened so fast, this shift to the colour palette of winter. Even in town, surrounded by grey buildings, the light is changed and imbued with a hint of blue now.
But it’s by the loch that I want to be. It’s there that the dark blue hues are at their most intense. It’s there that I mull over the scene I’m working on in Tendu (older post; the book is out now). It’s dark too. Like the water and the woods. And, I love it.
Winter Reading?
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 occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a bit more intimate than the blog. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
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.
Paperback and Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited here on Amazon
When Morragh speaks to another person for the very first time, she has no idea that he is an invader in her land...
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.
Rapunzel’s Tower appears over the trees in Drinnie’s Wood, dark and mysterious, a fairytale setting at the top of a hill. No hair is let down in answer to my call. Maybe the newly installed CCTV reveals me to be neither prince nor abusive mother figure, so I am ignored? Or maybe the words on the council sign are true, and the Drinnie’s Wood Observatory really is only open May-September.
Onwards and upwards. And downwards. Up the wrong path and back again. Up another, almost identical, path and… ta-da!
The Elusive Loudon Wood Stone Circle
It evaded me for years, this place. The entry to the narrow path is hidden by low hanging pine branches, and it wasn’t until the advent of Google Earth that I finally pinpointed its exact location.
I do like the white tree that stands opposite the large recumbent stone:
Most stone circles in Aberdeenshire are imbued with a deep peacefulness. This one seems alive somehow, buzzing with an undercurrent of ancient energy, like a radio still tuned to the past. Carved stone:
Back to the Future
Back to the present and a newly planted wind turbine, another tower I would like to look inside; see the inviting steps and door at the bottom? Surprisingly large, up close – diagonal was the only way to get the whole thing in shot – and surprisingly quiet, whoosh-whooshing us gently into the future.
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!
Crows nest in the old keep of Pitsligo Castle near the village of Rosehearty in Aberdeenshire. Dating from 1424, it’s an impressive and atmospheric place. The Forbes family who built it, staunch Jacobite supporters, lost their lands and titles after the battle of Culloden. The castle was then ravaged by Hanoverian soldiers and fell into ruin.
The oldest part of the castle, the keep or tower:
Many of the rooms round the rubble filled courtyard remain intact. The evening sun added bright effects on this visit.
A large bird flew out of here. It was all a bit ‘Game of Thrones’…
Here and there the sky shows through chimneys, windows and decayed stairwells.
The gateway:
Peathill Kirk
Just up the hill sits Peathill Kirk, where old and new towers stand side by side and, unsightly as it is, mobile phone reception is great.
Ghosts of Jacobites lurk here too.
Alexander Forbes, the 4th Lord of Pitsligo, quite a famous Jacobite, and owner of Pitsligo Castle, is buried in the crypt below. He was a most interesting character.
The two sites make a trip up to Peathill most worthwhile. The castle and kirk would been used and inhabited at the same time – Lord Pitsligo would have sat in the Forbes pew just above where his grave now is – and offer an evocative glimpse into the past.
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 occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a more intimate space than the blog.
It’s a beautiful place. The River Ugie (pronouned yoo-ghee) winds its way through Aden Park and Strichen and ends its journey in Peterhead where it flows into the North Sea.
There’s a foot bridge across the river. This little gull was quite friendly.
Up through the dunes we go…
And down onto the beach.
The skies are bright between rain showers.
We walk back along the riverside as the clouds gather once more.
Cabriole: Dancing in the City
Hold on to your hats. Clutch your pearls.
Amalphia is back, and her choices are as shocking as ever in this dark and witty sequel.
After a traumatic year at the castle, Amalphia Treadwell travels back to London to start her professional life, putting dark and difficult things firmly behind her. Or so she believes…
There are no cliffhanger endings in this series; each book completes a story, but then there is more. So much more.
Go here to sign up for occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re a bit more intimate than the blog. If you would like to hear about new books and special offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
