Stories and photos from Scotland
Bluebells. They seem to be everywhere this year.
In the unmowed grass:
In the woods. They make blue carpets of themselves there…
And, along with pink and white purslane, they line the pathways and fill the air with intoxicating sweetness.
My debut novel, The Mermaid and the Bear, was published by GWL Publishing in 2019.
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They’re everywhere through the woods, and all over the garden too. Beautiful bluebells. Blue, pink, and sometimes even white. Their heady aroma fills the air as they herald the arrival of summer.
Meet Ariel and her classmates, Bubbles and Alexander, along with a whole cast of vibrant characters, as they experience love, life and adventure at the most prestigious dance school in Scotland.
Each book in this coming-of-age series delves into the personal struggles and heartfelt romances of a different student over the course of a school year. As the spotlight shifts its focus within the old walls of the castle, there are television shows to be made and dark truths to be faced.
Join these young dancers as they whirl through their challenges, forge unbreakable bonds, and discover the power within themselves. Are you ready to travel to Northern Scotland, step into the castle school and dance through the deep dark of the dungeon?
Castle Dancers Series on Amazon UK
Castle Dancers Series on Amazon Worldwide
Latest review: I’ve just finished Alexander, the last instalment of the whole sequence. What a ride! Great characters, plenty of good storylines and a magical setting. Highly recommended! On Instagram.
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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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From Vocabulary.com: To swoon is to faint, due to lack of blood to the brain. Illness, fear, stress, and even happiness can cause people to swoon.
Any bit of exertion carries such a risk for me just now, or, at least, I need to lie down after it.
But I have to walk – slowly – among the flowers. They’re just so beautiful.
Exhaustion levels are deep this time, this flare, this recovery. So are thoughts. Realisations. Illness can bring great clarity. And that’s good. It will lead to better things, better times. I think. I hope.
A minuscule amount of gardening has been achieved; no swooning involved!
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 that castle and the stone circle in these books.
There are no cliffhanger endings in this series; each book completes a story, but then there is more. So much swoony more. Read all the blurbs here
Series on Amazon UK
Series on Amazon worldwide
When Morragh speaks to another person for the very first time, she has no idea that he is an invader in her land…
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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Sign up to the mailing list for news about my life and writing, and some exclusive photos. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Sweet peas bloom in the morning sunshine of the Scottish garden, and the scent is, well, sweet…
Moths enjoy the thistles…
And when the night comes, badgers frolic!
He’s a damaged diva, used to getting his own way. She’s an autistic ballet girl who speaks her truth without tact. What could possibly go wrong?
⭐️ Romantic Suspense
⭐️ Age-gap Romance
⭐️ Secret Relationship
⭐️ Set in Scotland and London
⭐️ Completed series
“I could feel what the characters were feeling, feel their pain; it broke my heart and then healed it and made it sing.” Amazon review
See the About Page here
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The garden is wild. It’s overgrown. But beautiful. I’m not sure why I take so many photos on overcast days. But I do. And here they are 🙂
The only Iris that will grow here is the wild one:
Some more contained plants to finish:
Series on Amazon UK
Series on Amazon worldwide
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.
I am writing again. Finally.
I didn’t need any encouragement – I’ve been champing at the bit waiting to be well enough – but I did feel a little nervous. What if my brain was rusty? What if this resulted in me writing bilge? Utter bilge. Bilge that my rusty brain thought was good?
So when YouTube suggested these writing affirmations to me, I listened. They were rather nice – empowering, even – so I’m sharing them.
The affirmations start at 2.37 minutes in, if, like me, you want to skip the meditation/relaxation part. I listened while doing my morning mix of yoga and Pilates.
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 unconventional romance and ballet set between a Scottish castle and London. There are no cliffhanger endings here; each book completes a story, but then there is more. So much more…
Series on Amazon UK
Series on Amazon worldwide
Bio, socials, articles and interviews.
Sign up to the mailing list for news about my life and writing, and some exclusive photos. It’s a more intimate space than the blog. If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Just that. Nothing else. All that’s needed 🙂
The snowdrops have arrived, and with them the knowledge that spring is on the horizon.
They can be found nestling by old trees.
Small clumps of beauty abound in the garden. There are carpets of them in the woods, but I don’t have a recent picture. I will endeavour to take one before their short season is done.
I love the blue-grey of their stems and their perfect white blooms. Snowdrops rule the land at the moment, being the only flower, the only brightness, on the ground.
Cabriole received a beautiful review from Molly on Amazon and Goodreads. She does warn of spoilers at the start, so I’ll just quote a couple of her more general comments here:
I couldn’t put this book down. It was so good I didn’t even stop reading while brushing my teeth… I laughed out loud many times! I cackled twice. I cursed at characters in my head a few times. It’s truly one of the best books I’ve ever read and made me feel SO MANY FEELINGS.
Read the series that’s been shocking people! It’s available in paperback, kindle and on kindle unlimited.
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…
See the Page here
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.
Reviewers can apply for Advance Reader Copies of future books here
I have strained eyes. I’ve been writing, writing, writing. Or actually, editing, editing, editing. A Dancer’s Journey is progressing. It feels slow, but these books are long, long, long. And emotional. And diabolical and barbarous and sexy and witty and fun. Working on them is actually immense fun. I will miss it when they’re done.
And they will be soon. They are coming, I promise 🙂 Edit: Amazon!
I’m on there. Just. Here I am. It will be part of the fediverse, like Mastodon (there too, sometimes).
I’m closing my strained eyes and putting my feet in the pool in my, very slanting, summer garden.
These novels feature little-known dark events, romance and a hint of magic.
See my About Page here
Go here to sign up for my (roughly monthly) newsletter. It’s a more intimate space than the blog and always includes some exclusive photos. If you would rather just hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
