The garden and woods are full of the sound of woodpeckers at the moment. That rapid, hollow tapping echoes through the trees. It’s lovely, and the echoey quality makes it feel somewhat mystical. And there’s a little woodpecker folklore to go with it.
Woodpecker Folklore
Some of the lore focuses on the prediction of rain, but let’s not go there. The sound of a woodpecker is also associated with good luck, wealth and healing. When you hear it, clap your hands three times and make a wish. And you can hear it below at the very start of a short video I took a couple of days ago.
In the woods…
Make your wishes!
Ancient Battle and Forbidden Romance
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.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a beautiful trail through history and, at 143 metres long, the longest tapestry in the world.
My Visit to the Tapestry in 2014
Its soft sewn artworks filled three large rooms of Aberdeen Art Gallery, and photography was allowed. Yes. I was happy. May you be too.
Despite the earliness of my visit, the gallery was crowded; I was not quite so happy about the angle of this next pic. Lovely, lovely stone circle, though:
‘Fiction is to grown men what play is to the child.’ RLS
Cloning
Calm
There was something calm and nourishing about walking round this exhibition. Whether it was the gentle and warm art of needlework that hung everywhere in the rooms – there was also a lady demonstrating sewing techniques – or the many different styles from the 1000+ stitchers marking the constant change of the world, I don’t know. The overall feeling was reflective yet hopeful: happy.
I write Scottish fiction (quick link to Amazon), often set in Aberdeenshire, the area of Scotland where I live. My historical novels combine little-known dark events with love stories. There are witches, bears and Romans to be found in them, detailed here. I have two contemporary series, the spicy, spicy Dancer’s Journey and the coming-of-age Castle Dancers.
I take a LOT of photos as is evidenced throughout the site.
A carpet of snowdrops. Snowdrops as far as the eye can see. There’s always a wonderful show in Aden Park at this time of year.
Let’s dance along this snowdrop-lined path!
There’s snowdrops down by the river.
And underneath a log.
We walk past the old doctor’s lodge and see snowdrops in the sun.
Through the play park we go. There have been enormous improvements made here. I love the wooden cow.
Ooh, swan lake!
The Interpretation Hut
We come to the new ‘interpretation hut’ which is touted as being a place to view the lake in inclement weather. Its view of the lake is pretty much obscured by a new walkway, but the graffiti inside is impressive. I’m not being facetious. There are Shakespearean quotes, disparaging remarks about people that have been corrected to ‘is a person too’ and then commentary on the lack of otters. There’s an informational board in the hut promising otter sightings. (There is some swearing involved in the graffiti.)
So, no otters seen, we wander past the old twisted beech, only to find that some of it has fallen down. See it in its former glory here. I suspect and hope it will survive.
We finish our walk with one more peek at the carpet of snowdrops, and then it’s home for hot chocolate.
About Me
I write Scottish fiction (quick link to Amazon), often set in Aberdeenshire, the area of Scotland where I live. My historical novels combine little-known dark events with love stories. There are witches, bears and Romans to be found in them, detailed here. I have two contemporary series, the spicy, spicy Dancer’s Journey and the coming-of-age Castle Dancers.
I take a LOT of photos as is evidenced throughout the site.
Snowdrops and the mole. Sounds like the title of a book I might write. But no, it’s just the state of the garden.
The snowdrops are fully out, and the moles have been busy. Their little earthy hills are everywhere in the grass.
And coming soon in the garden – I missed them last year due to illness and hospital – there will be crocuses! And coming soon book-wise? Bubbles: Dancing Through History. It’s put me through the emotional wringer, this one. More than usual. I feel like a wrung-out little rag.
But back to the moles…
Fireflies and Chocolate and a Mole
A wee excerpt from Fireflies and Chocolate
My Mermaid Grandmother’s pin! An Elfin Blade that was cast in silver for her to be worn as a brooch. Now, truth be told, according to what she wrote, it maybe didna bring her the best of luck, but it’s always been good to me. She buried it in the stone circle, so say her writings, and I found it there when I was just a wee lassie. It came up in a molehill while I was dancing aboot in the circle. I saw movement in the mound of earth and there it sat, glinting in the sun. I didn’t know what it was then, of course. Eppy said it was a gift from the fairies, just for me. My father said it was a carved arrowhead from long ago.
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
Yes, it’s another post about Scottish castles! I do seem to find it difficult to write anything without one, or three, as in this case. The first, above, is Delgatie Castle, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire. I met one of the quines there last week (post originally from 2016) and we walked the woods and gardens and encountered these little Shetland ponies looking as if they were waiting for the tearoom to open.
From there, we went on to the Auld Kirk-yard in Turriff to see the grave of the late owner of the castle, Captain John Hay:
And then, on the other side of Turriff, the beautiful River Deveron:
Let us pass through a door to another day and another castle…
Near Alford, this beauty is rumoured to be the source for Walt Disney’s fairy-tale castle. It is wonderfully pink and turreted and full of colourful ghost stories. Red John Forbes is supposed to have forced his daughter’s lover, a Gordon and hence an enemy, to jump to his death from The Blue Room window. The window is now hidden behind a headboard but you can make out light through a pinhole. Both Red John and the Gordon boy are said to haunt the castle.
Photos were allowed up on the roof!
But it’s time to skip across the stone mushrooms…
and on to Corgarff, the last of the Scottish castles today…
A bit more out of the way, near Tarland, but still in Aberdeenshire, is the fortress that is Corgarff Castle. Originally home to the Forbes, it was then burnt by the Gordons and left derelict. After the battle of Culloden the tower house was gutted and rebuilt as barracks for government soldiers (Redcoats).
Inside the star-shaped perimeter:
This is how the soldiers’ barracks room would have looked in 1750:
And that’s it. Off out the door you go, but do come back soon!
Newsletter
Keep up to date with all my news, from visits to Scottish castles and stone circles, to books and writing and life, by signing up to the mailing list! If you would like to hear about new books and offers, you can follow my Amazon author page.
Naughty Contemporary Fiction
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 heady 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
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!
Inshoch Castle is a ruined 16th century Z-plan tower house near Auldearn in the Highlands of Scotland. It’s situated in a private garden, so I am really grateful to the owner for allowing me access for novel-research purposes.
Inshoch Castle’s connection to ‘witches’
The castle is connected to Isobel Gowdie in a few ways. In 1662, the year of Isobel’s famous witchcraft confessions, it was home to the Laird of Park who was probably her landlord. Isobel confessed to attempting to curse all his male children by making and roasting a clay effigy of a child, a very detailed one with ‘all the parts of a child’ including ‘little lips.’ Inshoch castle is also where Isobel’s accomplice Janet Breadheid gave her confession and was probably incarcerated. Isobel was questioned in Auldearn and probably (there’s a lot of probably in this case) kept there in the Tolbooth, but maybe in the kirk steeple (again).
Reseach continues…
It would be nice if I could say ‘continues apace’ but it’s a slow process for me. We may not have much definite information to go on, or primary sources, only Isobel’s four confessions, and Janet’s one, but these are deeply complex documents. There are other, sometimes obscure, mentions of the case from the time too. Immersing myself in the words of the confessions has uncovered some interesting implications that I haven’t found anyone else mentioning. Wider research has uncovered another very strange occurrence that was taking place at the same time, and I feel the two must have intersected and could, in fact, make for the most fascinating element of the novel… but more research is needed.
Today Inshoch Castle is incorporated into the garden, some of its tumbled stones making a rockery. And I remember the opening of L.P. Hartley’s 1953 novel, The Go-Between: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
I’m looking back through the lens of now. How can I really understand? The gate to the past, like the one to Lochloy House below (near where Isobel lived), is rather forbidding.
Radio Reminder
There’s just another few days to hear me ask OJ Borg questions about the ancient Scottish fire festival the ‘Burning of the Clavie’ on Radio 2. It was a fun thing to do, and you can hear it here. I’m 28 minutes in on the Midnight Mastermind feature. It may be a bit tricky outside of the UK, unless you’re doing clever VPN things.
My debut novel featured historical witchcraft and another Isobell…
Isobell needs to escape. She has to. Her life depends on 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. There’s 6 chapters of medieval Christmas too.
This is a post from 2023. It’s about simple things that make me happy. Today I’m adding new white pointe shoes. And a prayer plant.
Original Simple Things Post
Recently, I’ve been sharing little bits of my life that relate to the series A Dancer’s Journey. Writing the last post of that type brought me out in a cold sweat. Literally. So today, it’s just happy, shiny things!
A walk on the beach
First up is a walk on the beach. Illness often prevents such activities, so I really appreciate them when they’re possible, and they are just now.
Next: flowers.
Pink Purslane in the woodsA tall and pollen-heavy Peonyapple blossom
The last of the simple things is a newly tidied drawer. Actually still a messy drawer under the shoes. But I can get to my shoes easily. And I can dance.
Ballet shoes
A Dancer’s Journey: complete, shocking, unique
Angsty romance
Lots of naughtiness!
A neurodivergent heroine and a Byronic hero
Set in London and Scotland
Unconventional love and a secret relationship
A castle, a dungeon and a stone circle
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…
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 my occasional emails that always include exclusive photos and news of my writing and life. They’re 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.
There’s been sunshine in the birch woods. Well, obviously there’s been sunshine everywhere, but it’s still so low that it doesn’t hit the garden much. It’s in the wild woods that it warms your face and makes long shadows between the trees.
Blue Skies in the Birch Woods
There’s even been clear skies.
I love the gold and blue colours of winter. Green is muted for now, just waiting for the spring.
Ariel: Dancing on TV
Torn from a life where she never fitted in, Ariel quickly becomes the focus of a reality TV show. Can she rise above a lifetime of pain and embrace the possibilities of fame and love that beckon to her?
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.
Then, refreshed and de-stressed, it was back on the ferry to the mainland, though the view there is of Jura:
We passed Kilchurn Castle on Loch Awe:
And walked between weather-battered oak trees on our way home.
There’s more (oh, so many more!) photos on Twitter and Instagram.
Newsletter
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.
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!
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.
She’s soon dealing with her boyfriend’s obsessive ex, the strange research taking place at the castle school and her own ever-evolving relationship issues.
Amalphia works hard to be the best dancer she can be, but as tension builds within the old walls of the castle, she begins to wonder if she will ever escape the dank dark of the dungeon…
Dark, witty, sexy and fun, Tendu is a compelling and seductive story of unconventional love, dance and obsession.
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.
