Ailish Sinclair's Blog, page 46
April 23, 2021
Playing with Geography at Cullykhan Bay
I love Cullykhan Bay.
Near the village of Pennan in Aberdeenshire, it’s a place that has long been appreciated by people, so it has a rich history. To the left of the sandy and sheltered beach is an impressive promontory.
It’s been home to an Iron Age fort, now vitrified, and a medieval castle. Excavations uncovered Neolithic and Roman finds there too (see Canmore).
From the promontory you can see the Deil’s Lum (meaning devil’s chimney), a cave which is also sometimes called Hell’s Lum. It shoots sea spray with a roar during stormy weather.
It’s a place – promontory, bay and caves – that I write about quite a lot.
In THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, Isobell, Jasper and Ian have to cross the inside of the Deil’s Lum before following a tunnel to the castle. The tunnel is fictional and so is my description of the interior of the cave, or rather it’s stolen from just around the corner.
As is my way, I have explored every tunnel and cave that is remotely accessible by land at Cullykhan. In we go…
Through to this dark and seagull filled space… and it’s this space that I made my characters traverse, after struggling across it myself, of course!
Isobell, at least, did not enjoy it:
The truth was that caves and tunnels were more fun when told of beside a fireside, in dry clothes with a full belly. The reality of them – the cold, the wet, the dripping and the echoing, and the smell of decay – was only startling. The roof looked as if a huge ogre had wielded a knife inside the cliffs, cutting and carving to his heart’s content, but the idea contained no mirth, nor even any interest. And what lay ahead in this new life of ours?
Excerpt from THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR
Staring at the entrance of the Deil’s Lum from across the divide wasn’t enough for me so I slid down the hill and climbed up into it. This is foolhardy behaviour and not recommended, but I made a short video so you can see the cave without risking life and limb!
Now I’m back in my Iron Age manuscript, Cullykhan features much more heavily, and I love that too. Trying to capture the essence of the place in words, its magnificence, its beauty, and swirl all that round with the terrible things that I have happen there.
Light and dark at Cullykhan…I was honoured to appear on two wonderful websites recently: in an interview on Sue’s Musings here and on Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, inspired by the kidnapped children of Aberdeen, is out now. The story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith from the castle and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s proper derring-dos on the high seas… And there’s chocolate!
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR features three real women who were accused of witchcraft during the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic. There’s also a love story.
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April 10, 2021
Daffodils in Snow, and History Lessons
Daffodils in snowAt first I thought there was only a single line of daffodils in the snow. I stopped to take photos. Like I would do on any other day out. A day out just for fun. Not that there have been many of those lately.
I walked along the path and headed down the steps where I was met with this stunning bank of yellow.
A bank of daffodils at ARII couldn’t deny where I was anymore, of course. Not with the ambulances and then the familiar hospital front door. But I was just an out-patient this time. It wasn’t too bad. And I got to buy a chocolate aubergine in the food shop on the way back out!
Snowy woodland beside the hospitalReviews have started to come in for FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE. One, from Barb Taub, is included within a really interesting article entitled History: telling the big enough lie.
It got me thinking and led me to conclude that I was lucky not to have had history ruined for me at school.
In Primary 3 (aged 7 or 8) I was fortunate to have a deeply enthused teacher and we did a project on the Jacobites. I recall a large wall painting of the bloody battle of Culloden and the fact that we studied Tam o’ Shanter by Robert Burns at the same time, the character of the witch, ‘Cutty Sark’, sticking well in my mind.
But for history, that was it. In secondary school there was a class called ‘Social Subjects’ which was meant to cover history, modern studies and geography. Our teacher believed that colouring in maps of crop rotation covered all of these, which, I suppose, technically, it did. So, three times a week for two years, that was our lot.
A decade later another set of students would set fire to their books in that class, perhaps to alleviate the stifling boredom, or perhaps in a (successful) attempt to get rid of the teacher.
So I never came to associate history with boredom. Colouring in, yes. History, no. And historical research is something I throw myself into with great fervour.
Quote from Barb’s review:
As an American now living in Scotland, I found Fireflies and Chocolate offers a rare look at the sometimes uncomfortable history we never learned in school. Author Ailish Sinclair takes the stories of real life characters and believably intertwines them in Elizabeth’s experience, while never losing sight of her main goal: telling a roaring good story with all the romance, danger, and dawning strength of character you could ask.
Other reviews I must mention are from Liz Lloyd who published hers on release day which was so helpful, and this one on Instagram from Adeline Bronner. I do love seeing the books ‘out in the wild’ as it were!
I’m glad I picked these before the snow came!FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, 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, is out today. The story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith from the castle and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s proper derring-dos on the high seas… And there’s chocolate!
And, not to be forgotten, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, which features the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic and a love story.
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March 31, 2021
Witchcraft, Kidnapping, and the Cobbles Between
I do seem to have a habit of running up and down the medieval cobbles of Aberdeen in the name of research. Here I am again, travelling down Correction Wynd, site of the 17th century House of Correction. But it’s not the old poorhouse/jail that I’m investigating. Not today anyway…
I pass St Nicholas Kirk, where people accused of witchcraft were held in the 16th century.
It’s time to move on from that now.
On from THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR.
Researching and writing those times have led me to another.
Over the cobbles I go, glancing up at the modern city above.
Through the beam of light and into the, also rather modern seeming, Green.
The kidnapped children of Aberdeen were held here in the 1740s. In a barn.
Passers by sometimes heard music coming from the place, as the kidnappers tried to keep the children entertained.
The Green is mentioned in Fireflies and Chocolate (out today!):
“Another barn,” notes Peter, when we are ushered into a large ramshackle wooden building. Again we find a space to sit together, among the others. Again, we are on the floor, this time an earthen one. No chairs are provided for the likes of us anywhere now it seems. “I was kept in a barn in Aberdeen,” he tells me. “Down at The Green.”
I ken The Green. I used to think it was a nice place to walk through, a space between buildings, like a city version of a forest glade.
The children were also kept in the Tolbooth at times. There are tales of desperate parents trying to break down the door to get to them. Peter Williamson, who appears in the above quote, would be held there again in later life as punishment for his book, in which he accused the town magistrates of involvement in the kidnappings. You can read a large print version in the Tolbooth museum today beside a life size cut out of Peter!
He’s not the main character in Fireflies and Chocolate though. That’s Elizabeth Manteith, who is entirely fictional. But I love her. In their press release about the book the publisher describes her like this:
Fiery and forthright, Elizabeth isn’t someone to be argued with. She knows her own mind, and isn’t afraid to speak it. Through her experiences, the reader sees her grow from a girl, into a woman with a powerful voice… a woman of her time, but very much of ours too.
Those dark cobbles do take me places!
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, 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, is out today. The story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith from the castle and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s proper derring-dos on the high seas… And there’s chocolate!
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March 27, 2021
The Cumberland Stone near Culloden Moor
The huge Cumberland Stone sits in woodland very close to Culloden Moor. It is said that the Duke of Cumberland (the king’s son and leader of the government troops) ate his lunch, or in some accounts his breakfast, sitting atop the stone on the day of battle in 1746. It’s also said that he watched the battle from there.
There are steps hammered into the side of the rock, so we can all climb up on it. For fun. Not for battle watching. And it’s probably not the comfiest place to sit and eat lunch either!
I can attest to it being quite fun.
The stone is a remnant of the ice age, having been carried by the great ice sheet that covered most of Scotland, and then deposited when the ice melted 16,000 years ago.
The nearby memorial bench, inscription in Gaelic and English:
When researching for Fireflies and Chocolate, it interested me that the kidnapper’s ship, The Planter, sailed just three years before the battle of Culloden. Some local people must have been impacted by both events, surely? So, I gave the main character, Elizabeth, a Jacobite for a father, and she is deeply invested in the rebellion as is shown in this quote from the book:
I’m buying special treats at the market for us to have at Christmas when I hear it being said and exclaimed about by two wifies: The Jacobites have marched South. I rush to Mr Franklin’s shop, and not just to get chocolate this time. Surely he will know more details. He does, but not many. The Young Pretender, as they’re calling Bonnie Prince Charlie, landed in Scotland in the summer. The Jacobite army has taken Edinburgh and defeated the British troops in a battle at Prestonpans.
They’re winning! They’re actually winning! We could have a new king next year.
We all know what happened in the end, on that moor.
But let’s finish with a happier image. Some beautiful Jacobean glassware from the visitor centre at Culloden. The white rose was one of their symbols.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, out April 1st, 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!
See the publisher’s Press Release here
Amazon (Kindle pre-order)
Waterstones (paperback pre-order)
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March 19, 2021
The Space Between Dunes
Between the dunes. There’s just the sea breeze and me.
I’m looking out across the ocean. Walking down through the coarse grasses, feeling their roughness with my fingertips. As people must have done for as long as people have existed.
18th century.
16th century.
When the Romans were here.
Before.
Then there’s listening. The incoming tide, the waves pulling back from the beach. It feels like a healing sound. I wish it could be prescribed to everyone as needed.
The light is silvery over the dunes now.
No health concerns. No book stuff.
Just me. And the sea.
I sometimes write more sensible things! Do sign up for my occasional newsletters if you would like to be kept abreast of these.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, inspired by the kidnapped children of Aberdeen, is out on April 1st in paperback and on kindle.
Amazon (kindle pre-order)
Waterstones (paperback pre-order)
And, not to be forgotten, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, involving witchcraft accusations and a love story. It’s out now:
The post The Space Between Dunes appeared first on Ailish Sinclair.
March 6, 2021
Historical Hot Chocolate and 75 Words
That’s not historical hot chocolate there; it’s totally modern and topped with ice cream, and was rather delightful on a snowy day.
To see the historical version being made we have to go to one of the YouTube channels I used during the research and immersion phase of writing FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE.
Elizabeth, the main character, uses a slightly simpler method, back in the 18th century, in this quote from the book:
“I shave slivers of chocolate from the block and stir them into hot water over the fire. I add sugar and mix until it is all well blended. Then I pour it all into the pot with the warm milk and whisk and whisk until it’s frothy and perfect.”
Whatever century you’re in… yum!
The first 75 words of the novel are up on Paragraph Planet today. They’ll be gone at midnight so I took a wee screen shot:
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, inspired by the kidnapped children of Aberdeen, is out on April 1st, just in time for Easter weekend, in paperback and on kindle.
Amazon (kindle pre-order)
Waterstones (paperback pre-order)
And not to be forgotten, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR: it blends the Scottish witchcraft accusations with a love story, and is out now:
The post Historical Hot Chocolate and 75 Words appeared first on Ailish Sinclair.
February 27, 2021
Scottish Historical Fiction from Aberdeenshire
I write Scottish historical fiction, often set in the area of Scotland where I live, Aberdeenshire. I also take a LOT of photos, as is evidenced throughout the blog. Keep up with all my news by signing up to the mailing list. It’s occasional and always contains some exclusive photos.
The Mermaid and the BearMy debut novel was published by GWL Publishing in October 2019, and is available in paperback and on Kindle.
Aspects of the book:It’s mainly set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire.It incorporates the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic.There’s a stone circle.There’s 6 chapters of medieval Christmas.And there’s a love story.See the Mermaid and the Bear page for full details including blurb and quotes and links to reviews.
Fireflies and ChocolateMy second novel is out on April 1st 2021 and will be available in paperback and on Kindle.
Amazon (kindle pre-order)
Waterstones (paperback pre-order)
Barnes and Noble (soon)
Aspects of the book:Set in both Aberdeenshire and Colonial Pennsylvania.It includes the Aberdeen child kidnappings of the 1740s.There’s derring-dos on the high seas.There’s chocolate!And there’s love.See the Fireflies and Chocolate page for full details including blurb and quotes and links to reviews.
Further insight into my writing and research:My article on Women Writers, Women’s Books: Researching Historical Fiction: Immersing Oneself in the PastFrom the Press and Journal: New book by Fraserburgh author highlights horrific extent of witch trials in Scotland My post Walking the Witchy Ways of Aberdeen From the Evening Express: Historical novel focusing on kidnapping of Aberdeen children to be published My post Some Eighteenth Century Letter SealsMy piece 10 Mystical and Magical Sites in Aberdeenshire on the official tourism site for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
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February 20, 2021
Some Eighteenth Century Letter Seals
Those are the letter seals of Lord Pitsligo, a man I have written about before:
when I visited his castlewhen I searched for his cave and then on The Witch, The Weird and the Wonderful blog where I talked more fully about his life.
His forward thinking ways inspired aspects of the Laird in THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR and a similar set of letter seals feature in FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE.
The seals were shown to me by a direct descendant of Lord Pitsligo. I got to hold them and turn them on their hinges, which was wonderfully informative (and exciting!).
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE will be out on April 1st!
And it now has a blurb:
Elizabeth craves adventure… excitement… love…
For now though, she has to settle for a trip from her family’s castle, to the port in Aberdeen, where her father has promised she’ll be permitted to buy a horse… all of her own.
Little does she suspect this simple journey will change her life, forever. And as she dreams of riding her new mount through the forests and glens of the Manteith estate, she can have no idea that she might never see them again.
For what lies ahead is danger, unimagined… and the fearful realities of kidnap and slavery.
But even when everything seems lost, most especially the chance of ever getting home again, Elizabeth finds friendship, comfort… and that much prized love, just where she least expected it.
Set in the mid eighteenth century, Fireflies and Chocolate is a story of strength, courage and tolerance, in a time filled with far too many prejudices.
It’s all getting a bit too exciting for me again… I need a nice calming walk in the woods below the witch’s brooms (growth abnormalities caused by a fungus in the trees)!
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish Sinclair’s debut novel, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, features an often overlooked event in history, the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, and a love story.
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February 10, 2021
A Tree, Fox Tracks, and Proofreading
Just a small post. It’s been snowing. Quite a lot. Above are fox tracks in the woods. Below, an oak leaf.
I’ve been proofreading Fireflies and Chocolate, desperately seeking any errors, making tiny tweaks. Last chance to change anything. Last chance to get it right before it goes back to the publisher. It’s a little bit scary, this final stage of writing a novel.
So, I hold my face up to the sun, follow the fox tracks and hope all will be well.
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish Sinclair’s debut novel, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, features an often overlooked event in history, the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, and a love story.
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January 27, 2021
Along the Snowy Paths… to a Cover Reveal!
Last time I had a cover reveal we journeyed down a rabbit hole to find it… but I haven’t been anywhere exciting like that lately, so we’ll have to stick closer to home, starting on the snowy track into the woods.
Reaching the end of the track, we nip up this narrow path:
Here we are on the loch-side walk now, sunshine to our left.
Wait! What’s that? Something’s moving in the woods, running and leaping through the trees…
No that’s not it. That’s the first book (out now!) and some foot prints left by a deer. We need to retrace our steps, I think…
And yes – finally we come to it – the cover reveal for FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, out Spring/Summer 2021!
The cup featured on the cover is an actual chocolate cup from the 1740s when the book is set. Inspired by the 600 children and young people who were kidnapped from Aberdeen and sold into indentured servitude in the American Colonies, the story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s proper derring-dos on the high seas (as opposed to my previous metaphorical ones)! And there’s chocolate…
Keep up with all my news by signing up to the mailing list. It’s occasional and always contains some exclusive photos.
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