Ailish Sinclair's Blog, page 48
March 26, 2020
Fireflies and Chocolate, my next historical novel
GWL Publishing have accepted my next historical novel, FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, for publication in Spring 2021. I am lucky to have a publisher who is so understanding about my current health issues; all the deadlines for various edits are flexible.
The book was inspired by the 600 children who were kidnapped in Aberdeen during the 1740s and sold into indentured servitude in the American colonies. You will meet the Manteith family again, and see the castle and the stone circle, though the story doesn’t stay there long.
There’s some real historical figures again. There’s a love story again, though it’s quite different from the one in THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR. And, this time, there’s chocolate, in the form of hot chocolate 
March 20, 2020
Social Distancing and Kindle Unlimited
It feels like the world has changed dramatically since I last blogged at the end of February. I very much hope you are all safe and well. My pneumonia experience last year has left me with a damaged lung, so I am social distancing. Being at home. Writing. Editing. Actually getting round to cleaning the cooker!
I have been paying some early morning visits to some lovely lonely places.
Pebbled beaches. Sandy beaches.
Even the cows are keeping their distance just now!
I’ve been walking in the woods, doing my breathing exercises…
and enjoying the spring sunshine…
all the way up to the witch stone!
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR is available at local book shop Better Read Books in Ellon.
And it’s now free to download on Kindle Unlimited here. Might be of use to some during their own social distancing or self isolation.
I loved a recent review on the Castles and Turrets blog: “It annoyed my sister because she wanted to talk to me that day and I told her that I could no longer socialize until I had finished this book haha!”
February 25, 2020
Aikey Brae: the North Wind Doth Blow
The dense block of pine trees that partially encircled the stones on Aikey Brae have been felled, leaving the site feeling like a windswept wasteland.
I knew it had happened but it was still a shock when I visited the circle at the weekend.
This was the first sighting of the stones after walking up the, admittedly, much improved and cleared, track:
Gone is the path through the dark forest.
Gone is the experience of stepping out into the sunlight and the stones.
Traversing the now rough ground at the top of the hill, I got a bit closer, the taller uprights coming into better view:
I ran the last bit of the way, wanting to be within the circle to get my bearings, so the place could feel like it used to. I sought views that would not have changed, having been open to the countryside all along.
Facing the great recumbent:
It still felt different. With no tree line at the side of my eye, everything seemed bright and glaring. I never fully appreciated just how much the trees sheltered the site before, till I was buffeted by wind at every turn! That shelter contributed to the calm feel of the place.
Now it feels stormy.
Cold.
But I’m going to stop my complaining now. Because… well… things change. I’m sure the circle has looked like this many times during its 4000 year lifespan. Trees will have grown. People will have harvested them. Current thinking is that the surrounding land would have been tree-less when the circle was built.
And improvements have been made to the place. There’s a new path round the hill, boasting benches and a picnic table; a shiny new sign announces this upon arrival. I didn’t explore the path and the views it offers, still being a bit post-pneumonia feeble, but I will go back and walk it later in the year.
I’ve spent so much time at this stone circle, both physically and at my desk while writing, because though the circle in my books is fictional, it’s Aikey Brae it’s based on. The change will take time to settle. I need to notice the new beauty it brings. The light is different, I see that already. There are plans in place to plant indigenous trees; I will enjoy watching those grow large over the coming years.
And, no matter what changes we make around them, the stones still stand tall and majestic against the sky.
Go here to view Aikey with the trees, and in the snow.
THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR has a new sexy review from Grumpytyke: “Not far into the second half it became pretty sexy! I didn’t expect that, not from the first half of the story nor from Ailish’s blog posts.” See the whole review here.
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 3, 2020
The Silvery Sands of Rosehearty Beach
I took a little stroll along Rosehearty beach. No exaggeration. It was a stroll. Recovery from pneumonia is a slow process, so the walk was slow too. It was a meander along the sands, if you will!
I chose Rosehearty for the stroll because it’s a beach that feels gentle. Sheltered at both sides by harbour walls, some old, some even older, it’s rarely windy there. It’s small too, so I knew I wouldn’t be tempted to march on for miles and exhaust myself.
The low sun created beautiful effects on the silvery sands…
The sea air was perfect for my poorly lungs, and the general magic of the place, healing. I mentioned the magic of this beach last year in my article 10 Mystical and Magical Sites in Aberdeenshire on the official tourism site for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Meanwhile, back home: the snowdrops are out 
January 3, 2020
Peely Wally Level 17
It’s actually an improvement. I think I was level 25 last week. But then I’m not the best when it comes to self assessment. In my last post I stated that I was ‘recovering from flu.’ Three days later I was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. And there I stayed for three weeks, receiving the most incredible care. Wow, NHS. Wow, nurses.
The picture is an old one, but it is my first post-pneumonia ambition. I will walk onto a beach sometime soon.
So, normal service will be resumed as the Peely Wally levels reduce. I hope you all had a good holiday time, if you celebrate, and that 2020 is a wonderful year!
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish Sinclair’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.
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December 2, 2019
Oh, to wander in the woods…
That is my favourite bit of path in the woods by my house. It’s also the most productive. When I get stuck with a storyline or a finicky little plot detail that just won’t iron out, that’s where I go, and solutions become clear. Big epiphanies about characters and back stories happen there too. Maybe it’s because it’s a timeless landscape. Or maybe I just feel relaxed and at peace there.
Just now though, I am recovering from flu and can’t walk in the woods. Soon, I tell myself. Soon. I can sit up and write so I may really need to go there soon!
I’ve been deeply touched by how much thought people have been putting into their reviews of THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR.
Local Quine Kate the Quiet Knitter’s review “This wonderful magical tale then takes a deviation towards the darkness and from here Sinclair’s research and writing really shines. Her portrayal of 16th century Scotland is entrancing, and the details of the witch-hunts taking place in that time are fascinating.”
On the Mum, Write NOW blog “Overall the characters are lovable, I found it interesting that their lives intertwined slightly with Shakespeare and also touched on LGBT culture and attitudes at that time. It really felt that there was a depth of historical knowledge informing the narrative which I always enjoy.”
And the Wee Writing Lassie wrote about the book and asked me 7 impertinent questions! “Another inclusive detail in Ailish’s novel is the fact that her heroine – Isobell – is a plus sized women, and this is never treated like a problem, or something about her that needs to be fixed, by the narrative. All body type inclusion, yeah!”
The same path, though the other end and other direction, in the woods, in summer:
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November 4, 2019
Things I Stole From Castles
That’s the earthen floor of the medieval great hall at Drum Castle.
I love it.
So I took it!
From Chapter 3 of THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR:
Bessie had shown me the great hall, a huge room that put one in mind of a church. Sunlight fell through twelve windows, making narrow shapes on the earthen floor of that place…
I did rather fill up my writer’s swag bag at Drum. Below is a beautiful bedpost…
Chapter 34:
“It’s beautiful, Thomas,” I said, walking into the room and running my hands up and down the dark smooth wood of the bedposts which were swirled with infinite oak leaves.
I don’t have a good picture of the dungeon there, though I pilfered that too. It’s a terrible place with a narrow stairway leading down, down, down into the dank. However, bats were roosting in it the last couple of times I visited the castle, and they’re a protected species so it was absolutely forbidden to disturb them. Which was quite a relief really… but here is a pictorial quote from the book:
And into the swagbag goes… a forest view from a high window at Crathes Castle.
From Chapter 38:
I sat up on my seat by the three thin windows and watched the first golden shafts of morning light creep over the tops of the trees in the forest.
From beautiful Craigievar I took the secret stairway that runs from top to bottom of the castle, strictly no photos allowed inside…
From Chapter 28:
We were in another passage, small and stony and grey, and after a short way it led to a narrow stairwell that was not lit by torches and sconces like the big one, but dark and shadowy and hidden. Secret. Indeed safe. For now.
Castle Fraser gave me it’s triangular peep-hole and ‘Laird’s Lug’.
From Chapter 28:
I told the Laird, and he took his turn at the peephole and gave the scene a long assessing look. “It is a pity there is so much noise tonight; we could have made out their words otherwise, the walls of the lug are thinned in places and shaped to augment speech made in the hall.”
I think that’s enough of my rampant thievery for one post – there may be others – so I’ll leave you with this recent review of the book from Terry Tyler, a brilliant writer herself. Actually – I can’t help myself – I’ll just steal a quote from that too:
Ailish Sinclair’s portrayal of 16th century, wild rural Scotland is quite magical. On one recent evening I was curled up in bed, head on cushions and lights dimmed, and I found that I was revelling in every description of the countryside, the day-to-day life at the castle (particularly the Christmas revellry; this made me long to be in the book myself!), the suggestion of ancient spirituality, and the hopes and dreams of the characters. Suddenly I realised that I’d gone from thinking ‘yes, this is a pleasant enough, easy-read’ to ‘I’m loving this’.
And here’s a wee picture of my recently arrived author copies, or swag bags, if you will. Buy your own here on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle.
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October 18, 2019
Rocky Shores for Release Day
We’ve moved North and round the corner from the golden sands of Fraserburgh beach, and arrived at the rocky shores of Broadsea and a beautiful rock pool, the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in the background.
But the book is out! Released! That’s all that’s really on my mind today… though I can be momentarily distracted by shells:
It’s a strange feeling this, like opening a window and letting something precious and secret fly away to where it can now be seen by anyone who wants to see it!
That’s my favourite little house at Broadsea, right beside the rugged rocky coastline.
So… deep breath…
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.
And it has a castle.
And a stone circle.
And medieval Christmas.
Out in paperback and Kindle NOW!
Universal links:
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October 10, 2019
Sometimes the Sea Wears Wonderful Colours
A mellow walk on the beach. A moment to catch our breath.
We start high up on the dunes and push our way through the long grasses, side-stepping to avoid the many large snails that live there, and then we walk out on to the sand.
We stare out over the wonderful, wonderful sea, that is showing green today. We stand and breathe the sweet sea air, and feel the gentle breeze on our faces.
It doesn’t stay bright and gentle for long. As is so often the way in Scotland, the weather is subject to swift change. By the time we leave the beach, the wind, a breeze no more, is swirling dark clouds over Tiger Hill, the largest dune on the skyline.
The star of today’s little blog has been: Fraserburgh beach!
And on another starry subject, there is a beautiful 5 star review of THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR from Shelley Wilson up on GoodReads! See it here.
And, just today, The Press and Journal has published an article on me and the book here.
Only a week to go until release now… I needed that breath at the beach! Let’s end on a watery quote from the book… though this scene takes place in a loch, not the sea.
Sign up to my occasional mailing list here.
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October 4, 2019
Gnarly Roots and Carbolic Soap at Aden Country Park
Aden Country Park in Aberdeenshire is a wonderful place to visit, though I have to admit that when I lived near it I took it a bit for granted. In fact I became a little disenchanted by some aspects of the place.
But it’s beautiful. From the ruined mansion house…
To the Victorian Arboretum with its high Redwoods and Monkey Puzzles and Yews…
My disenchantment lay, basically, in over-exposure to the museums, both of which are actually really great – and free – visitor attractions. There’s a farming museum beside the cafe and then further into the woods there’s Hareshowe, a Victorian farmhouse that was taken down brick by brick and rebuilt at Aden, looking as it would have in the 1950s. You can watch a film of this happening in the farming museum.
I have been round those museums so many times, especially Hareshowe. When I worked in the educational system I visited them every year on school trips. I took my own children round them too.
One day, in more recent years, just walking in the park, I was lured behind a barn to see some baby chicks (Rhode Island Red mum with Silkie chicks) and found myself swept up in a crowd and on the official tour of the farmhouse. Again. I experienced a strange mix of both boredom and fury when asked to smell the carbolic soap for what must have been the 50th time. I didn’t want to smell it. I didn’t want to see it. I wanted to hurl it down the stairs, run after it and jump up and down on it until it was no more.
But I didn’t. How could I do that to the ‘farmer’s wife’? How many times had she had to proffer that bar of soap – as gnarly, in its own way, as the tree roots at the start of this post – to children and tourists? I politely held it under my nose. But I did not inhale.
I play pooh sticks on the bridge, below, when I visit now; I wander along the banks of the winding river, through the woods and look at the old ice house. The park boasts a recently created Fairy Wood which has helped with my re-enchantment. And, though I do highly recommend them, I no longer go into the museums!
Read more about Aden Country Park and its many facilities here.
Sign up to my occasional mailing list here.
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish Sinclair’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.
The post Gnarly Roots and Carbolic Soap at Aden Country Park appeared first on Ailish Sinclair.
