The Old Town on the other side of the river was like a completely different world. Gone were neat…

The Old Town on the other side of the river was like a completely different world. Gone were neat pavements and pruned hedges, replaced with the rattle and chatter of a working city that burst through each crooked cobble and foggy window. The sky criss-crossed with banners of washing, and Cait eyed the tenements warily as they craned their long, brown necks over the street below.

The city of Thorterknock is inspired by Edinburgh, consisting of an Old Town and a New Town divided by the River Cath. I always knew I wanted to draw inspiration from Scotland’s capital, and I had such a fun time contrasting the bustling and ancient Old Town with the modern and very demure very mindful New Town. Thorterknock really feels like two entities to me, and I was conscious of creating a divide in class and community that represents the wider divide between Storran and Afren within the book.

Song of the Stag is available on Ringwood Publishing, Amazon, and Waterstones!