Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott.
In seeking the story told in The Scottish Rose, I read works of Sir Walter Scott, and I came upon this quote, which I found useful as I messed with time and geological landmarks:
“It is fortunate for tale-tellers that they are not tied down like theatrical writers to the unities of time and place, but may conduct their personages to Athens and Thebes at their pleasure, and bring them back at their convenience.”
The Scottish Rose is a time travel story and was great fun to write. But I have trouble with time travel romances because typically the heroine lives in one time, the hero in another, and one or the other has to give up their turf if they want to live happily ever after. So I decided to send both my main characters back through time where they played a role in saving the Honours of Scotland from the invading British.
The Ladysgate.
To whisk them back into 17th century Scotland, I needed a portal, preferably ocean-front since Dunnottar Castle, the setting for the tale, is on the eastern seacoast. Since none was exactly handy, I “borrowed” a large stone arch that actually exists in Orkney and moved it to a convenient location near the castle. It’s called the “Ladysgate,” since mostly women are said to have disappeared through it. But in my story, sea captain Duncan Fraser makes the journey as well.
The local people in Stonehaven were tremendously supportive of my venture. The local librarian photocopied the story of the rescue of the Honours and mailed it to me after I returned home, since it was in a very large volume and I hadn’t time to copy it while there. The owners of the Hook and Eye pub shared their knowledge, and also arranged to take us to the church where the Honours were hidden during that historic rescue.
There is another character who plays a huge role in the story, a waif named Pauley, but I won’t be a spoiler and tell you why. You’ll have to read it for yourself.
The Scottish Rose is available as an e-book and can be heard on Audible.
Pub owners of the Hook and Eye in Stonehaven, Scotland.
Stonehaven Harbor.
Bonnie peering into the hiding place at the castle.
The church were the Honours of Scotland were buried and saved from the clutches of Oliver Cromwell’s army.