LOVE, MYSTERY & SECRET PASSAGES!

 

I have been asked if Craigenveoch, which I wrote about in my mini-memoir “The Scottish Connection”, was the setting for the Scottish part of my novel “Dangerous Devotion” (Book One in my Buchanan Mystery Romance Series, set in The Bahamas and Scotland). I actually drew on my experiences as a child at Boquhan Cottage on the Boquhan Old House estate for the novel and I researched old Scottish houses like Boquhan and Craigenveoch to ensure that my descriptions were accurate for the era when they were built.

There was no secret passage in Boquhan or Craigenveoch houses, as far as I know. I wrote about this spooky feature completely from my imagination in "Dangerous Devotion"! However, from my research I found that secret passages were often included in these old homes when they were built, because of the religious unrest at the time. Priests and soldiers sometimes needed a place to lie low and to have a quick escape route!

“Dangerous Devotion” is available as an e-book and in paperback at

AMAZON.COM

OR

UNIVERSAL LINK

(books in this series can be read as stand alones).

And "The Scottish Connection", also available as an e-book and in paperback, can be found here:-

AMAZON.COM

OR

UNIVERSAL LINK

 

DEVELOPING AN ARTICLE INTO A MEMOIR!

My lovely Scottish Granny in the Scottish snow!
(one of the photos that appears in The Scottish Connection)

Writing Tip: Consider developing what started out as a feature article into a full length book! After I returned to Scotland with my mother and young sons to revisit our Scottish roots, I wrote an article about our trip. I submitted the article to various publications over the years, but at 4,000+ words it appeared it was too long. Eventually a prestigious Canadian magazine editor said he loved it and wanted to use it. Unfortunately, a year later the publisher decided against it. I think they just couldn't find where to fit it in, as it was so long!

Then a light went off in my brain. Why not develop the article into a book? I dug out copies of my ancestors' marriage, birth and death certificates which had been in my late mother's possession, so I could add that information. And I scanned old photos plus some from the Scottish trip. 

I put it all together and "The Scottish Connection: A Journey Back - Mini-memoir", with Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable prices, geographical descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos, was released on Amazon as an e-book and in paperback!

Take a look at it, if you like. There's a sample "Look Inside" on Amazon - CLICK HERE

HURRICANE MATTHEW ARTICLE IN EDGEHILL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Edgehill Alumni Association Newsletter Autumn 2016 Page 8.
 Created and published by Jane Blackmore, Edgehill Alumni
Association President/Newsletter Editor and Database Secretary.

I was delighted to receive a lovely issue of The Edgehill Alumni Association Newsletter Autumn 2016, which includes my article “Hurricane Matthew goes down in history”! 

I won a place at Edgehill College, Bideford, Devon, as a day girl by virtue of having passed the “11+” exam to attend Grammar School. Edgehill College was an independent girls only boarding and day school when I was a student there, but it eventually became coeducational and then merged with Kingsley School in 2009.

HURRICANE MATTHEW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE REPUBLISHED IN THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune picked up my article "Hurricane Matthew goes down in History" and ran it today in their "Insight" section on page 10 as "A storm to test the resilience of Bahamians". I was delighted by the great coverage! They even mention my romantic suspense novel "Love at Sunset", stating it features a fierce hurricane hitting The Bahamas; and my book "Sunbeams from the Heart - A Collection of Twelve Romantic Short Stories".

A storm to test the resilience of Bahamians link