What Ho Wee Readers, and welcome back to another installment of The Wee Archive. If you cast your mind over my past blog posts you’ll know that I’ve done three posts about my good friend, and fellow author Ailish Sinclair. Unfortunately only two of those posts had a Mailing List attached to them, which is a bit of a shame but what can you do? Anyway, the one you are about to read is a Mailing List Post Connected to my post “7 Intrusive Questions for Ailish Sinclair“. Enjoy.
The Eighth Question
What Ho Wee Subscribers, and welcome to the eighth intrusive question for Ailish Sinclair. Now if you’ve been following my blog closely you may already be acquainted with the first seven intrusive questions I asked my good friend Ailish Sinclair – if not, check it out here, it’s good fun for all involved. Read it, and subsequently were inspired to go buy her new book ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ for sale at both American and British Amazons, as well as Waterstones? Excellent, now we can move on to the mystery of the eighth question. Why was it not put up with the rest of the questions on the original post? What is it about this intrusive question that made it unable, or indeed unsuitable to be published on an online blog? Is it rude, have I crossed the threshold from intrusive to indecent? No, no I have not, but admit it for once brief second you thought I had – which means the mystery of the eighth question has got you in its claws. So, now’s the time, onto the eighth question, and I should warn you Wee Subscribers there will be spoilers ahead.
8. So Ailish, one last question and then I’ll let you go (Ha!) – during the course of the book Elizabeth meets with many real historical people. So, in your opinion, what would you say were the three real historical people (that we haven’t discussed yet), that had the most impact on your character’s story? Perhaps they influenced her the most, maybe they caused her to have a revelation or were involved in a traumatic event; in other words, what were the three historical persons that had the most impact on ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ and why?
Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father and the most famous of the real characters in the book, provides the chocolate of the title from his printing shop in Philadelphia. He also asks pertinent questions of Elizabeth at times which make both her and the reader think more deeply about certain issues and, perhaps, draw new conclusions about everything that is going on.
Benjamin Lay (Benjamin being a popular name at the time!), an anti-slavery campaigner, introduces Elizabeth to new ideas about how people live and how they treat other living beings. He lives in a cottage that resembles a cave and our wee lassie (not you Wee Writing Lassie) is lucky enough to spend a night there.
A young girl was found dead in First Mate Alexander Young’s bunk during the voyage from Aberdeen to America. History has not recorded her name so I called her Maggie, and her death has a deep impact on Elizabeth in several ways. It causes her terrible grief, informs her opinions of what ‘fine gentlemen’ can actually be and provides a specific awareness of how much danger she and other women and girls are in at times.
Wow, awesome. Oh, don’t worry this isn’t going on the blog – I’m going to put it in my newsletter. This cake is so good, can I take it home with me? Yeah, I mean the whole cake, I’ve got a bag for it.
Sighs Go for it Wee Lassie.
If you’ve enjoyed the eighth intrusive question for Ailish Sinclair don’t forget to check out the original post, and the follow mine and Ailish’s wee blogs if you haven’t already. Also check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads and why not donate to my Ko-fi account. And if you were interested in Ailish’s reply don’t forget to check her out on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Ko-fi and Goodreads as well. Until next time Wee subscribers, stay safe, stay aware, and have a very bonny day. Oh, and just to remind you again. Ailish Sinclair’s new book ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ as well as her previous book ‘The Mermaid and the Bear’ are both available at Amazon (both British and American) and Waterstones (both in store and online); so seriously check that out, you won’t regret it.
Ailish is currently working on a contemporary series of erotic romance books, set in the diabolical world of professional ballet. Why not pop over to her blog to find out more about it. And if you’re interested in seeing more work like this why not sign up to the Wee Mailing List. Sign up by the 28th of April, and you’ll find out exactly what my next blog series will be about first. So until next time Wee Readers, keep safe and have a very Bonny day.
Well, this is the last day of my holiday – which means this will be the last post in The Twelve Days of Christmas Folklore & History Blog series to be put up on the blog first. So remember to sign up to the Wee Mailing List to receive the final days of this Blog series – which will be released in a Newsletter on the 26th of December.
Let’s push on.
On the last day of my Christmas Holidays my employer gave to me…one hell of a Christmas Party!
The Twelfth Night was an old Christian Holiday marking the end of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Interestingly it’s actually on January 5th depending on the time of counting. Well, I found it’s interesting- since I don’t usually associate January with anything Christmas related.
In 567 A.D to fix an “administrative problem” with matching their Roman Calendar with the lunar calendars used in various regions of their Empire, The Council of Tours declared “The Twelve Days of Christmas” a sacred time, establishing the tradition of “Advent fasting” to usher in the feast.
While there are many traditions associated with this medieval rager – not least among which was the custom of going from house-to-house singing, often referred to as wassailing (wait a minute, we’ve heard that name before) – I think my favourite would have to be the Twelfth Night Cake. Which is – as you might expect – a cake, but hidden inside this confectionery hides one bean and one pea. And whom so ever finds the bean shall be king for the night; and whoever finds the pea shall be queen.
Again, if I’m getting any of this wrong please tell me down below in the comments.
As I write this I realise that I’m probably not doing this wickedly fun festival justice. I mean this is only a short blog post, it’s not like I’ve got a novel’s worth of space…oooh idea. Are you into the Twelfth Night? The Twelve Days of Christmas? Good. Then go read The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair. Not only will you find multiple chapters detailing this fascinating tradition, but romance, humour and perhaps even a witch trial or two. Which is always fun, for the reader anyway – maybe less so for the characters.
If you’ve enjoyed this Christmas Folklore / tradition titbit, why not Follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. And remember to check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, Tumblr, TikTok, Kofi and Facebook. Until Next time Wee Readers, have a very bonny day and a very merry Holiday season.
What Ho, Wee Readers, well it’s certainly been a while now, hasn’t it? I know, I know. I did put up a small post last month crowing about the social media platform I just joined; but as far as long haul, involved posts go this is the first in a while.
Don’t worry, I promise, it was worth the wait.
Now I’m sure you all remember my good friend Ailish Sinclair – the fellow writing lassie I first interviewed here, when she published her first book back in 2019. And then again here, when she published her second book.
And if you don’t remember those posts, you should certainly remember her books:
Set in a fictional castle in Aberdeenshire, Ailish’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.
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE, was 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. 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!
Available where all good books can be found.
But plugging aside, the point is Ailish and I are good friends, and I admire her greatly as a writer – I wouldn’t have interviewed her, not once but twice, if I didn’t. So you see I am not stalking her, because I don’t need to stalk her. I know this is a strange thing to focus on, but I feel this is an important fact to establish before we start our story. Despite what any authorities may try to tell you, I was not stalking her.
Right now that that’s settled, sit back and enjoy as I recount the strange tale of “The 8 strange things I saw while I was definitely not stalking Ailish Sinclair”.
8. Chocolate
Look the whole thing sort of spiralled out of control. When I saw her in that shop a week ago I never intended to follow her at all, let alone well…well I suppose if I’m to explain myself, I should really start at the beginning.
And the beginning, I have to say, is really quite mundane. You see I didn’t start out that day knowing I’d see her at all. In fact, all I’d intended to do that day was go for my weekly food shop. So, there I was doing my own shopping, minding my own business, thank you so very much. And who do you think I suddenly saw in the next isle over – that’s right, Ailish Sinclair. After having told me she was out of the country that week.
I thought about going up to her. Saying hello, you know normal not creepy stuff.
But I stopped in shock when I saw what was in her trolley…
Chocolate.
Bars and Bars of Chocolate.
Big Bars, small bars – a whole trolley full of bars of Chocolate.
No judgement or anything.
But…
Really…
That’s weird, right?
I mean that is seriously…not normal.
But whatever, not judging.
But I decided not to go up to her; she seemed annoyed – almost bothered by something. Maybe nervous, she does have a new book recently out. Sisters at the Edge of the World, available at Amazon now.
It’s her first self-published title.
Maybe that was it.
Whatever the case, I finished my own shopping, and decided to put the weird occurrence behind me.
7. Crazy Driving
As I was loading my shopping into my car, I saw Ailish Sinclair again. Just by chance you understand.
She was shoving her bags and bags of Chocolate into her own boot, nibbling on one of the smaller ones as she did so. And she looked so upset, my heart went out to her. I almost went over too, but she suddenly darted into her car – her massive, massive car and skidded out of that car park like she was suddenly on fire.
Or maybe she’d seen a ghost.
It couldn’t be me, could it?
Nah, I’m a nice person. Why would anyone run away from me? In fact, I’m such a nice person that in my concern, I hopped in my own car and went after her.
I followed her calmly down the highway, keeping back just enough so that she probably couldn’t see me in her rear windows – but not so far back that I couldn’t still watch as she…well it’s kind of hard to explain.
It was technically driving I suppose – she was moving her car down the highway. But I was certain that it was no form of driving that would have passed a driving test, of any kind.
To say the whole thing looked erratic at best was like saying a hurricane was just a bit of wind.
Back and forth she skittered across the road, from one lane to the next, as if she couldn’t make up her mind which way she wanted to go. And then with a skidding shriek she suddenly made her choice and shot down a side road.
I followed at a more sedate pace – which meant that from the safe advantage of several car widths away, I could see her shooting down that road. It wasn’t a particularly narrow road, as side country roads go, but because her car is just that big she took up the whole god damn thing.
Thank Goodness we didn’t meet anyone coming the other way, otherwise this wild driving would be significantly less funny and more, well tragic. And I have to tell you Wee Reader, I don’t feel like writing one of those today.
For the next, oh let’s say an hour and a half we drove like that, her metres in front of me taking up the entire width of the road, and me just following like any decent person would when they see a friend, or at least someone they know, start driving like a maniac. We drove like that so long I was lulled into compliancy, so I didn’t really notice where we were driving …that is until we passed the sign.
Welcome to Brodie Castle.
6. Staring at Castles
Followed her up the drive.
Parked behind a tree so she wouldn’t see me, and waited for her to get out of her own car.
Nothing creepy there, I was just concerned is all – besides I like a good castle myself and Brodie is certainly one of the best ones in my oppion.
Maybe I wouldn’t even mind going on one of those guided tours, they’re informative and I haven’t been on one in a while.
I just had to make sure Ailish was okay first. And I’d only know that, when she let go of her steering wheel and got out of the car.
Which, she did, after about twenty minutes.
She got out of her car, and she stood there in front of that castle and stared at it.
Just stood there, still as a ramrod, and stared up at that castle.
And she did that for the next three hours.
Perhaps even longer than that, for I set my car in reverse, turned and drove away when it started to get dark.
Look I’m all for helping, but I think this is just a bit beyond my capabilities.
I mean, I’ve never seen a writer that took what they said on their bio so seriously.
5. Swimming in the Ocean
Thoroughly creeped out, I decided to go to the beach to clear my head.
You know get a bit of blue mind going.
Clear my thoughts.
Maybe I shouldn’t have left her there, just staring at that castle – but come on, that was weird.
Maybe I should have just gone up to her and asked what she was doing but to be completely honest Wee reader, I was afraid to. Afraid of what she might tell me, or maybe I was just afraid of what she might accuse me of.
I’m not a stalker.
I’m not.
It didn’t take me long to find a beach
We’re in the north of Scotland, there’s at least one all the way up the coast.
So it had only taken me about ten minutes to drive away from that castle, and reach that beach.
I tell you this now, because it’s highly relevant to what I say next.
You see when I stepped up to the blue water and gazed out onto its shinning surface, I realised that there was someone already standing on the beach.
I think you can guess who by this point in the post.
That’s right, it was Ailish Sinclair
She’d beaten me to the beach.
The woman who I’d left staring at a castle, had beaten me to a beach that was a ten minute drive away.
And the strangest thing of all Wee Reader, I couldn’t see any sign of her car.
She’d apparently beaten me here without a car.
And if you can believe it Wee Reader, that wasn’t even the strangest thing about the whole situation.
Oh no, that happened when I turned back from trying to catch a glimpse of her car.
Turned back round to the sound of a splash.
She’d jumped into the sea Wee readers, with all her clothes on.
For a moment I could see her there, her arms caught for a brief moment in that over head stroke people get so good at when they’re learning to swim.
And then another splash, and something like a flick of a tail, the flick of a mermaid’s tail and she was gone
Okay…what the fuck?
4. No one lives here – this is a wild Forest
Look…I ran then, I’m not afraid or ashamed to admit it.
I mean wouldn’t you do the same thing?
She had a freaking mermaid tail.
I mean I knew she loved them, but like…whatever I saw then, that was a bit excessive.
Okay maybe I was a little ashamed of myself.
I mean I see one, okay a couple of weird things while I was certainly not stalking my good friend Ailish Sinclair, and all I can do is run away?
I mean I’m not crazy, I certainly saw something. But I’m still not one hundred percent sure what I did see.
All I know is something odd was happening with Ailish.
And so racked with guilt, I drove to her house the next day. I found it on the internet, I’m not a stalker I’m just a very concerned friend. Although I have to say, I thought I’d gone up the wrong road. Because this place…no one could live here, it was in the middle of the freaking woods.
Seriously the track was broken, and pot-holey but I didn’t find one house at the end it.
Sure I found something that looked a little like a garden, but only because it had a lawn of cut grass and a giant pink bench.
There was no house, not anymore.
It was almost as if someone was hiding it from me.
So I left the garden, abandoning my car behind a hedge of wild rhododendrons.
And made my way further into the woods, hoping to find some sort of life there.
I didn’t find any life, but I found a lot of flowers.
Got lost for hours trying to find that house, but to be honest I think all I found was myself deeper in a pine plantation than any sane person should go.
I think the house may have been somewhere in the garden, but there was no finding it now.
I was lost.
Lost my car.
Lost my way.
Possibly even lost my mind.
And that dear reader is when I heard it.
The roar, no the growl, no the scream, of a wild animal.
Oh Christ, I thought to myself, I’m going to die.
All because I was not stalking Ailish Sinclair.
3. Bears…wait no foxes
Look, that noise I heard – it was a growl, I was 99% sure of that. Or at least it was a noise I had never really heard before.
It was a bear.
I was certain of it.
Because Ailish Sinclair loves bears and after what I’d seen her do at the beach, and the castle for that matter, I would have believed her capable of anything.
Certainly releasing a bear…a wild bear back into the forests of Scotland. Sure, why not? Good promotion for her newest book, Sisters at the Edge of the World.
I swear I’m not crazy – I heard a bear growl at me then.
Bears are all over her books – you should see what they get up to in newest one.
I’m not crazy.
I swear I heard a bear.
I just didn’t see one.
And the thing that jumped out of the bush by my feet…wasn’t a bear.
It was a fox.
And a line of her adorable cubs.
I know… I know I heard something in those woods.
Something, that didn’t sound natural. Maybe it wasn’t a bear, but it wasn’t something that belonged in this world either.
And as I stood there, waiting for the large line of fox cubs to finish crossing that forest path, I thought back to all I had seen, to all I had witnessed while I had been innocently not stalking someone. I couldn’t stop the thin sliver of fear crawling up my spine.
I can’t even understand it, after all, nothing I’d seen had been threatening, just weird….and really, who I am I to judge someone for being weird.
And that dear reader is when I heard the voice.
2. Wild Singing
At first, I didn’t know what I was hearing. It sounded a bit like a bird song, but then bird songs don’t have words to them.
I can’t begin to tell you, word for word the song I heard then – for as I turned and followed it up that hilled forest path, the thing kept fading in and out. Not as if the singer kept stopping and starting, but as if their voice and the notes they sang kept getting mixed up with the noises of nature. One second I was listening to a clear line of how much the singer loved nature, and the next it was just the twittering of little birds.
It was almost like, instead of her voice fading in and out, it was the singer herself.
Which is mad right?
I mean, people don’t do that.
Surely, I was just dehydrated from all the not stalking I’d been doing.
Yeah that was it.
And surely once I’d reached the top of the hill, all would be answered. And for the first time in weeks Ailish and I would be able to sit down and have a real conversation about all this madness.
Right?
Right?!
1. Magic and Witch Stones
It had been sunny when I’d first started up that hill, one of the sunniest days in an already sunny year. I’d been sweating. But I have to say, Wee Reader, it wasn’t like that when I reached the top of the hill.
A thick fog coated everything, trees, rocks, creatures, the sky – it was so thick it almost hid the sun itself. And the song that I’d followed up here, well that had melted into the sound of a cloud over head. Yet still I marched on.
Because I knew where this path lead.
And do you know why?
Because I’ve been here before.
And if you follow Ailish Sinclair’s blog – which you should, check it out here – you should know where we are too.
It’s called the Witch Stone – though I don’t believe it’s actually marking anything to do with witches. Well… historical witches anyway.
Look I’m not saying that Ailish Sinclair is a witch, she’s never said she is. And despite some of the odd things I’ve heard and seen over the course of this little adventure of mine, I’ve seen no evidence of that. At least I don’t think so.
And yet as I clear the top of the small flat hill the stone sits on, I can’t help but notice that this whole place looks like it’s the site of some kind of ritual.
The whole place is covered in the petals of flowers, none the sort that grow here naturally. The stone itself is wearing a crown of the strange flowers 🌸. The air feels smoky as if someone’s lit a fire 🔥 but there’s no smoke, or in fact any sign of a fire at all. And at the centre of the place sits a blue and purple cloth, made of a kind of scratchy, shimmery fabric that feels strange in my fingers when I try and pick it up.
I can still hear the song, but it’s more in the distance now as if it was never really here at all. And as I stand there, holding that strange cloth I can almost swear that I can see Ailish. Just over there by the Witch Stone, I can see her walk towards the stone, and then she’s gone. It’s almost….and I admit that this is really gonna sound crazy. But it’s almost like she’s just walked into the stone.
And I think to myself…. why would she do that?
Now how.
Why?
Why would she step into a stone, standing or otherwise?
I mean maybe she’s using the witch stone as a means to travel to a distance point in the past, probably to the battle of Mons Graupius – that’s where her latest book is set anyways – but it could be anywhere. Anytime. Maybe to Culloden, or back even farther to the trials of the Aberdeen witches, maybe even to a place not yet written about.
It would explain why all her historical fiction is so eerily accurate.
Heavy research, my arse.
She’s using Time Travel Magic!
Which is what we in the buiz call… cheating.
I must be going mad surely, a time traveling author who writes historical fiction about the times she travels back to.
I mean it’s not even a reference to a book she’s written.
What do you think, a crazy reality, or just a mad story? If you’ve enjoyed this strange little trip of mine, don’t forget to follow the Wee Blog if you haven’t already. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, Goodreads and TikTok. Also why not subscribe to the Wee Mailing List by October 14th to find out exactly what happened on that hill top from Ailish herself. Also if you’re concerned that she basically vanishes into thin air at the end of my story, why not pop on over to her blog and give it a wee follow. Also check her out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Goodreads , LinkedIn , Facebook ,Kofi, and TikTok as well. Why not subscribe to her newsletter while you’re at it. And remember, Ailish Sinclair’s latest book ‘Sister’s at the Edge of the World‘ is available now on Amazon. Why not buy a copy, maybe she’ll come out of the stone if you do 😁
What ho Wee Readers, today there’s a wee flash from the past for the Wee Writing Lassie. Those of you who have been following my blog for a while now may remember a wee post I called ‘7 impertinent questions for Ailish Sinclair’– where I interviewed my good friend Ailish Sinclair, about her then recently published book ‘The Mermaid and the Bear’. Which was a historic romance taking place at the height of the Witch Trial craze in the North of Scotland. Well flip forward to 2021, and the sequel to The Mermaid and the Bear, ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ hits the shelves.
Which is where I come in.
Now obviously I was beyond excited for this, I mean not only was The Mermaid and the Bear fantastic, but I got to personally interview the author which was a really good post for my blog. I know, I know, a selfish motivation for being excited for another’s success, but still the fact remains, I was damned excited to read this book.
Which I can tell you now was absolutely warranted; it is a fantastic book. But first before we go any further, let me just give you a brief (spoiler free) description of Ailish Sinclair’s new book: ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’.
Set in the 1740s ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ tells the story of Elizabeth Manteith of the Castle, who dreams of adventure, excitement and quite possibly true love. Well, she just might get all three when after a run in with some ruffians in the Aberdeen port, she finds herself kidnapped and sold as an indentured servant all away across the sea to America. After her indentures are sold to a plantation owner, she’s confronted with the hard realities of the world beyond her castle walls. And that’s all I’ll say – you’ll just have to buy the book to find out the rest.
Anyway, I knew that this would be an excellent time to do the follow up interview we always talked about. So off to her house I went. It was easy enough to break in I mean let myself in legally, with a key I did not steal the last time I was willingly let in her house. And just a reminder to all you wee Readers, I did not break in to Ailish Sinclair’s house, no matter what you may later hear. I was safely at home, writing this blog post – and you’re my witnesses to that.
Anyway, onto the questions before I blurt out any other strangely specific denials.
Hi Ailish, how you’ve been doing?
Well, I was lying in the sun eating chocolate cake when you showed up out of nowhere. But you know that. I’ve been doing quite well, writing, cooking and gardening to my heart’s content.
That’s great, any hoo we should probably get started before those police arrive.
It’s okay. I didn’t call them in the end.
7. Hi there Ailish, good to have you back on the blog. So, you’ve got a new book coming out, and this one revolves around the kidnapping of children in Aberdeen during the 18th century. Could you tell us a wee bit about that, and why in particular you were drawn to that subject?
Traumatised voices from the past seem to follow me around. While I was researching the dark history of the Aberdeen witchcraft trials for The Mermaid and the Bear, I came across the kidnapped children and realised that theirs was a story waiting to be told. I don’t like the fact that aspects of history that are uncomfortable often get overlooked or swept under the carpet as it were. If we’re to learn from history we have to look it straight in the face and say: this happened, let’s remember the people that it happened to, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
6. In the past you’ve often talked about the extensive research you do while you’re working on a project; and of course, it shows in ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ whose world feels uniquely real to the time it’s set in. So, my question is, out of all the elements you had to research for the book, which was the most challenging?
Reading about what happened to those children was deeply distressing. At one point some of them were kept in the town gaol and their parents tried, unsuccessfully, to break down the door to save them. Having been in that dark and dank prison (now a museum), I could imagine what that must have been like, from both a child’s and a parent’s perspective, and it was truly terrible.
5. One of the things I loved about your last book was how it seamlessly blended the fictional characters in the setting with real historical people. And ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ has a real historic person as a potential love interest for your heroine. Could you tell us a bit about him, and what made you include him in your story?
Peter Williamson, or Indian Peter as he later became known, was a bit of a likely lad who wrote books about his adventures and worked hard to expose those who had made money from the kidnapping. His publications were very useful to me during the research phase and I developed a fondness for his plucky character, so into the book he went! I knew Elizabeth would like him too.
4. In ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ food seems to mark important milestones in your characters journeys – was this a deliberate choice on your part as the writer, and if so, why?
Yes. Food marks milestones in life, so why not in books? From special holiday food after a difficult time (and I like to give my characters many difficult times), to celebrations like birthdays and graduations, food is always there. It’s interesting, in life as well as fiction, to note who is invited or permitted at these occasions, who is offered the best food, who gets the fancy china, or, as happens to one poor soul in Fireflies and Chocolate, whose hot chocolate is rather spitefully salted, and why… can I offer you a piece of this cake Wee Lassie?
3. Mmm, salty. Anyway, your female characters are so very strong – well they have to be – and yet unlike in a lot of other modern media they still manage to have flaws; could you tell any future or just getting started writers out there, what your process is for writing such strong female characters?
I try to write them as real, rounded, whole people. We are all flawed. We all do and say stupid or ill thought-out things sometimes, so let your characters do that too. Draw from your own life. Get down and dirty on the page with the lads and lassies that you’re writing. Try and feel what they’re feeling and see what their true and immediate reactions to the situations you’ve placed them in would be.
2. I know that I personally found that the inclusion of Scots speaking characters, not just in this book but your last one, felt very special – as Doric and Scots is not usually a language encouraged in the traditional world of publishing. So, my question is, what inspired you to include these elements in your stories in the first place?
I suppose it’s all about being real again. My stories are, at least partly, set in Aberdeenshire so it would be inauthentic not to include the local language. Some of the Doric words are beautiful or funny and strange. They add richness and humour to the vocabulary, though I do try and have the more obscure phrases explained in the narrative so as not to leave anyone in the dark about what’s going on. In The Mermaid and the Bear Isobell has to ask Agnes what a ‘collieshangie’ is, and is told that it’s an uproar or noise. It’s one of the few friendly scenes between the two quines (girls!), and the word helped with that.
1. So, now that you’ve got a second book published, what’s next for Ailish Sinclair?
I’m writing a novel set in Iron Age Scotland just now, featuring the Battle of Mons Graupius. There’s no castle in this one, though much of it is set in the place where the castle from my other books will stand one day. Are you finished with that plate? You don’t need to put it in your bag, I can take it back now. Is that a key to my house?
Before I start my usual signing off message, I’d just like to thank Ailish Sinclair for being an extremely good sport when I mentioned the idea for this blog post to her. No, I did not break into her house just to clarify in case any policemen are reading this – that was part of the joke. What was not was the extreme excellence of Ailish’s latest novel. Seriously, I’m sending the word out now for all you Wee Readers, flip over to Amazon right now and buy that book. Go ahead, we’ll all wait.
You done it? Good.
If you’ve enjoyed this little trespass of mine, don’t forget to follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. Also check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Tumblr and Pinterest for all the good stuff. Also, I recommend signing up for the Wee Mailing List by the 12th of July to find out what the eighth intrusive question I asked to Ailish Sinclair was . Also if you’ve enjoyed Ailish’s long suffering replies to my intrusive questions, why not follow her wee blog; and check her out on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Tumblr, and Pinterest for all the good stuff. Also she has a mailing list too. ‘Fireflies and Chocolate’ is available at Amazon (both American and British) and from Waterstones. Until next time Wee readers, keep yourself safe and have a very bonny day. Also, before I forget for a second blog post in a row, if you’d like to support this blog and help me possibly get these posts out quicker, click the button below and buy me a Wee Cup of Coffee on Ko-fi. Also check out Ailish Sinclair’s Ko-fi page and buy her a wee cup too.
Set in the the late sixteenth century, at the height of the Scottish witchcraft accusations, The Mermaid and the Bear , by Scottish Author Ailish Sinclair – out now in paperback and Kindle – is a story of triumph over evil, hope through adversity, faith in humankind and – above all – love.
Now I know what you’re thinking – well that sounds terrific Wee Lassie, I would really like to read that! But why are you talking about it? Well, never fear my Wee Readers , I shall explain all. Recently I’ve received some very exciting news – fellow Author, Ailish Sinclair, has had her book – The Mermaid and the Bear – published. I was very excited anyway, as I am when any fellow writing Lassie gets her book published – especially when they mention me in the acknowledgements ( buy it and check it out, I’m mentioned under my birth name Charlotte) – and then something occurred to me. Ho, ho, I said, this is something my Wee Readers should know about, after all by your very nature you are readers. So thus, with the idea in place I approached Ailish herself, and formed a plan.
The basic idea for this post was an interview, which is kind of what we ended up with, but with a bit of twist. As we already knew each other, the questions didn’t have to be quite so formal, they could be…down right impertinent even. Okay, let’s start with a Wee Introduction: Ailish Sinclair is an author from the north of Scotland – like yours truly – who was trained as a dancer in London; before returning back up North, where she taught ballet and met her husband. She now lives beside a loch with said husband and two children, surrounded by castles and stone circles, where she writes and dances (yes, still) and apparently eats a lot of cake.
Ailish loves Stone Circles
Her book is refreshingly also set up North in the region of Aberdeenshire, in the late sixteenth century – during a period of our history that’s not often talked about by the wider world, or indeed Scotland itself: the Aberdeen Witchcraft panic of 1597. There’s a real feeling of authenticity when it comes to Sinclair’s writing: from the clear amount of research that has gone into every aspect of late sixteenth century life, right down to the accurate Scottish dialect that many of the characters speak in. I’m not going to harp on too long about this, since it’s neither the focus of the book nor this post , but it’s very rare to find Doric in a modern book – which if you’re like me and live in a place where that’s just how people talk , it’s nice to not be left out for once. 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!
Alright, enough with the introductions already, on with the impertinent questions.
7. As a fellow Writing Lassie from up here in Scotland, would you say your book has something more, or deeper, to say about Scottish culture than can be found in other books?
I live in Aberdeenshire, where the book is set, and have done so for most of my life. I hope my deep love for the countryside comes across in the narrative, and that I’ve captured the way people speak and behave towards one another here. I had to tone down the local language somewhat to make it easier to understand. ‘Ken fit like?’
6. You’ve mentioned before in other interviews that you become quite intense with your research when you’re writing a Historical Novel. So, my question is, what’s the maddest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
Eating primroses? Sliding down dangerous cliff sides in bare feet? Cross examining the poor wardens in St Nicholas Kirk? I’m not really sure about the maddest. The hardest part was knowing when to stop. When is enough information enough? Research could go on forever, but once the story has formed firmly round it, and you know what sort of underwear everyone was wearing, it’s probably time to write the book.
5. Now that you’re getting published, and you can look back on your career with a clinical eye – what would you say was the first moment you felt like a real writer?
I actually think the most precious writing time is well before publication is even being considered. It’s that first draft. Anything is possible then. Fall in love with your story and your characters and they will lead you to all sorts of places you never imagined possible. So, to answer your question: when I was working on the first draft, and wanting to write it ALL the time, rushing home to get back to it, thinking about it ALL the time… that’s when I felt like a real writer.
4. As a confessed recovering Chocoholic, was it terribly difficult to leave the substance out of The Mermaid and the Bear?
Well, I felt deeply sorry for my poor characters that they couldn’t have any chocolate of course, but not so sorry that I withheld it from myself. I have to confess that I am, in fact, not in recovery, and have no intention of ever being so!
3. Your new novel – The Mermaid and the Bear – deals with the long-forgotten Aberdeen witchcraft panic of 1597. By choosing this subject you have brought the voices of women unjustly forgotten by history into the public eye again. What I want to ask is, is there a feminist undertone to your choice of subject matter; and if not, is there some other reason you were drawn to that particular area of Scottish history?
Given that 85% of those accused of witchcraft in Scotland were women, yes, there is definitely a feminist side to the novel. Women supporting each other, standing strong against misogyny, and believing they have the right to aspects of life that were the dominion of men at the time, and even now, do come into the story.
2.Okay, let’s dig a little deeper. If you were put on the spot, like I’m doing to you now, and you were forced to choose a person or persons (plural), that you really admired in that part of history. Who would it be?
Anyone who stood up to oppression and abuse. These people rarely make it into the recorded history of the time, so historical fiction provides scope to write about bravery, love and heroic acts as they might have happened. When bad events occur there are always those who stand strong and true, often among those who are persecuted themselves.
1. Alright final question, and then I’ll let you go. Would you say that the romantic hero of The Mermaid and the Bear – The Laird – resembles anyone you know in real life?
While aspects of his character were inspired by a local historical Laird, my fictional Laird is a little bit like my own husband. I am lucky to be married to a man who accepts people as they are, doesn’t judge anyone on outward appearance, and has an open heart and mind, just like Thomas Manteith!
Ailish and Husband house shopping
I love that final answer, it always make me well up – especially if you’ve read her mention of him in the acknowledgments.
If you’ve enjoyed these impertinent questions to the emerging Author Ailish Sinclair, remember to follow my wee blog if you haven’t already, and check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and my Tumblr account – or sign up to the Wee Mailing List. However if you’ve also enjoyed the long suffering answers of Ailish herself, remember to follow her wee blog here and sign up to her Mailing List here. Also check her out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest , Facebook and Goodreads. And don’t forget to check out the The Mermaid and the Bear, now out on Kindle and Paperback where all decent books are sold. Until next time my Wee Readers, have a bonny day.
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