Terry says, "I've been researching my Scottish and Irish roots for some years now. Even in my own family there was political intrigue, ties to royalty, romance, and tragedy that inspires me to write medieval stories set in England and Scotland."
I can't say I love all books I've read set in the Highlands, but I understand the allure of reading about the Scots. There is something fiercely proud about highlanders. I'm of Scot decent and proud of my heritage. I know there are some present day Scots who take exception to us Yanks claiming to be Scot.
Whatever.
Being Scot, and a highland Scot, is more than living in the country of Scotland. Many had to leave Scotland for various reasons, but took traditions with them. For example, much of the old Scottish bagpipe music, folk tunes, some of the dances, would have been lost had it not been for the North American Scots who kept those identifying traditions alive in their new homeland. There were no laws here, you see, forbidding the speaking of the language, wearing of the kilts, or playing the bagpipe or having a form of the highland games, as there was in Scotland.
In Terry's book, The Heart of The Highlander, she gives us a glimpse of that pride and a corrected view that many, even titled ones, are not rich. Some are still struggling to keep family lands. She talks a bit about what drew her to write about Highlanders and her own Scot heritage.
Welcome back to Over Coffee, Terry!
Many authors write about Highlanders because they catch the
romantic imagination. But I write about them because I have roots in the
Highlands—the MacNeills and the Campbells and the tragic love story that was
carried down from one generation to the next about a commoner MacNeill’s love
for the Duke of Argyle’s daughter. Though her father was angry that she would
marry beneath her, he offered for the MacNeill to step off as much land as he
could in a day’s time, and he could own it. But the MacNeill was too proud and
paid for passage to the Carolinas, and her father disowned her.
The ship sailed instead to the largely uninhabited Prince
Edward Island, the captain of the ship being the brother of the man who owned a
large amount of PEI and needed it settled by order of the king. So the settlers
arrived without the tools to build homes and were unprepared to settle the
land.
Lady Elizabeth died, unable to weather the harsh conditions,
and two of her children, a very young daughter and a son, of whom we are
directly descended, were raised by other families who had come over on the
ship. And another son was raised maybe by his dad, being that he was a little
older.
The Indians living there helped those struggling to survive
to catch walruses to live off of until they could build homes and grow their
own food.
My great grandmother didn’t think much of Lady Elizabeth for
giving up the easy life she could have had, and we might have lived in the
castle instead of those who do now. Her daughter, my great aunt, who was a twin
of my grandmother, was so enamored with the Highlanders, she married a
Scotsman.
At one point, the Duke’s line died out, and Scotland Yard
was asked to locate family members who might carry on the dukedom. My great
grandmother and great great grandfather were questioned, but no one had the
family Bible that would show the family line back that far.
Nowadays, DNA testing could prove it.
So in my story, although I have changed the names and the
circumstances, I did add one part that has all to do with the true story of the
MacNeills and the Campbells. But with mine, of course, it has a happily ever
after!
And a twist. It’s not about ye ol’ regular Highland hunks,
but about a clan of Highlanders who are also a pack of gray wolves, and an
American red wolf who has an agenda—which has nothing to do with filming a
Highland film at Ian MacNeill’s castle. But even Julia Wildthorn, werewolf
romance author, doesn’t know what exactly she’s to find hidden in the castle
somewhere. And she didn’t know before she arrived that Ian and his clan are
werewolves to boot.
Not only does she have the mission of gathering enough
information about the clan to write a sexy Highland werewolf novel of her own,
sure Ian wouldn’t like it at all, she’s got to find a way to slip into the
castle sight unseen and retrieve the family box. But Ian MacNeill is wary about
the little red wolf’s reason for being with the film crew. She’s already lied
about her name, and her occupation—which makes him wonder if she’s in bed with
the enemy’s clan.
He’s already got enough troubles with losing money to a
crook that’s caused him to have to open up his castle to this American film
venture, but now he looks to be losing much more than sleep over one hot little
red wolf.
HEART OF THE HIGHLAND WOLF is the first of the Highland wolf
stories, and I hope you love them as much as I loved writing them!
- Do you have a little bit of history that your family has passed down through the generations that’s fun to share?
One of my Texas friends had a great great grandfather who
was hanged for robbing a stagecoach, which resulted in a man dying of a heart
attack. Who says genealogy is all birth dates and death dates and boring?
Buy: e-book or mass paperback. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Books a Million
Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA fromMonmouth University
Heart of the Highland Wolf Available nowMy review
Read the first Chapter here (on Amazon)
Sourcebooks and Amazon is running a kindle special for $2.99
Buy: e-book or mass paperback. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Books a Million
