Fiction FRIDAY... early!

On my recent trip to Seattle to visit family and friends I had the pleasure of attending the EMERALD CITY RWA CONFERENCE held in Bellevue, Washington. This wasn’t my first conference with romance writers but my first that had such a large number of published authors ( not including the national RWA conference). I have often wondered why so many authors live in the PNW but I think it has to do with so many rainy days that keep one in at their desk writing. Of course it could also be the stunning scenery and the fact that Washington State has no state income tax.

At each of the meals I made it a point to sit at a table where I knew no one other than maybe by name for the books they write. Though being on two writers loops Hearts Through History and Celtic Hearts I was hoping to finally put faces with names. On Sunday our lunch was the final event for us all to come together and I sat at a table with many of the local authors and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the antics of Publishers Weekly and friend BARBARA VEY. I knew some of the names at our table (GERRI RUSSELL who writes great historicals) and when I chatted with the young woman who sat next to me she got excited when she read my nametag and said she loved my posts on the history links and on Scotland on one of the writing lists we are both members of. After gushing over other authors all weekend it was a new feeling to have some gush over something I did. AMANDA FORESTER and I had a lovely chat over lunch and I wish I had met her earlier in the conference so we could talk more about what she is planning in the future. She even graciously carried my winning basket back to my room for me. As a debut author I wanted to feature her this week…

Amanda writes medieval Scottish tales and her debut book was published this past March called THE HIGHLANDER'S SWORD, set in the Highlands of Scotland in 14^th century. The following is one of the book trailers for this book which I know will please many of you who love a feisty Scottish lass who levels a braw Hieland warrior.

Amanda’s next book THE HIGHLAND’S HEART debuts next spring so put it on you shopping list now.

As one does at such a conference I people watch and while waiting to get into a class I had the pleasure of chatting with author JACKIE IVIE while she waited to teach her class “Researching Historicals and Bringing Them to Life”. Jackie is one of the twenty authors I mentioned last Friday who will be part of the Mammoth Book of Scottish Romances coming out in January. But Jackie is no stranger to writing Scottish romances, her books include: TENDER IS THE KNIGHT, A KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS- LADY OF THE KNIGHT, ONCE UPON A KNIGHT, A KNIGHT WELL SPENT, HEAT OF THE KNIGHT and her latest A KNIGHT IN WHITE SATIN. These books all set in Scotland are set in different time-periods from Medievals to 17^th century.

I finally was able to get a listing ( thanks to Terri Brisbin) of the twenty authors who will be part of that Scottish romance anthology and I want to take the next couple of Fridays to feature them. Here are some more of the authors who will be featured:

KIMBERLY KILLION was a Rita finalist for First Best Book with her debut book... HER ONE DESIRE in 2009, which is set in London and the Borders of Scotland and her latest is THE HIGHLAND DRAGON set in the highlands. Her story in the MBO Scottish Romances is HIS MAGICK TOUCH a story set on the island of Barra in the 16^th century. An excerpt of this story can be found here. http://www.kimberlykillion.com/hmtexcerpt.asp

CONNIE BROCKWAY who writes both historical and contemporary romances is a 2 time RITA winner and icon of the historical romance. Her Scottish romances can be found in the McClairen Isles trilogy: THE PASSIONATE ONE, THE RECKLESS ONE and THE RAVISHING ONE. Her Rose Trilogy is also set in Scotland or with Scottish heroes: MY PLEASURE, MY SUDUCTION and MY SURRENDER. Other Scottish stores include SO ENCHANTING She has also has a Scottish tale in the anthology MY SCOTTISH SUMMER – “Lassie Go Home” – contemporary set in Scotland.

And finally an author new to me is paranormal writer DONNA GRANT who has two series of books set in Scotland or with Scottish heroes: The Druids Glen trilogy (ebooks) HIGHLAND MIST, HIGHLAND NIGHTS and HIGHLAND DAWN. Her current series is the “Swords” series and includes: DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER, FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER and WICKED HIGHLANDER

WOMEN OF THE '45

Though there are few cases of women in the late medieval and early modern period who actually took up arms and fought in the wars of Scotland and later Great Britian, there were women who played an important part in its culture of war. For Bonnie Prince Charles Stuart, the son of the Old Pretender, he had an air of charisma that attracted loyal Jacobite women. Though we all know of the role that Flora Macdonald played in the escape of the young Prince after the Battle of Culloden, there were many women who played far more important roles in the Jacobite cause. The women below are but a few of the remarkable women who used their wits and their clan's brawn for the Jacobite cause.

*****don't read this as only a Scottish cause and it would be equally wrong to think of this year of uprisings as one of a battle of Lowlander vs Highlander war or a Scottish vs English war . It was a Jacobite (Stuart) army which had supporters from the Highlands/islands as well as the Lowlands and even into northern England. And the Royal army also had many loyal Scots who fought on their side as well including Lowlanders, as well as a number of Highland clans*******

Women of the ‘45

Jenny Cameron of Glendessary raised an army of 300 men of her clan at a time that really boosted the Prince’s morale. But to pro-government propagandists they portrayed her as the Prince’s mistress. What is interesting is even though Prince Charlie realized he needed the women’s support which was great for fundraising, he was very conservative and expect the women to remain in their homes and not take on the roles of men. He sounded more Hanoverian in the thought, believing a woman’s place was in the home. He probably would have chastised his wife if she had acted as freely as many of the following women and yet his successes were due in large part to the role of the women calling out their clans, or in some cases shaming them to come out to the Stuart cause.

Anne Farquharson of Invercauld. Anne was only 20 years old and was married to Angus Mackintosh who was the Chief of Clan Chatten and the Mackinntosh. Anne, Lady Moy was a beautiful young woman and was a staunch Jacobite and though she was almost 20years younger than Angus it was a love match. Like many Lairds of clans and families, Angus sat on the fence for a while and then chose the crown’s side where he served as a commander of a Black Watch unit whose job it was to serve the crown by repressing the unrest in the Highlands. But Anne as much as she loved him, loved the Jacobite cause more and went behind his back by raising over 300 of Mackintosh men for the Prince and asked her husband’s cousin a Macgillvary to command the group. She was a victim of the Crown’s propaganda machine when she was pegged as an Amazon. Though despite the political cartoons of the day, she never road with the clan into battle. She even endured slurs claiming she and the cousin were lovers. Using her wit and few resources she routed the Crown’s troops who were looking for the Prince near Moy, with some clever plans and only four men.

She gained the nickname of Colonel Anne because she rode at the head of the Clan’s men when she took them to the Prince and because after the Battle of Prestonpans when her husband was captured with his Black Watch group, they were turned over to Anne. When she welcomed him as Captain Mackintosh and he replied addressing her as Colonel Anne. Though she did go behind his back, it didn’t seem to hurt their relationship though she and her mother in law, also a Jacobite supporter, spent some time in jail in Inverness after the battle at Culloden. However, when Butcher Cumberland held a ball in London to support the victory at Culloden, Anne went with Angus and even danced a dance with Cumberland in support of the Hanoverian victory but only he he would dance with her to a Jacobite tune. She never had any children, and when her husband died in 1770 she moved to Leith where she died at age 61. Her grave site can no longer be found in Leith.

Margaret Ogilvy- was a young Lowlander from Dumfries and was only 20 years old at the time of the uprising. She was married to David Ogilvy. They both were avowed Jacobites. When David and his regiment of men from Forfar rode to join the Princes army Margaret was with him. When he took his vow of allegiance to the Prince, Margaret was at his side.

Isabel Haldane- Was another wife whose husband was sitting on the fence. But Isabel shamed him into making the decision when she took off her apron and handed it to him and said, “…if you are not willing to be commander of the Appin men (Stewart), stay at home and take care of the house and I will go and command them myself” Her husband, Charles Stewart, collected 300 men and joined the Prince’s army. Sounds like he was more afraid of his wife than the Crown’s army.

Some of the women were even bullies when they tried to get their clan to join the cause, making threats and following through just like the Crown did in the Highland Clearances:

Charlotte Robertson, Lady Lude- She was the daughter of a Lady Nairne who was a Jacobite supporter in uprising of 1715. She was rather flighty and was often in the company of the Prince’s entourage. She gave hospitality in her own home as well as those vacated by the pro-crown forces. But she was also known to bully and threaten her own tenants to join the cause or she would burn them out and often did. Then when they left she would pursue them and say they could save themselves by paying to stay alive. At one point it is believed she e raised over 1000 men for the cause. But after Culloden she was captured by the Crown troops and the very people she had bullied and threatened now gave evidence against her but her rank kept her from harm unlike the men prisoners.