Scottish Inspirations
In honor of The Spy and the Nightingale‘s forthcoming release and to tease a bit of its sequel, Bargaining with the Devil, I’m continuing on the theme from my last post (from a newsletter) and sharing some photos along with quotes from both books, inspired by the landscape of coastal Scotland. I wish I’d had opportunity to take these photos myself, but alas, I must content myself with gorgeous stock photos.
These photos are of the Auchencairn area, precisely where story events take place. This tidal island is Hestan Isle (spelled archaically in my work as Heston), which features heavily in Bargaining with the Devil.
He’d shaded his eyes from the sun, looking across the bay and past Heston Isle at its mouth to where a three-masted ship traversed the Solway, likely headed out into the Irish Sea.
– The Spy and the Nightingale
Heston Isle, just across Auchencairn Bay, with its steep, unforgiving cliffs and small caves on the south-facing side, was one of the places where smugglers to and from the Isle of Man were said to operate. They came inland too, but it was well known that Heston had been used heavily in the past and that some smugglers still made occasional use of it today.
– Bargaining with the Devil
Isobel chose this spring morning to walk the coast path down along Balcary Bay where it wound past the point and up to the heugh’s summit above. Although nights were yet cool, the Solway Firth had fully thrown off winter at last, and cheerful pink blossoms of sea thrift now dotted the cliff top.
– The Spy and the Nightingale
In a rose-colored gown, she looked part of the drifts of pink blossoms.
– The Spy and the Nightingale
I have many other images and inspirations I will share in the coming weeks as Bargaining with the Devil gets closer to its October 9th release date!
