To celebrate the arrival of my brand new
historical romance Misleading Miss Verity
(out today!) I thought I’d share some fun facts from my visit to Scotland a few
years ago.
1.
Scotland has lots of castles
There are some estimates
that Scotland has anywhere from 2000 to 4000 castles – depending on what
constitutes a castle – which is one of the highest castle per capita in the
world! These vary from world famous buildings still used today, such as the
brooding Iron Age fort that became Edinburgh Castle, and the Queen of England’s
home for her summer escape (Balmoral Castle), to the weathered ruins of
Urquhart Castle, sitting beside Loch Ness, and the hundreds of lesser known
castles that dot the countryside. For the cover of Misleading Miss Verity I transplanted the fairytale castle that is
the ancestral home of Clan Sutherland about 300 miles south to Kirkcudbright. I
still remember dreaming about wishing to visit this castle that’s on the
opposite side of the world to me, and was so blessed by God to have this
opportunity in 2015. God is good!
Dunrobin Castle, northern Scotland, used in the cover of Misleading Miss Verity
2.
Haggis isn’t so bad.
Yes, some people like to
complain about Scottish food, but I think what is the point of travel if you
don’t try new experiences – and that includes trying the food. Haggis has long
been known as one of Scotland’s national dishes, and is a mixture of ‘sheep’s
pluck’ (heart, liver and lungs) minced with onion, oatmeal, salt, spices and
suet, and sometimes stuffed in a sausage-like casing, or served like a crumbled
black pudding. It’s yummy, and tastes like a peppery, savoury minced meat
pudding. Don’t judge it until you try it. (And remember, all that iron is good
for you!)
See those sausage type
things? Yep. Haggis. And it’s yummy!
3.
Scotland is great for walking.
Or so I’m told by my
sister, who happily hiked through Glen Coe, a desolate valley famous for the
Battle of Culloden, where Scottish highland clans were defeated brutally by
English forces in 1746 (& immortalized in the Outlander series). While she
walked I was busy driving to see Dunrobin Castle, where I walked the grounds,
and took a tour through the castle. With so many fascinating places to see,
walking is a great way to get immersed in the countryside and hear the
birdlife, and feel the Arctic winds.
The grounds of Dunrobin Castle, looking out to the North Sea
Want to know more? Visit my website www.carolynmillerauthor.com and
see more of the pictures of my time in fabulous Scotland.
Want to visit Scotland? Check out Misleading Miss Verity and enjoy your
own Scottish escape. Here’s the blurb:
Verity
Hatherleigh has a mind of her own—but her actions do not impress her viscount
papa. When she gets into one scrape too many, she's sent to the wilds of
Scotland to rethink her headstrong ways. Anthony Jardine relished his role as
curate, but his new duties as laird of Dungally aren’t always to his liking.
Though he thought his new inheritance would be a blessing, somehow he’s finding
nothing but trouble on these estates. And the intelligent, compassionate,
feisty lass who was sent to rusticate in his territory is one of the biggest
problems. He’s falling in love with her, but she doesn’t share the faith that’s
his foundation—not to mention he’s been lying to her about who he really is.
For the truth-loving Verity, that may be unforgivable. The tangled web these
two have woven may spell disaster for their happiness—and for the tenants of
Dungally.
Carolyn Miller lives
in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her
husband and four children. Together
with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked as a
public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.
A longtime lover of
romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era,
loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace
in our lives. Her Regency novels include the award winning The Elusive Miss
Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey,
Winning Miss Winthrop, Miss Serena's Secret,
The Making of Mrs. Hale, A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh, and Underestimating Miss
Cecilia, all available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Koorong, etc
SO want to go there someday! My dad's side of the family is from Scotland. :) Thanks for sharing!
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DeleteScotland is one of those places that has a mythical quality- maybe due to all those castles! If you ever get the chance to go, do. And make sure you try the haggis! Thanks for having me Angela
Dunrobin castle was one of my favorites to visit!! It is amazing sitting atop the hill like that. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to read this and "see" the castle in my head.
ReplyDeleteOh, Dunrobin is simply in such a spectacular location isn’t it? And it’s such a ridiculously pretty building too. I hope you enjoy reading this, Susan!
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