This week, Once Upon a Haunted Castle released.
We’ve been planning this for months and we’re excited to bring you five ghost
stories in five different castles in Scotland. The research was fun and the
stories are fantastic.
Eliza Knight got us started. Here is how, in her own
words: "A funny thing happened
to me: two friends approached me with ideas that meshed perfectly. Ruth A.
Casie wanted to do a ghostly Celtic collection and Madeline Martin wanted to
write about Scottish ghosts that help a hero and heroine fall in love.
Immediately my mind exploded with ideas! I’d worked with Kathryn Le Veque and
Terri Brisbin and thought they’d be perfect for the project, too!"
Below, each of us tell
you how our stories came about.
Eliza Knight: I love a good ghost story, and in my travels to Europe, I’ve
often felt the otherworldly presence of those who lived in the past. One of my
favorite castles in Scotland is Dunstaffnage Castle, and I was lucky enough to
visit there on my last trip! The history behind it is fascinating and haunting.
There is this tale of a glaistig, or green lady, who haunts the grounds of
Dunstaffnage. She is called the Ell-Maid of Dunstaffnage, but no one knows who
she might have been. She appears in green, gliding over the walls, and through
the forest. Her appearances often were brought on by tidings of joy or sadness
within the family. This gave me an idea—in fact, it sparked a whole series!
LAIRD OF SHADOWS is the opening book in my new MacDougall Legacy series (and will
be releasing with bonus/expanded scenes in January 2017). In this story, we
learn the origin of the Ell-Maid of Dunstaffnage… It was exciting to write this
story, and I can’t wait for you all to read it, and to see what happens as I
follow the MacDougall family throughout generations in my new series!
In Eliza Knight’s
LAIRD OF SHADOWS, a decade old vow and an attack of Vikings brings Lady Elle
Cam’béal to Dunstaffnage Castle seeking the help of the new, handsome,
provocative laird with a beastly temper—Beiste MacDougall. As battles and
treachery rain down upon them, Beiste and Elle find an unlikely ally in a
ghost, and discover that a few stolen moments of passion can bring light from
the shadows…
Kathryn LeVeque: In my novella, DEEP INTO DARKNESS, I drew a huge amount of
inspiration from one of my favorite poets, Edgar Allan Poe. This was also my
first story set in Scotland and I really wanted to do it right - creepy castle
+ Poe = Delicious Eeriness!
I've done novellas
based on Poe's works before, so it's really my interpretation of his poetry. In
this case, the 'host' that narrates one of Poe's most famous poems, "The
Raven", is also the host in my story. He's an old Viking who takes in two
travelers for the night. And that's when the fun happens. I loved my hero and
heroine so much that I had to write a full-length novel for them - THE RED LION
will be released October 4th so readers can see how Jamison and
Havilland met. But the bottom line is that I had a great time writing about a
highlander hero and a great time writing a Medieval ghost story. I hope readers
enjoy!
In Kathryn Le Veque's
DEEP INTO DARKNESS, Findlater Castle in the Scottish Highlands becomes a place
of mystery and doom for Jamison Munro and his wife,Havilland. Traveling across
the highlands one dark and stormy night, they stumble upon a lonely
Host in Findlater Castle, a pathetic soul waiting for his wife to return to
him. It is a terrible tale of a tragic love story that the Host tells the
travelers but when Havilland becomes curious about mysterious tapping sounds
that go on in the middle of the night, she soon realizes the danger that she
and her husband are in. It becomes a race against time for Havilland to free a
trapped spirit and save both their lives in the process.
Terri Brisbin: When
invited to contribute to this collection, I was lost! LOL! All I knew was that
it must somehow involved Duntulm Castle, which I’ve visited several times and
is known to be haunted. Once I was set on that location, I looked at the clans
in the area and knew that the MacLeods and the MacDonalds were rivals for
control of the Isle of Skye for centuries. A perfect choice for battling
families. . . and forbidden love!
I kept hearing the
opening line of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as I was planning out my story – “Two
households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our
scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood
makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two
foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers. . . .” Of course, I wanted a
‘happily-ever-after’ so I adapted my Romeo and Juliet to make sure that
happens! I suspect I will revisit the MacLeods and MacDonalds of Skye again....
In Terri Brisbin’s UPON
A MISTY SKYE, Alexander MacDonald and Isabel MacLeod were not supposed to meet
or fall in love or marry. Now that they have, both of their parents plan to
separate them, by any means possible. But the ghost of Duntulm Castle has other
plans for the forbidden lovers and those who stand in the way of true love.
Madeline
Martin: I’ve always loved
haunted castles and the stories behind them. When first starting coming up with
the idea for A Ghostly Tale of Forbidden Love, I read through all the ghost
stories in Scotland until I came to one about Castle of Park. There were two
ghosts: one of a monk who had been walled into the castle and left for dead, and
another of a woman in green who was a servant – she’d fell in love
with the laird, ended up pregnant and then leapt to her death after having been
fired. Then I thought, what if I saved the servant? Don’t
worry – there still ends up being a second ghost to placate history, but who
will it end up being?
I actually was fortunate enough to stay
for two nights at Castle of Park while in Scotland a couple weeks back. While I
didn’t see any ghosts, the stay was absolutely magical.
In Madeline Martin’s A GHOSTLY TALE OF FORBIDDEN
LOVE, Gavin MacDuff is a laird with a cruel and bitter aunt he’s sworn to
protect. Senara is the new lady’s maid at Castle of Park and has sacrificed
everything for the betterment of her family. Their paths tangle and lead to a
road of hidden longing and secret passion – all of which is threatened by the
power of one ghost who is fixed on revenge.
Ruth A. Casie: When I wrote The
Guardian’s Witch I developed a character, Jamie Collins. He’s the hero’s
close friend, confidant and at times conscience. I’ve wanted to give
Jamie his own story I just didn’t know what it would be until we started
planning this collection. Castles, highlanders, ghosts, these were the elements
that screamed Jamie Collins to me. When I sat down the story almost wrote
itself.
My story is about
Jamie and Laura Reynolds, two childhood friends who find themselves trying to
solve a double murder not only to bring the murderer to justice, but to put a
ghost to rest. Jamie and Laura’s relationship turns from friends to lovers but
their whole story couldn’t be told in a novella. I have so much more to tell
you about them that I had to write a full-length novel for them - THE HIGHLANDER’S
ENGLISH WOMAN will be released in December. Readers will be able to see how
Jamie and Laura’s relationship is tested and who helps Jamie along the way.
This was a fun story to write. I hope you enjoy reading about them.
In Ruth A.
Casie’s THE MAXWELL GHOST, traitors, deception, murders and ghosts run
rampant at Caerlaverock Castle. Jamie Collins, a man of reality not hocus
pocus, serves Lord Herbert in exchange for a his own farm. Laura
Reynolds, the Herbert's distant cousin comes to the castle to solve the murders
and put the ghost to rest. The two, long-time friends find their destinies
intertwined with hidden passions, but all is in jeopardy when Laura becomes the
murderer’s next target. Jamie will find he needs some ghostly assistance to
save Laura and declare his love.
I hope you enjoyed
hearing from each of us. Here is a short video about our stories.
