If I could plan the perfect getaway, I’d go to Kisimul Castle on the Isle of Barra. Of all the castles I’ve read about, Kisimul is the most fascinating. Here’s why:

First of all, the name. Kisimul Castle came from the Gaelic phrase ‘castle of the rock of the small bay.’

Second, the castle dates back to 1427 when Gilleonan Macneil built Kisimul on a rocky island in the center of Castle Bay. From some angles, the castle appears to float in the center of the bay.

Third, though the bay is saltwater, the castle has a fresh water well, which means it can withstand a seige. The Macneils were a smart clan.

Fourth, there’s a lovely three story tower that comprised a portion of the castle. The tower once served as the residence of the clain chief. In addition to the tower, there are a number of other buildings, including a feasting hall, a tanist’s house, and more. Jane, in THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS, explains about the various buildings as she and Michael sail past it.

Fifth, the Macneil Clan had salt water coursing through their veins. From the earliest recorded clan histories, the Macneils owned the seas around the Hebrides. One Macneil was called Ruari The Turbulent and was arrested for piracy during King James IV reign in the later 16th century.

Sixth, Kismul Castle passed out of the Macneil hands in 1838 when the entire Isle of Barra was sold because of heavy debts. The estate was repurchased in 1937 by the 45th chief, Robert Macneil, who restored it to its former glory. The castle was passed into Historic Scotland’s care in 2000 and is open for tours.

At the time of THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS, Kismul was in a state of disrepair. I took great liberties in the book and said the castle had been ruined by a fire, when in reality it had been abandoned for centuries and was ruined by simple neglect. I love that the family came back and rescued their treasure and took the time to restore the castle to its former glory.

If you had to list your Top Ten Dream Destinations, would a Scottish Castle be one? Have you ever visited a castle? If so, which one? Are there any castles you’ve dreamed of visiting? I hope Kisimul is now one of them!

By New York Times bestselling author, Karen Hawkins, THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS hits the shelves MAY 22nd! Don’t miss the final book in the Hurst Amulet Series! View a list of her books on Amazon.com.

Leave a comment and be automatically entered into the drawing for a free copy of Karen’s book, A MOST DANGEROUS PROFESSION.

About Karen

Karen Hawkins writes. Full-time. At her home in Orlando, FL. Sitting on a lounge chair on her lanai. While drinking diet coke. And watching HGTV.

In the nude.

Ok, ok. She’s kidding about the ‘in the nude’ part, but the rest of it is true.

A New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of over 20 humorous historical and contemporary romance novels, Karen doesn’t have time for ‘friends’, although she’s been known to haunt the yards of a few, select well known actors, particularly a sexy Australian with the initials H.J.  Fortunately, the two actors who filed injunctions against Karen don’t live in her home state so she’s free to travel within the borders of Florida and can, with permission of the court, even visit Southern Georgia and 3/4ths of the state of Tennessee.

For now.

Several years ago, Karen married a handsome cop she met while researching her first contemporary romance novel, Talk of the Talk.  Her husband, aka Hot Cop, has turned into an exemplary Writer’s Husband. He has learned to ‘talk writing,’ knows the fastest routes to all of the major mail carriers, and can tell the difference between an erasable colored pencil and a regular one. He also knows not to ask for meals during Deadline Dementia Week.

Like all good Writer’s Husbands, Hot Cop has learned the value of a good glass of Merlot during dreaded Release Week.

When not at home working her fingers to the bone, Karen frequently visits her two grown children who attend college in Knoxville, TN, doing what she can to remind them that they would not be walking this earth without her and that they must wash behind their ears every single day of their life or something very, very bad could happen to the world.

They, naturally, look forward to her visits with great excitement.

An award-winning author, Karen is working alternately on two series – her historical Hurst Amulet series set in Regency-era Scotland and her contemporary Glory, NC series, which combines the best of the romance genre with the best of the mystery genre.

Connect with Karen Hawkins

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by Anne Fraser

Hi, I’m Anne Fraser and I write Medical Romances for Harlequin Mills and Boon.  As someone who travels a lot and would go anywhere (and often do) at the drop of a hat, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to write a series of travel blogs for Petit Fours and Hot Tamales.

Every time I go somewhere new, I still get that thrill of discovering a new place, or of returning to a favourite place and discovering a place to eat or walk I didn’t know. It also helps when it comes to setting my books in exotic and romantic locations.

If at all possible I like to see a place from the locals’ point of view so when my eldest daughter went to work in Turkey as an au pair, I leaped at the chance to go and visit her.

The first thing to say about Turkey is the people are warm and welcoming and very, very hospitable. When they heard we were coming to see our daughter, they insisted we come and stay with them. They also insisted we stay with Grandmama in Istanbul and although we would have been happy to stay in a hotel, my daughter warned us that her new family (and that’s exactly how they saw themselves) would be offended if we didn’t.

Castle of St. Peter Bodrum

The next day we took a trip on board a gulet (there are a huge number of options- all visiting different places ranging from day trips to week long sails up the coast) and sun bathed on deck on the large cushions provided. More than half of the day trippers were Turkish and it was easy to strike up a conversation. Next time we go we will definitely take one of the longer trips. Choose your gulet carefully however, as they range from the basic to the luxurious. You might wish to make sure yours has air conditioning below deck as the nights are hot and humid. (Many chose to sleep on deck for this reason. Personally the thought of spending the night nose to tail with strangers is something I might have considered once, but am no longer prepared to do)

From Bodrum we took a bus to Istanbul. Public transport in Turkey is cheap, efficient and very comfortable, especially the buses which have on board service and free wi fi. (Note there are hundreds of bus companies and the choice- and the bus stations- can be over whelming so it is worth doing your research in advance)

Once in Istanbul, we took the ferry across the Bosphorus to the European side of Istanbul. The ferry journey (about fifty pence if I remember) has to be one of the best ways I have ever arrived in a city so don’t even think about taking a taxi. You get fantastic views of the Bosphorus and Istanbul and, if you pick up a map in advance, you get a chance to see some of the less well known palaces and great houses of the Ottoman empire.

View of Istanbul from the Ferry

There is so much to do and see in Istanbul, you should give yourself at least a week to see the city. We visited the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern (lit with torches and so atmospheric) the Aya Sofya as well as the bazaars.

We also treated ourselves to a Hamams. Although not particularly cheap, it was an experience I’ll never forget and one I’d thoroughly recommend, although beware it is not for the modest!

You are invited to strip off, you get a little room to do this in and are given a cloth to cover your modesty. But just when you think it’s going to be okay, as soon as you enter the main bathing area, this is whipped away and you are led, naked, by your attendant towards your marble sink.(Don’t worry, women are separated from the men)

You  are left to sluice yourself repeatedly with water before your attendant takes you by the hand once again and lays you down on the heated circular marble bench. From then on you are soaped, scrubbed and pummelled to within an inch of your life, before being rinsed with water. I promise you, you will never ever feel as clean again.

As I mentioned we stayed with Grandmama about a half hour journey by local train, (hot friendly and cheap). She couldn’t speak any English and we couldn’t speak any Turkish, so we got by with sign language and smiles. (Do not, whatever you do,forget to take off your outdoor shoes when entering a Turkish home, or a Mosque for that matter.) If necessary your host will supply you with indoor shoes, which must not be worn outside. The indoor/outdoor shoes thing can get confusing when it comes to balconies etc. If in doubt ask.)

Grandmama seemed to delight in feeding us home cooked Turkish food at every opportunity. Whenever we cleared our plates, more food was brought through until we were stuffed. We have since learned that if you clear your plate it is a sign that you are not full and your hostess will feel obliged to keep bring more food until she is satisfied that you are full. And it is always the women- men in Turkey, do not cook.

Chai, or Turkish tea is always served. The Turks tend to add sugar, never milk, and it is a pleasant drink poured from a two pot arrangement; one for the tea, one for water. (I did try Turkish coffee once- not for me, I’m afraid)

We hired a car in Istanbul. Believe me when I say driving in Turkey is not for the faint- hearted. In all my travels I have never, and I mean never, seen anyone drive with such reckless abandon as the Turks. Road signs, traffic lights, give way signs seem to hold no meaning for local drivers. Most of the time it was a case of us just going for it. I can’t tell you how often I closed my eyes- I wasn’t driving- and prayed to survive the journey. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Turkey has one of the worst road death rates in the world.

We stayed with our Turkish family at their beach house near Tekirdag. The locals often own beach houses that they decamp to for the hot summers. The houses are built very closely to one another making it easy for neighbours to chat across verandahs or to wander in to each other’s homes. The Turks are a very sociable people and don’t think they same way we do in terms of personal space.

We were taken to Edirne on the Bulgarian/ Greece borders and once the capital of the Ottoman Empire for the day. This part is rarely visited by tourists but has the most stunning Mosque as well as many other key buildings still in excellent shape. Our family treated us to a local favourite, fried Calf’s liver at their favourite restaurant Niyozi Usta. Their advice to us re choosing a restaurant, if you see Turkish people queueing outside, join the line!

Back in Istanbul we took the overnight train from the breath taking Haydarpasa station (Just like something out of an Agatha Christie movie and worth a visit on its own) to Ankara. The sleeper was cheap, clean spacious and had a lovely little restaurant car selling reasonably priced local dishes. I have to admit being a sucker for rail travel and this trip did not disappoint. We had to take the bus from there to Cappadochia. If you are visiting Turkey and have more than a week this is a must see place with its underground cities and fairy chimneys. In fact there is so much to write about this lesser known part of Turkey, I feel it is worth a blog of its own!

            Turkey has something for everyone; glorious beaches, stunning palaces and mosques, landscape that you won’t see anywhere else in the world and history. I for one intend to return as soon as possible as I feel I just scratched the surface of this fascinating country.

For those who may be interested, my latest book The Playboy of Harley Street is partly set in Istanbul. I adored the city so much I just had to have it as the location where my hero and heroine finally realise that they are in love!

Hot tips

Don’t miss the Aya Sofya (also known as the Haghia Sofia)the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern or the Topkapi Palace (worth it to see the Harem alone- although it costs extra)

The Favorites Courtyard-The Sultans Harem

or the Grand Bazaar.

Learn a few words in Turkish, even if it’s just hello and thank you pronounced mer-ha-ba and te-shek-kewr e -de- reem respectively. The locals will love you for it

Experience a real Turkish Hamman (we visited the Cagalogu Hamani which is gorgeous)

Take a ferry up the Bosphorus

Try a fish sandwich

Take an overnight train from the Haydarpasa station on the Asian side.

We didn’t make it to Ephesus- the best preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean- as we plan to see it as a separate visit along with the pools at Pumukkale.

About the author:

Anne was born in Scotland but brought up in South Africa. After she left school she returned to the birthplace of her parents, the remote Western Islands of Scotland. She left there to train as a nurse before going on to university to study English literature. After the birth of her first child, she and her doctor husband traveled the world working in rural Africa, Australia and Northern Canada.

Anne worked in the health sector until she started writing full time so she has no shortage of medical scenes for her books. In addition, she blatantly picks her husband’s brain to ensure the medical detail is correct and up to date. And if he can’t help, he usually manages to find a colleague who can.

She still loves to travel and grabs any opportunity to see new places, incorporating the most romantic locations into her books. To date she has written fifteen Medical Romances for Harlequin Mills and Boon

To relax, she enjoys travelling, playing tennis, cycling and, of course, reading. 

You can find Anne Fraser at the following locations:

www.facebook.com/AnneFraserAuthor

http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Fraser/e/B0034PDV0O/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

The Playboy of Harley Street and the Doctor on the Red Carpet 2 in 1 book – released July 2011

Mistletoe, Midwife…Miracle Baby 2 in 1 book – released November 2011

By Vonda Sinclair

In my Scottish historical romance novels, I want to take readers from their everyday, modern lives and send them to 17th century Scotland. I use a few tools to accomplish this. One is the language that comes across in my voice and in the characters’ dialogue. I try to make the language sound historical without it being difficult for the modern reader to understand. It is, in truth, only the illusion of historical speech.

Another way I transport the reader is through the use of specific historical and setting detail. I don’t want to mimic a history textbook. I only want to drop hints and clues of where the characters are in passing. The reader might like to know briefly what the characters are eating in 1618. Not everything on the table at a feast, just a few items, telling details, that will make them feel as if they’re sitting at that table. But more importantly they’ll want to know what’s going on around them, so I like to get back to the action and dialogue as quickly as possible.

My favorite setting details to include in my books are unique descriptions of Scotland and the Scottish landscape. Not all the readers have been to Scotland so they enjoy knowing more about what it’s like, and feeling they’re actually there.

A Scottish moor was something I didn’t truly understand until I’d walked across one, specifically Drumossie Moor, also known as Culloden Battlefield. Although none of my scenes take place there, the below scene takes place on a similar Scottish moor. A moor is usually a wide, flat, wet, boggy place. This is how I wove the setting description through:

For hours, Gwyneth and Rory trudged through darkness, with only the moon for light, and picked their way through the gorse and heather not yet in bloom. A movement up ahead at a lone tree caught her attention. She recoiled, breath held. In the dimness, her eyes strained to identify the movement—a horse swishing its tail. Where was the rider?

“Shh,” she hissed at Rory, and gave the tree a wide berth.

The horse snorted and stamped its hooves.

Gwyneth’s skin prickled. She crouched and pulled Rory down beside her.

A man grunted, groaned, then strode out into the moonlight to relieve himself. Once finished, he returned to the shadows, and a screeching birdcall sounded from the tree. Some distance away, an answering call responded. Her blood chilled. The men were communicating. What were they saying?

Gwyneth and Rory sat hunched for an immeasurable time, until her legs cramped. If they moved now, the watchman was certain to see and capture them. Vigilant to all the sounds and movements around her, she seated herself into a more comfortable position upon the damp ground and waited for the man to fall asleep.

A mist floated above the ground like a giant cloud, obscuring the moon, and the first glimmer of dawn brightened the horizon before her. Indecision tormented her. They had to leave now or be discovered in the daylight. If only the mist was lower it might conceal them.

“Shh,” she whispered to Rory. “We must move quickly but quietly.”

Rory blinked sleepy eyes at her, seemingly half aware of where they were.

“Are you awake?”

He nodded. Her poor, sweet child. She hated that he had to go through this.

She rose and tugged him along with her. They slipped toward a distant hill, her skirts snagging on heather and gorse. Cold water from the peaty soil seeped through her rawhide slippers. The cool, damp air around them vibrated with tension. She tried to ignore the knotting pain in her stomach and the weakness of her whole body from lack of food.

She had no notion where the border to MacGrath holdings was, but surely they would reach it soon.

The birdcall echoed from the tree behind them. But this time the sound was different—an alarm.

“Jesu!”

A horse galloped forth, a menacing black silhouette advancing from the white mist in the distance.

“Run, Rory!” She tugged her skirts off her shoes and broke into a sprint.

He dashed several paces ahead of her.

“Faster!”

She glanced back. Two horsemen thundered close behind, one chasing on her heels. Oh, dear God, protect us! She switched directions, gasping, lungs burning, desperate for more air.

Where is Rory? Her legs wouldn’t move fast enough. The air around her thickened like water, and she couldn’t get through it.

Spotting Rory, she chased after him. “Run!” She slipped in a puddle but righted herself before she fell.

They will kill us. They will kill my precious Rory.

More horses joined in the chase. They surrounded her, their demon riders yelling in Gaelic. Two hemmed her in. Trapped, she dashed headlong between them. Something caught her by the belt and yanked her into the air. Her legs flailed on nothingness. She landed hard on her stomach across the front of a saddle. The breath whooshed from her constricted lungs.

“Ma!” Rory yelled.

My Fierce Highlander copyright 2011 Vonda Sinclair

As you can see, I don’t go on paragraph after paragraph describing nothing but the setting. I weave the setting details through the action, emotion and internalization. To me this brings the setting more to life because the reader, via the point of view character, experiences the setting by interacting with it, seeing it and feeling it.

The best way to research a setting is to visit it. That way, you can notice all the tiny sensory details that a non-writer might not, especially smells and sounds you can’t learn from photos, or temperature and humidity, and the general atmosphere or feel of the place. I had read a lot about Scotland in my early research, but I still didn’t realize what a cool, wet place it is, even in midsummer, until I’d experienced it for myself. Rain is frequent in Scotland. Not only that, there is often mist floating above the ground, especially in the morning. Scotland contains innumerable lochs, streams, rivers and bogs. And of course it’s surrounded by the ocean on three sides. On the coasts, the chilly wind is usually blustery and very noticeable.

Whatever your setting, you’ll want to know it intimately in order to write it realistically and take your reader there.

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My Fierce Highlander: Gwyneth Carswell, an English lady banished by her father to the harsh Scottish Highlands, wants nothing more than to take her young son away from the violence of two fighting clans–her own distant kin, the MacIrwins, and their enemies, the MacGraths. She risks everything to rescue the fierce MacGrath warrior from the battlefield where he’s left for dead by her clan. She only knows she is inexplicably drawn to him and he wants peace as she does. When her clan learns of her betrayal, they seek vengeance. Dare she trust the enemy more than her own family?

Laird Alasdair MacGrath is driven to end two-hundred years of feuding with the MacIrwins. But by taking in and protecting Lady Gwyneth and her son, he provokes more attacks from his mortal enemy. As the danger and conflict surrounding them escalate, Alasdair and Gwyneth discover an explosive passion neither of them expected. With the arrival of a powerful man from her past, a horrible decision confronts her–give up her son or the man she loves.

My Fierce Highlander available at: Amazon, B&N, Smashwords

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Vonda Sinclair’s favorite indulgent pastime is exploring Scotland, from Edinburgh to the untamed and windblown north coast. She also enjoys creating hot, Highland heroes and spirited lasses to drive them mad. She is a past Golden Heart finalist and Laurie award winner. She lives with her amazing and supportive husband in the mountains of North Carolina where she is no doubt creating another Scottish story. Please visit her website to learn more. Vonda also maintains a web presence on Facebook and Twitter. Her latest release is My Wild Highlander.

As a special treat, Vonda is offering a copy of My Fierce Highlander to one lucky person who comments here today. Good luck and happy reading!