My Friday series continues, where guest authors are invited to share a post with us about the historical background to their writing.
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| Rosemary Gemmell |
Rosemary has been published by #Crooked Cat Books, another connection to me, but the fact we both live in Scotland means a better likelihood of being at the same author gatherings. It was at the Scottish Association of Writers Conference 2017 that I first met Rosemary. She took me under her wing - me being a naive 'newbie' to conferences, and she being a veteran attendee author of many years standing who knows what the format is at such gatherings!
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| Argyll Hills and Dunoon-Courtesy of Rosemary Gemmell |
Welcome back, Rosemary, and please tell us more...
My full length novel, The
Highland Lass, is the book of my heart as it means such a lot to me, both
for its setting and its time-split storyline. For the first time, I set a novel
almost completely around the beautiful area of Scotland where I grew up.
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| Highland Mary- Courtesy of Rosemary Gemmell |
This
immediately gave it a deeper level of authenticity, rather than having to
imagine the places where my characters interacted. Obviously, this was easier
for the contemporary story as I had walked in these areas myself. The short
alternate historical chapters are set in the eighteenth century but it was
surprisingly easy to imagine life in those times, especially in one particular
area.
The Highland Lass was greatly inspired by the story of
Robert Burns and his Highland Mary, which I had researched and written about in
an article some years ago for The
Highlander magazine in the USA. Most people know that Burns is our national
bard here in Scotland, that he was a farmer and womaniser as well as a
wonderful poet. Highland Mary is buried in my home town and their story has
fascinated me since childhood when I first saw her grave. Burns himself wrote
about his Highland Lass in several poems with such an air of regret and guilt
that I knew their ill-fated love story would make a good subject for a romance.
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| Highland Mary's Grave- Courtesy of Rosemary Gemmell |
After writing the non-fiction article about them, my
imagination was fired and I was eager to fictionalise Mary’s voice and write
part of the story from her point of view. However, I didn’t think there were
enough facts about them to sustain a book set completely in the 18th century.
Since I love to read split-time stories, I decided to write a contemporary
story about family secrets and a link to the past, through Eilidh Campbell, a
possible ancestress of Highland Mary. Her burgeoning love story with Lewis
Grant is alternated with short historical chapters told in Highland Mary’s
voice in the 18th century.
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| Watt Library-Courtesy of Rosemary Gemmell |
After researching
Burns, from a book published in 1838, to more modern accounts and Burns’ own
poems, songs and letters, I formed a real feeling for Highland Mary and her
effect on the poet.
Some of the research was carried out in the Gothic looking Watt
Library in Greenock, with its access to microfilm copies of the old Greenock Advertiser and the later Greenock Telegraph, where I found
several interesting facts that I incorporated into the story and the epilogue.
The Greenock Burns Club (the Mother Club) allowed me to sift through their
archives for any relevant material.
I also visited the
Ayrshire villages where Mary met Burns and which have hardly changed since the 18th century. I
was even able to sit in the very inn, Poosie Nancie’s, where Burns and his
friends used to drink. Another location used in the contemporary part of the
novel is Loch Lomond which constantly inspires my romantic imagination.
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| Poosie Nansie's-Courtesy of Rosemary Gemmell |
Writing about a real historical person adds other considerations, requiring more
careful authenticity, since very well-known people will likely feature in many
non-fiction history books.
I had to remember, however, that The Highland Lass
is fiction and I enjoyed giving Highland Mary a voice from my imagination,
albeit using the meagre facts already available. I hope she would have
approved!
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| Luss, Loch Lomond- Courtesy of Rosemary Gemmell |
...she lives in beautiful Scotland
where she writes novels, short stories, articles, tween fiction and poetry.
Several of her short stories have won awards, many of which are now published
in three collections.
Rosemary is a member of the Romantic Novelist's Association, the Society of Authors and the Scottish Association of Writers. She has a post-graduate Masters in Humanities (literature and History). She loves to dance!
You can subscribe to her newsletter on her website or blog.
Rosemary is a member of the Romantic Novelist's Association, the Society of Authors and the Scottish Association of Writers. She has a post-graduate Masters in Humanities (literature and History). She loves to dance!
You can subscribe to her newsletter on her website or blog.
The Highland Lass
Eilidh Campbell returns to her Scottish roots from America
with one main aim: to discover the identity of her father. But her mother’s
past in Inverclyde is a mystery with family secrets, a book of Robert Burns’
poems with a hidden letter and a photograph link to the Holy Loch at Dunoon
when the American Navy were in residence.
Staying with her childhood friend, Kirsty, while searching
for answers, Eilidh begins to fall in love with handsome Scot Lewis Grant, but
just how free is he? Together they trace the story of Highland Mary and Robert
Burns, with its echoes to her mother’s story.
In short alternate chapters, Highland Mary tells her own
story from 1785-6. From Dunoon, to Ayrshire and culminating in Greenock, Eilidh
finds the past is closer than she realises.
Slainthe!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for featuring me on your lovely blog, Nancy. It's great to be here!
ReplyDeleteYou're always welcome, Rosemary! I'm really enjoying the series contributions, they're very varied in eras and styles.
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