Celtic Hearts Romance Writers

The Legend of the Vanishing Wedding Feast

2012-03-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

By Dawn Marie Hamilton

Photo by Jason Hemmings

Old Castle Lachlan might look like a ruin today, but if youstep with me through a mist of fantasy you will see a bustling castlewhere...once upon a time, resided an angry brùnaidh.

"Ouch." Had someone pinched her?

The somber friar raised his gaze from his prayer book."Is anything wrong, my lady?"

Heat flashed across Mairi's chest and neck. She glanced atthe man standing at her side, the one she met a mere few hours ago.

Iain glared at the shingle at her feet. He probably believedthe stones poked through her thin bridal slippers and caused the outburst.Though the shingle made the proceedings uncomfortable, that wasn't what madeher screech. Something sharp jabbed her hip, but no one stood near enough toinflict such abuse.

"All is well." She smiled at Father Ambrose."Please, continue."

Mairi's gaze drifted over the faces of those who'd gatheredto witness the uniting of two clans in peace. Bah. Her marriage to the Chief ofClan MacLachlan would change nothing. Her grandfather's quest for more land provedinsatiable.

Where was Caitrina? Mairi couldn't find her amidst thecrowd. Had the fairy forsaken her? Never. Caitrina must have hiddenwithin a glamour of invisibility.

The friar's voice droned on. Mairi fixed her stare on thewater, the ceremony taking place on the shore of Loch Fyne. The MacLachlan chapelwithin the castle tower was unable to accommodate the throngs of Campbellswho'd come to witness the spectacle of her ruin.

She risked a sideways glance at Iain. His features remainedinscrutable.

He'd dressed for the occasion in a crisp saffron leine andcolorful plaide of red and blue. Two warrior braids hung to one side ofhis strong jaw and his chestnut hair glistened in the sunlight. When he leveledhis stare on her, his sapphire eyes sparkled.

A shiver shimmied along her spine, and she couldn't suppressthe prick of fear tangled with excitement for the bedding to come. How wouldshe survive? A large man, he'd rip her asunder.

She moistened her lips. His eyes flared before he lookedaway.

"Join hands." Father Ambrose grasped her righthand and presented it to Iain who clasped her fingers with his left.

She gasped. A tingle spread gooseflesh up her arm. Iain'slips quirked into the first smile she'd seen from him since she'd arrived atCastle Lachlan.

The friar cleared his throat. "Is there any among thegathered with reason this couple should not wed?"

Mairi flinched when something pricked her arse. She lookedover her shoulder, but no one was there. She raised her gaze to Iain.

His eyes sobered with concern and he fingered the ornamentaldagger handle protruding from a sheath at his waist with his free hand.

"I pronounce thee man and wife."

Grumbling rose from the crowd, and Iain's expression turnedfierce. No one dared step forward to denounce the union on fear of retribution.

With his palm cradling her back, Iain guided his new wifethrough the gathering of clansmen loitering within his council chamber towardthe dais and head table. Silky strands of strawberry blond hair caressed hisfingers. Lavender teased his senses. She seemed a wee, fragile lass, but aftergazing into her silver eyes, he sensed her backbone. She'd need it to endurethe challenging times ahead.

"He is a fool to wed a Campbell."The whisper came from amidst the crowd.

He felt Mairi flinch through the fabric of her silver gown,and he clamped his jaw tight. They could say what they wanted. He'd set hiscourse. Marriage was the only way to ensure peace and prosperity.

Iain seated his wife to his right. He supposed he should saysomething to soothe her, but he wasn't adept with sweet words.

"Ignore the barbs. I am pleased with you, wife."

"And I with you, husband." Her eyes spoke volumesto the contrary, though her notion of duty would change when he convinced herto…

He couldn't hope for love, but would settle for trust.

"Quiet," he bellowed at the noisy crowd andinclined his head to the friar.

As Father Ambrose rose to say grace, the feast vanished fromthe tables in a fine, gray mist. Surprised and angry voices echoed through thechamber.

Iain slammed a fist on the table. Munn. The damn brùnaidhcaused this havoc.

"Ach, my apologies. I shall ensure the situationremedied," Iain stammered as he clasped Mairi's hand and stood."Please, come with me, my dear. We will see to the feast for ourguests."

Wide eyes searched his face, but she rose without questionand followed him to the vaults along with several servants. All was quiet. Theyfound no trace of Munn or the stolen victuals.

Dropping Mairi's hand, Iain raised his arm in the air."Where are you wee man? Where is my wedding feast? Show yourself or I willbanish you to the darkest, coldest, cruelest corner of the Highlands."

Silence. Then a faint jingle of silver spoons tingled in thedamp air.

Iain sighed. His ranting got them nowhere.

"Munn, return the feast. Dinnae disgrace the MacLachlanname or your own by forcing me to serve our Campbellguests naught but scraps."

"Ach, aye. The Campbellswill enjoy the fine catch from our braw rivers and the bounty of our woods.'Twill naught be long until the Campbellssteal our fair lands as well," Munn muttered though he remained invisible.

"Please." Mairi stepped forward and sweetlyimplored.

Part of the feast was thrust into the hands of servants, the rest landed upontables that appeared along with the food.

With a nod from Iain, the servants rushed to serve thedishes to the guests.

When he caught Mari's gaze, he expected to glimpse horror.Instead, she laughed. "I see we both have wielders of magic. And I thinkyour Munn may have pinched me during the ceremony."

"What?"

"I have forgiven him. And I will explain about Caitrinaafter the feast."

Iain didn't care who Caitrina was. He wanted to kiss hispersuasive wife. And that was what he did. When she melted into him, his heart leaptwith joy.

Although this legend ends happily for Mairi and Iain, Munnheld hatred for the Campbells deepwithin his soul for generations.

To learn more about the brùnaidh—the Scottish brownievisit my post from last month.

CHRW Meet The Member:

2012-03-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Clancy Metzger and Sherrilyn Kenyon

Clancy Metzger

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?

I have been a member since early or mid 2010. I became Secretary for the chapter in 2011 and continue to be this year and next year.

Do you belong to any other RWA chapters or writing groups?

I am also a member of Utah Chapter of RWA. I really love both groups for the support and friendship they provide.

When you are not writing, what are your hobbies, passions, etc?

I love movies. This is really more an addiction than a hobby. I love romantic-comedies. I'm fairly shallow in some ways and I have no problem admitting I will watch something just for the hottie starring in it. Examples are Ryan Gosling, Hugh Jackman and Vin Diesel, but the list is long. I also love action flicks like The A-Team, The Expendables, and any comic book hero movie. And finally – I love disaster movies. They don’t actually have to be great movies for me to like them. The Sci-Fi channel rules for cheesy disaster movies. Some people think disaster movies are downers, but for me they're very uplifting. No matter what is happening or how many people die or how close earth is to complete annihilation – man prevails and saves the day! I love that.

I read like a fiend too – mostly romance

Have you ever been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc? Tell us about this trip and what you came away with afterwards.

I've been to Ireland twice. This is an amazingly beautiful country. I visited Blarney Castle both times but never kissed the Blarney Stone – a little too eww even for my non-germ-phobic self. I stayed in a converted Castle-Hotel – very cool. They had a disco in the hotel that I went to and I flabbergasted when they had a disco-remix version of John Denver's 'Country Boy' playing and the Irish were completely bonkers for it. Very surreal. I came away with a husband (not a good plan). It lasted barely long enough for the ink to dry. Really – I do not advise doing this on vacation!

What area did you grow up in?

I grew up in Portland Oregon until I was ten and then Fairbanks, Alaska from there on. If you ever get to visit Alaska – do it, it's incredible up there. I could easily live there again despite the cold (my public school didn’t close officially until it hit 60 degrees below zero – although it was parents' option at 50 below), the extreme light or dark (in the winter – you better go outside for lunch or you'd miss the single hour of twilight-like light there was for the day. In the summer – foil on the windows unless you can sleep with 23 hours of daylight), and weird accidents (like when my wet hair froze and I broke off a six inch hair popcicle racing to the school bus… yes – it was that cold). But, no where smells as good as Alaska, the beauty of it is breathtaking, the Northern Lights are all they're hyped up to be, and people are never boring.

Share 7 fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
1. I posed nude for a university art class when I was 18. My mom didn’t speak to me for a month.
2. I graduated from high school a year early and was a college freshman when I should have been a high school senior.
3. All my dogs and cats are named after stones (Malachite, Topaz… you get the idea).
4. I love Spongebob Squarepants and my personal bathroom is completely decorated with Spongebob.
5. I have a leg lamp and yes it is Fra-gee-lay.
6. I have twice married men I knew less than a month. Bad idea. I don’t recommend it, but apparently I am a slow learner.
7. I'm a popcorn junkie.

Who Knew? A Wee List of Scottish Inventions

2012-02-27T00:00:00.041-05:00

By TL Sumner

A few days ago, while listening to BBC Radio Scotland, one of the hosts mentioned that the ATM machine was invented in Scotland. Really?

I quickly Googled John Shepherd-Barron, the man who thought, "If a machine could dispense chocolate, why not money?" A London branch of Barclays Bank installed this predecessor of our modern day ATM in 1967. Shepherd-Barron's machine would dispense £10 when special checks were matched with a four-digit personal identification number. In the late sixties, that was quite a sum for a night out.

In my quest for knowledge about all-things Scotland, I wondered what other inventions, besides golf and uhhh well, golf are Scots credited with. There is quite a long list, but here are some noteworthy mentions many of us use every day:

Television: In 1926, Scotsman John Logie Baird was the first to transmit images using a television system. He later started the first television station and broadcasted for the BBC.
Telephone: Do you remember learning in elementary school that Alexander Gr aham Bell, the inventor of the telephone was from Scotland? Did I hear you say “No”? Me either. Or maybe I just forgot. But yes – he was born in Edinburgh.
Tires: Two Scots are credited with inventing the pneumatic (inflatable) rubber tire. The first, in 1846 by Robert William Thomson. John Boyd Dunlop improved the tire in 1887 and subsequently formed Dunlop Tires, a tire manufacturer still in existence today.
Buick: Scottish inventor David Dunbar Buick founded the Buick Motor Company, which later became the cornerstone of General Motors. Buick is the oldest American auto manufacturer still in existence.

Penicillin: In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist, accidentally discovered penicillin - the life saving drug for treating bacterial infections.
Decimal Point: John Napier, a Scottish mathematician born in 1550 invented logarithms and the decimal point. Logarithms are used every day to calculate the number of payments on a loan or the time to reach an investment goal, not to mention other important applications in chemistry, space travel and seismology.

Who knew all these important discoveries hailed from Scotland. Check out this video for a quick run-down from 5min Knowledge of the Top Ten things invented in Scotland. Gotta love the bagpipe soundtrack.

Scottish inventions

CHRW Meet The Member:

2012-02-24T00:01:00.004-05:00

Derek Dodson

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?
Joined in 2011

What prompted you to join this chapter?
Since I am writing Scottish Historical Romance, it seemed a natural place to come. I have certainly been proven right.

What are some of the benefits you favor most about being a member of RWA and/or CHRW?
I'd not been in a writer's group prior to joining RWA, and didn't know much about craft. RWA opened up a world of groups and workshops available. CH has been great due to the knowledge and support found within the group. I have been very active with the online critique group also.

Do you belong to any other RWA chapters or writing groups?
Yes, I joined Hearts Through History, another online RWA group, and am active with two local chapters, Heart of America Romance Writers, and MidAmerica Romace Writers.

In what genre do you prefer to write and why?
I currently write Medieval Scotland and Contemporary. I have always dug Medieval history, going back to when I was a kid. I have some Scots in my ancestry, so that is part of the motivation.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Yikes! I'll stick to just romance, otherwise the list would get unwieldy. Terri Brisbin, Mary Wine, Grace Burrowes, Kacey Michaels and Nicola Cornick would be a few.

When you are not writing, what are your hobbies, passions, etc?
I am a long time musician, playing bass and guitar. I play in a band and do some solo jazz guitar in restaurants. I am also a long time martial artist. I train in traditional, Japanese, Okinawan and Chinese styles.

What place inspires you the most?
Scotland. It doesn't just inspire me, it calls to me.

Have you ever been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc? Tell us about this trip and what you came away with afterwards.
Haven't been...yet. Will make it over there several times before I'm done.

If you could be transported back in time for a day, when and where would you want to go?

Hmm. If I said High Middle Ages, I would probably get myself killed, but what the heck, I'd take the risk

Do you have any pets?
A blue merle Australian Shepherd named...umm...Blue.

What area did you grow up in?
Southern Oklahoma, close to the Texas border where they breed rednecks.

Tell us something special or fun about the area you live in now.
Kansas City is a great place. It is one of the perennial hotbeds for jazz. Great barbeque!

If you could have any super hero power, what would it be?
Easy. Power to heal.

Share 7 fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
1. Not sure how fun they are, but I can count to ten in 6 different languages
2. Can juggle
3. Average reading a novel per day
4. Teach online Psychology classes for a community college
5. Fly fisherman
6. A sailor
7. Was a masseuse while in grad school

Celebrating Robert Burns

2012-02-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Like many people around the world, I celebrated the birthday of Scotland's favorite poet, Robert Burns. From what I understand the celebration may be somewhat different in each location, but several parts remain the same. I'm happy to share a bit of my experience with you.
I'd been to a few Burns' Suppers over the years, but this year's was by far the best. With pomp and circumstance, we drank whisky, listened to Burns' poetry, and ate haggis. Yep, you read that right. I ate haggis (and I love it!).

The Texas Highlanders presented the 2012 Burns Supper in Austin, TX on February 4th. There were close to 400 people at this even in a local hotel, and several participants wore kilts. (Sadly, there were no seriously hot men wearing only a kilt. I know. I checked.) I went with some friends and we instantly began chatting with the other people at our table. There were several raffles, which included bottles of whisky, and a tea/cookie basket. No one at our table won.

The evening began with a bagpiper playing and wandering through the hall. A gentleman carried a silver tray with the haggis above his head. (Haggis is defined as a traditional pudding made of the heart, liver, etc., of a sheep or calf, minced with suet and oatmeal, seasoned, and boiled in the stomach of the animal.) He set the tray on a table. Two women toasted to the haggis and we all joined in.

After that, we had a wonderful dinner of cock-a-leekie soup, steak & kidney pie, haggis, neeps and tatties, and Scotch trifle for dessert. During dinner we had snippets of TV shows that included Scotsmen or people talking about Scotsmen. The accents, of course, raised the goosebumps on my arms. (I'm a sucker for any British accent!) Once the meal was finished, we had a guest speaker who talked about his connection to Burns' poetry, the toast to the lassies, and musicians who played traditional Scottish music. Instructors from a local Scottish Country Dance school tried to maneuver part of the crowd in some dances. I sat out and watched others, but it did get me to thinking about possibly looking into dance lessons for myself!

At the end of the night, all the people who had remained got into a huge circle around the room. We joined hands and sang Auld Lang Syne. I admit I teared up, as I often do, because my heart misses Scotland. But I'll take Austin's Burns' Supper anytime.

CHRW Meet The Member:

2012-02-17T00:01:00.009-05:00

Eliza Knight

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?
I believe it is going on five years or so.

What prompted you to join this chapter?
I was writing Scottish romance, and I wanted to join a chapter where other authors were also writing in that genre. (I’m also Irish, so partial to all things Celtic!)

What are some of the benefits you favor most about being a member of RWA and/or CHRW?
I have found the best part of being a member is the camaraderie, the friendships, the networking, the support. Without it, I would be lost. I have met some of my best friends through RWA, and I’ve had some of my best times at conferences.

You’ve recently signed with a publisher. Tell us about your writing journey before and after this point in your life, and the details about your upcoming releases.
I am published with Ellora’s Cave, Carina Press and self-published. The writing journey is going to be different for everyone. It all hinges on so many factors. Genre, length, timing, voice, skill, networking. When I first started writing, I knew only what my heart told me. I bought a few books, joined RWA. My writing has drastically changed over the years. Not necessarily from classes, because I’ve never had a lot of time to take too many workshops, but from the art of writing—the actual doing. The advice from critique partners, my editors and agents has helped me to grow. My writing journey is constantly changing, depending on what I’m writing, who I’m writing it for (house), and what the genre is. I write in multiple genres.

I think one day down the road I might have to choose one genre over the other, but for now, I’m writing what I like and what my readers like—and if my editor/agent asks for something.

Writing before I was published was more of whim. I didn’t have demands or deadlines, I could spend weeks doing research and daydreaming before my fingers touched the keyboard. Even in my early publishing days (2008), I didn’t see too many deadlines or demands. But now, with 17 books either released or soon to be released, 4 projects I’m currently working on to be submitted—and three children—I can’t write when the fancy strikes. I have only a certain amount of time a day, and if I’m going to finish my projects on time, I have to write daily. I can’t have writer’s block either—there’s no time. Fortunately, I love writing and the creative juices never seem to ebb.

Wow, that was long-winded, and I’m not even sure I really answered the question… Details about upcoming releases! Okay, I have a short—quickie (15K), titled HIGHLAND STEAM, that will be releasing with Ellora’s Cave in the next month! Yay! It’s another time-travel Highlander erotic romance, not humorous like the others, more of an emotional, romantic journey, but definitely hot. Additionally, under the name Annabelle Weston, two more books in the Desert Heat series will released with Ellora’s Cave later this year. Expect another medieval novel, Regency novella and three more short time-travels this year or early next year.

If you could be transported back in time for a day, when and where would you want to go?
This is a hard question!!! I have three favorite eras—Tudor England, Regency England and medieval Scotland… Can I have three days? No? Just one? Hmm… Okay, medieval Scotland, but only if I’m the lady and I’m with the HAWT Highland chief dressed only in a plaide, with sizzling muscles and he’s taking me for a ride—on his horse of course, lol.

If you could have any super hero power, what would it be?
I would want the ability to freeze time. I need more time during the day. I feel like with each passing year, the moments are shorter. Like 1 minute is 30 seconds, one hour is 30 minutes, 1 week is 1 day… It makes me sad. I want to spend more time with my family. I want more time to write. I want more time to read, and do fun things.

Share 7 fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
1. I love to dance to club music.

2. I am afraid of deer (attacked once at a petting zoo, no joke!).

3. I used to be a model and actress.

4. I like to put lines my friends/family have said in my books and see if they notice.

5. I am a list freak. My lists have lists.

6. I hate fast-food.

7. I am currently addicted to the Oregon Trail app my daughter put on my phone.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

2012-02-13T04:01:00.001-05:00

Since food is my thing, being a foodie romance author and former chef, I figured I'd put together another post about Irish food. Potentially, not the last, so keep checking back. Plus, I put recipes in the back of all my foodie romance books, so you could almost have a whole recipe book just going through my blog posts and published works. **idea** Ok, back to the Irish food. Focus, Cam, focus.

This is a recipe I got from my Irish-Canadian grandmother, tweaked a little based on a recipe I found on Epicurious, as well. I definitely like this tweaked version even more than the one my grandma used to make.

Don't tell her that.

Irish soda bread is a very traditional food, and not to be trifled with. In fact, when I first told my grandmother about my "sweet soda bread" she said, "No, no, missy, that's not real soda bread." To which I said, "but I used soda." It wasn't much of an argument. Still, I prefer this to the traditional version any day.

A quick note. For the dusting sugar, instead of buying a bunch of powdered sugar, you can make your own. Take regular sugar, put it in a spice grinder or a food processor, and grind that puppy until it's dust. You'll end up with a better product than powdered sugar (which is often cut with cornstarch or fine flour because powdered sugar is typically used with liquid and will thicken better than straight sugar). If you're ever using powdered sugar for dusting primarily, I suggest making your own dusting sugar instead. Control your food.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup currants
2 tablespoons toasted caraway seeds
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon dusting sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Cut the butter and shortening into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg, the buttermilk, the currants and the caraway seeds and mix into the flour mixture until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly greased loaf pan. Score the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

It was great fun to get comments from people who'd tried the recipes for Dublin Coddle. If you try this, please leave me a comment. Or email me through my website. I'd love to hear how it worked for you.

CHRW Meet The Member:

2012-02-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

Lyn Horner

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?
Hmm, I think I’ve been a member for about four months give or take. I can’t recall exactly when I joined.

Do you belong to any other RWA chapters or writing groups?
Yes, I belong to Yellow Rose RWA. I joined this group less than a month ago. It’s a small chapter but very friendly and supportive. I’ve agreed to judge three entries in our Winter Rose Contest, my first time judging in several years.

In what genre do you prefer to write and why?
I enjoy writing western historical, but with a paranormal twist. My series, Texas Druids, features three psychically gifted siblings who are descended from a line of Irish Druids. I’ve completed two books in this series plus a novella introducing two of the Devlin siblings. The third full length novel will, I hope be ready by late 2012 or early 2013. After concluding the trilogy I plan to jump to a different setting. Several years ago I started a book set in 18th century Ireland. It made it into the semi finals in the Orange Rose Contest and received an editor’s attention. I hope to finish it and either resubmit it to her or publish it myself.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite author is Diana Gabaldon. Others favorites include Iris Johansen, Linda Howard and Judith Ivory. (Haven’t seen a new Ivory book in years. I recently read that she’s been dealing with back problems.)

Have you ever been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc? Tell us about this trip and what you came away with afterwards.
Yes, my husband and I went on a whirlwind tour of Scotland and Ireland about seven or eight years ago. It was exhausting but wonderful. We flew into Glasgow, toured the Highlands by bus (a group tour) and spent a day in Edinburgh. I loved seeing the site of the tragic Battle of Culloden, taking a short boat trip on Loch Ness, staying in a hotel where Charlie Chaplin often stayed, and touring Edinburgh Castle. Most of all, I enjoyed the misty, beautiful land we passed through. It gave me a melancholy feeling, making me daydream about what it must have been like to live there in bygone days.

Ireland was very different. Dublin is a big, bustling city. The castle is interesting but I was a bit disappointed because so much of the original has been replaced over the centuries. From Dublin we headed over to County Kerry, stopping for tea and homemade scones at a sheep farm along the way. We also visited Blarney Castle. Hubby climbed the narrow winding stairs to the top and kissed the Blarney Stone while I, meanwhile, shopped in the Blarney Woolen Mills Store. Then on we traveled to Killarney. We spent two nights there, did more shopping and visited Montrose House, a beautiful mansion surrounded by spectacular gardens, where weavers turned out gorgeous fabrics. Leaving there, our bus driver/guide drove us around the famous Ring of Kerry. Such beautiful sites, just as green as advertized and dotted with yellow gorse bushes.

My biggest regret is that we didn’t get to visit Northern Ireland, where the first half of my Irish book is set. I hope to go back one day and see that part of the island.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, I have four cats. At one time we had six. In fact, I wrote a memoir titled Six Cats In My Kitchen. It’s not your typical cute kitty book, though. Rather, it tells the story of six special cats and the role they each played in my family during good times and bad.

The Brùnaidh (Scottish Brownie)

2012-02-06T00:30:00.005-05:00

By Dawn Marie Hamilton

I'm excited about the launch of our new Celtic Hearts blog. A big thank you to everyone who made this site possible. Great job!

For those of you who know me—you've probably had first hand experience with my vivid imagination. When I sat to write my first romance story, I decided to write a Scottish time travel because the genre was one of my favorites as a reader. After doing a lot of research, I also decided to include fantasy elements—fae creatures.

One of these creatures is the brùnaidh.

Contradictory information regarding the diminutive creatures known to the Lowland Scots as brownie and to those who speak the Scottish Gaelic as brùnaidh abounds. I've seen where the brùnaidh is mistakenly lumped together with the ùruisg and the gruagach but each is a separate species of otherworldly creature, the brùnaidh being of the household, whereas the others are creatures of nature.

Some say brownies evolved from the lore of the elf, and in my mind, they have similar physical characteristics. The included drawing is of an ancient elf, but his image is similar to the one I imagine for a brownie.

My first exposure to brownies was as a young Girl Scout. Scouting Brownies take their name from the folklore brownies, as the wee men are a model for the young girls due to the brownie's penchant to assist in household chores, asking for only a bowl of cream or a honey cake for payment.

I became reacquainted with the brùnaidh while doing research for that very first romance story I mentioned earlier. Thus was born my Garden Gate series, which revolves around the MacLachlan clan, who resided at Old Castle Lachlan on the shore of Loch Fyne. The clan has several legends regarding their clan brownie. The History and Legends of Clan MacLachlan, written and edited by James A. Finegan, states, "The MacLachlan's brounie, known as both Harry and Munn, has been associated with the clan for so many generations that no one really knows when the brounie first appeared." The legends are from 1746 and before.

In the classic work, Faeries, from Brian Froud and Alan Lee—I have the twenty-fifth anniversary edition—brownies are introduced as a species of faerie. The brownie is described as a shaggy male of short stature, no more than twenty-five inches tall, wearing either tattered garments or nothing at all. It is also suggested that brownies living in the Highlands have no fingers or toes, whereas those living in the Lowlands have no noses.

Other references tell a different tale. "In appearance, they (brownies) have been variously described, from squat, shaggy, naked creatures to tall, handsome and well proportioned. They usually kept to themselves, being mostly solitaries, unlike the fairies who were notably gregarious." –Scottish Fairy Belief by Lizanne Henderson and Edward J. Cowan

Although few brownie names are known, there are some who've achieved notoriety: Billie Blin, Aiken Drum, Wag-at-the-wa', and Puddlefoot. With Meg Mullach, also known as Hairy Meg, being one of the few females.

Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, by John Gregorson Campbell, is available on the internet for download and provides additional references to the wee men.

Writers: Have you included Celtic mythological creatures in your romance stories?

Readers: Have you read a story including such creatures? What did you like or dislike?

CHRW Meet The Member:

2012-02-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

Paisley Kirkpatrick

How long have you been a member of Celtic Hearts?
I joined Celtic Hearts 2/1/09

Share 7 fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
#1 I have had up to 41 foreign penpals since 1989. I joined an organization where I could make contract with English speaking people who wanted to correspond. It opened a very wide window to the world for me and I made a lot of dear friends. I still correspond with sixteen of them. Cristache from Romania and Erich with his wife Dagmar from Germany have been here to visit with us. While we visited in Scotland we visited with penpal Sue and her husband for three days.

#2 For thirteen years I was president of country singing artist Kevin Sharp's fan club. I put together fifty newsletters (one every three months), we ran meet and greets when Kevin and his band were in our area, ran a booth at Fan Fair in Nashville for five years, and one of the most wonderful experiences was standing on the stage of the Grand Old Opry (next to the orange barn) to watch Kevin entertain the audience with three songs. The next day we had so many people come by our booth and tell us he was the best. He was!

#3 I was a Camp Fire Girls leader for thirteen years. All the little girls in my group remembered I promised to make their wedding cake when they got married. It seems very few of them forgot my promise. I made many wedding cakes and gave them as gifts, including the one for my younger daughter. I have many of the cake pans of Disney characters that delighted lots of children. I was a stay-at-home mom when my kids were little so this is how I added to our income and satisfied my creative genes.

#4 My great-great grandmother Mary Kirk is supposedly the first woman to have had stories published in a magazine. Original copies are kept in the archives of the Sacramento State Library. In my third story I had a scene very similar to one of hers and two sentences that were worded almost word for word to hers. It makes me wonder if we can inherit our ancestors' dreams.

#5 When our older daughter was a junior in high school we had an exchange student from Sweden live with us for ten months. Magdalena is still a daughter in our hearts. We were lucky enough to spend two weeks with her in her parents' home in Malmo, Sweden, and were treated to a guided tour through her beautiful country.

#6 We also have our Dutch kids - we met Bert on a camping trip 30 years ago and he and his family are considered our children as well. We were in his wedding in a castle that had two moats and owned by the Fairchild family. It was quite an interesting day, especially when I embarrassed myself during the ceremony sliding across the hardwood floor in my new leather-soled shoes.

#7 I make quilts and give them away in honor of my daughter. Some are colorful flannel crib size quilts, book cover quilts, family photo quilts, and, of course, one Gerard Butler quilt for my daughter-of-my-heart who introduced me to the gorgeous Scot.

Have you ever been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc? Tell us about this trip and what you came away with afterwards.
Four years ago my husband and I spent 23 days driving in Scotland. It was magical and something I plan on doing again. Ken was worried at first about driving on the left and sitting on the right side of the car, but he only almost killed us once. I am sure the truck driver recovered after a few shots of whisky after he got home. I have never been to a more beautiful area before. When we were on a boat entering Loch Ness, I cried. I felt like I'd come home. My mother was almost a full Scot so I have plenty of genes who were happy to be there. The people were wonderful, the drivers were patient, and the people we met in the B&Bs were great hosts. In one sentence how would I describe our trip: We were so close to heaven we could almost hear the flutter of angel wings.

Do you belong to any other RWA chapters or writing groups?
My land chapter is Sacramento Valley Rose. My online chapters and groups are From the Heart, Hearts Through History, Writers Playground, Music City, Scandalous Victorians and Sweethearts of the West.

You’ve recently signed with a publisher. Tell us about your writing journey before and after this point in your life, and the details about your upcoming releases.
My writing journey started twenty-two years ago and finally on Christmas Eve reached its destination. I know, I've been accused of being stubborn but I would rather call it being persistent. I lived in a mountain community and it took me a half hour to drive to the property management office where I worked. Every day on the commute I ran my first ideas of a story though my mind, and then one weekend sat at my computer and typed for ten hours and had the skeleton of the entire story written. What did I know about writing a story -- absolutely nothing. I just knew I needed to write.

In November, 1999, I joined RWA and Sacramento Valley Rose and that is actually where my writing career started. I handed my manuscript to a friend with high hopes that it was so good...well, you know the scenario. She read a couple of pages and handed it back. "Don't you know what POV is?" Actually, I'd never heard of POV. From that point on I listened to writers, attended every workshop I could, started attending RWA National, taking online classes, etc. Fortunately for me, Carla Capshaw entered my life and with the patience of a saint and the skill of a great writer (she won two GH awards) I started to become a writer. I would suppose you can say that I am a writer because of the friends I have met in RWA. They never gave up on me. I listened and took constructive criticism well. I wanted to learn to write a good story. Low contest scores discouraged me, but I never gave up. Rejection was a big part of my years, but I finally started taking what I could learn and forgot the rest.

I had heard Desert Breeze Publishing was accepting submissions. Like with the others, I sent my best story to them without thinking anything would come of it. So, on Christmas Eve when I received an email at 10:30 pm with an offer for my series of five stories, I couldn't breathe. I sucked all the air out of the room saying, "WOW" for a long time. It was too late to wake the sleeping bear upstairs, way too late to call my critique partners in Florida and Texas. I had to crawl into bed without telling a soul - and, considering how much I like to talk, you can imagine how difficult that was for me.

I have five stories centered around or on the way to my imaginary town of Paradise Pines in the Sierra Mountains of California. The first three are centered around the Benjamin sisters and the other two are the MacGregor brothers during the gold rush era. Four of my stories are finished and I've started on the fifth. Night Angel will be epublished August 21st and the rest, Marriage Bargain, Forever After, Broken Promise and One-eyed Charly are to be released at six month intervals after the first.