Often times, readers will
ask where I get my source of inspiration for my stories. And my answer is
simple. My travels! I’ve been blessed with several adventures to
England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Each time I’ve visited, I have started a
story and/or series. Thank goodness for my leather travel journal.
With my recent new release, MAGNAR, The Wolves of Clan Sutherland, Book 1, I uncovered a treasure trove of inspiration.
During our trip several years ago to Northern Scotland and the Orkney Islands, my husband and I were fortunate to have a personal guide escort us. David Ladd was exceptional in his knowledge—from referencing the names of flowers in the most obscure places to the wildlife and history, especially during our travels on Orkney. He took us on an amazing adventure, oftentimes off the well-worn path, revealing spectacular vistas. I shall always treasure our time with him and for allowing me to crawl into the Tomb of the Eagles in South Ronaldsay, Orkney. For a few hazarding moments, I worried David and my husband when I had trouble getting out of the small tomb. Was I worried? No.
Before I entered, rain and wind pelted us on our mile walk up the hill. Once I crawled inside the small tomb, I stood and encountered utter silence—no howling wind and no rain leaked through the crevices of stone. It was as if I entered another time and place—literally. Here were my immediate reactions within this cairn: Peace. Stillness. I am not alone.
Let me explain further about the Tomb of the Eagles…
Located above the dramatic South Ronaldsay cliffs, the
Isbister Chambered Cairn—better known today as the ‘Tomb of the Eagles’—is one
of Orkney's top archaeological sites. Discovered by a local farmer Ronnie
Simison in the 1950s, the Stone Age tomb revealed an amazing collection of
bones and artifacts, placed here some 5,000 years ago. Among the human bones,
there were many talons and bones of the white-tailed eagle.
The Tomb of Eagles played an important part in the book. I took my experience and wove it into the story and through Magnar.
To learn more visit: http://www.tomboftheeagles.co.uk/
