I have been suffering from writers block lately. But really it is just percolating. By that I mean that I may not be writing but I am thinking writing. Trying to find what the characters want to do and become. I believe that Bernadette’s young sister, Agnes, is wanting to come in now. She has an interesting back story. After she was taken by the clan chief’s wife she was put into a convent where nun’s could take care of…..
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Since the RAVENHEART books are loosely based on the history of the late Middle Ages I have tried to do my research. Admittedly, Scottish (indeed British) history is a bit confusing with all the kings and potential kings, queens and usurpers, etc. The Stewart family is full of kings. And their line put kings on the British thrown as well. I am focusing on King James III, for a short time. He became King of Scotland at 8 years of…..
I have loosely based the Sligg Maith on Scottish Fairies. Much of the lore I use in the book comes from, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by John and Caitlin Matthews. Sligg are connected to the earth in a way that makes them a kind of caretaker of it. They often upset human plans by souring the milk before it gets to market, ruining crops for no reason, letting the cows out of the paddock, and etc. They are…..
Bernie’s Mum and Da were peasants who lived at the mercy of a lord or a chief. In Scotland, the clans were ruled by chieftains and they gave prestige and livelihood to the people who may or may not have been related to them. Laird (lord) and Chief are interchangeable. I used the word laird in the book. I made up the name McTigue, there is no tartan under that name as far as I know (actually, tartans weren’t worn…..
I’ve had people ask about Bernie’s light. The one that mysteriously gets noticed when she is moving around in the dark. Like running across the fields and forest to see her mum in the pit, and moving around in the cave. Where did that image come from? It is an actual experience that I have had in the dark of the night when I have had to move around outside. When I first moved to Colorado in late 1992, I…..
I’ve been thinking a lot about Bernie these days. What is she like now? What does she need now? What does she want? I think she is similar to a lot of seventeen year olds, in that she is strong willed, doesn’t put up with stupidity, and yet lacks a certain kind of confidence. She doesn’t really know how strong and capable she is. When she acts it is in the moment. She isn’t much of a planner, she just…..
In September of 2015, I found myself in Great Britain staying with a friend who patiently allowed me to follow her around on her errands and also took me places for sight seeing. I am sure I was overstaying my welcome a bit when a pet sitting job came up across the street and I was volunteered for it. I took that opportunity to start writing. A piece about a medieval washer woman was roving around in my mind. Boring,…..
Welcome. My name is Melissa Johnson, author of Ravenheart. I’m so happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about my new book. This project is very special to me, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you here. I’ll be using this blog to interact with you about Ravenheart, expanding on some of the topics in it and blogging on some of the ideas related to my book. This is a great place…..