Follow the tour HERE
**Finalist in the 2022 American Writing Awards**
Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s
popular Outlander books and television series, but few know
that Gabaldon’s fictional Castle Leoch was inspired by a real Scottish castle,
Castle Leod. The two sisters who lived there at the turn of the twentieth
century were among the most fascinating and talked-about women of their
era.
Lady Sibell Mackenzie is a spiritualist, a
believer in reincarnation, and a popular author of mystical romances. Petite
and proper, she values tradition and duty. Her younger sister Lady Constance,
swimming champion and big game hunter, is a statuesque beauty who scandalizes
British society with her public displays of Greek-style barefoot dancing. The
differences between the sisters escalate into conflict after Sibell inherits
their late father’s vast estates and the title 3rd Countess of Cromartie. But
it is the birth of Sibell’s daughter that sets in motion a series of bizarre
and tragic events, pitting sister against sister and propelling Sibell on a
desperate mission to challenge the power of fate.
Sisters of Castle Leod, by award-winning author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, is
the emotionally charged story of two sisters torn apart by jealousy and
superstition, and the impossible leap of faith that could finally bring them
together.
Buy Links:
This title will be available on
#KindleUnlimited.
.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨) ✮ ( ¸.•´✶
FUN FACTS
My writing of SISTERS
OF CASTLE LEOD started with a ghostly (maybe) visitation. When I began to
think about writing SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD, I wanted it to be a
first-person narrative but was undecided about which sister’s point of view would be
best for telling the story. Late one night, I awoke to see what appeared to be
a figure in a red hooded cloak hovering near my bed. Though I was intrigued,
and maybe a bit unnerved, I brushed it off as a trick of shadow and light, and
I quickly fell back asleep. The next day, I began reading one of the many
mystical romance novels written by Sibell Mackenzie, 3rd Countess of Cromartie,
and in the very first chapter, the young female protagonist dons a hooded scarlet
cloak. Thinking “someone” might be trying to tell me something, I made a choice to narrate the sisters’ story in Sibell’s voice. I guess I love reading meaning into things that may have no meaning—much as Sibell
does.
.jpg)
Sibell, Constance,
and I could be related. Once I had started writing the novel, my nephew, who
is quite good at genealogical research, informed me of the high likelihood that
I was distantly related to my main characters, Sibell and Constance Mackenzie. The
thought had occurred to me before since their mother was a MacDonald, and the
Hutchison Clan (Hutchison is my birth surname) is related to the MacDonald
Clan. This possible connection had nothing to do with my initial interest in
writing about the sisters but did perhaps reinforce the kinship I already felt
with my characters.
I was a musician before
I was a writer. I
was a touring musician, and a songwriter, long before I became a published
author. I’ve written more than a hundred songs in varying genres, from country
to smooth jazz to New Age. Music has always been important to me and plays a
central role in my second work of historical fiction, TEMPTATION RAG: A NOVEL. If
I count unpublished writing, however, my love for the written word goes back to
my elementary school days, when I attempted to write my first book. Just a
couple of weeks ago, I unearthed from a long-neglected file cabinet some additional
early writings, from my twenties, and I learned a lot about myself from reading
them. Scary to realize that the stories I wrote in the 1970s would today
qualify as historical fiction!
I am what is often
called, in writing circles, a pantser. Among writers, there are pantsers
and there are plotters. I am most definitely a pantser, which
means that my writing process is somewhat by the seat of my pants. I am not
much of an advance plotter, preferring not to outline my work but to let it
unfold organically. Of course, when writing biographical historical fiction
about real people and events, such as my novel SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD,
one automatically has somewhat of a framework from which to start. But I still
find plenty of room for imagination, and I try to flow in whatever direction my
characters and instincts lead me. No Excel spreadsheet, please!
As a child, I fantasized
about becoming a nun or a Spanish dancer. I am neither Catholic nor Spanish,
but at some time in my young life, I was exposed to these very
different personas—a nun and a Spanish dancer—which were imprinted on my
imagination. My mental picture of a nun was a solemn woman in long black robes traversing
the dark corridors of an ancient monastery, a lit candle in hand, perhaps on
her way to take part in some secret ritual. The Spanish dancer, in her red
ruffled dress and high heels, clicking her castanets with downcast eyes and a
provocative smile, was an image I found equally mysterious. There is no
question that I was drawn to the Mackenzie sisters of my novel because they so
perfectly represent this same polarity—Sibell, the quiet spiritualist, and
author of mystical novels about reincarnation and eternal love, and Constance, swimming
champion and big game hunter, shocking British society with her public
performances of barefoot dancing on the stages of London, Paris, and New York. I
doubt I’m the only one whose childhood fantasies have somehow stuck with them
to influence their later life. I’d love to hear your story…
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
A former touring musician/songwriter and public relations professional, Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is the author of two Amazon bestsellers: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR, "a compelling historical novel steeped in mystery with strong elements of a medical thriller" (Readers' Favorite, 5 stars), and TEMPTATION RAG: A NOVEL, a "resonant novel ... about the birth and demise of ragtime ... luxuriously crafted" (Publishers Weekly). Her books have been finalists for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Awards, and Arizona Literary Contest; they have received 5-star ratings from Readers” Favorite, Book Readers Appreciation Group, and historical fiction Discovered Diamonds. Elizabeth and her family live near Phoenix, Arizona.
Website Twitter Facebook Instagram BookBub Amazon Author Page Goodreads
Thank you so much for hosting Five Fun Facts for Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard. x
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure.
Delete