TRAVELING TO SCOTLAND TO FINISH "BLACK GROTTO"

Eileen Donan Castle Near the Isle of Sky

GOING TO SCOTLAND TO FINISH MY NEW BOOK

I'm very excited. I've been working on my new fantasy novel, Black Grotto, now for several months. I'm within 6 or 7 chapters of finishing the first draft, and I've decided to travel to Scotland for three weeks to finish it in the country where the story takes place. I'm going to travel to some of the locations mentioned in the book, and I know it will be a great trip and that being in Scotland will be inspiring and important to the novel. Wish me luck!

Who knows, maybe I'll even meet Fergus Lister while I'm there!  He's the Bauman's old taxi driver that lives in Leith. I'd love to sit and talk with him and have a beer! I'll let you know how it goes when I get home!

BLACK GROTTO: Short Excerpt From The Beginning Of Chapter 21

BLACK GROTTO 

Excerpt

This is a short excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 21 that I'd like to share with you. Bea has been on her quest for several months and is going to what she believes will be her final destination before returning home. Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers.

Chapter 21

The Stones

February 13, 2023

The black, wet pavement passed beneath the humming tires of Bea’s dark blue Mini. Another road trip lay ahead. She rolled along in a meditative and thoughtful mood that matched the low hanging clouds and soft drizzle that covered her windshield. Her body was swaying slightly with each curve and dip in the road as she casually grasped the steering wheel with one hand; the other lay atop the leather knob of the gearshift. Almost without thinking, she changed gears at the whim of her car’s engine, the demands of the road, and her own need for power and acceleration.

Traveling north out of Glen Coe, Bea’s neurons hummed in sync with her car but journeyed faster and farther and covered more ground. She sensed that going back to her birthplace – to the Stones – would be exhilarating, sure, but also very unsettling. There was no way for her to know what would happen once she arrived. Her newfound spiritual connection to the earth’s deep magic in conjunction with everything that she had learned on her quest would more than likely unearth several new and unexpected experiences. The thought made her chuckle to herself as she realized…actually, her entire journey had been that way. “Why would this be any different?”

Today’s drive would be a little over two hundred miles. So she let go of her anxious thoughts and focused on her car, the feel of the engine, the lines on the ebony pavement, and the scenes that flew by her window.

Once more, she passed by the Three Sisters and continued farther north on A82 back through Fort William. She almost didn’t look up at Ben Nevis as she drove by, but finally glanced, just once. Her path then went through Inverness where she turned west towards the ferry terminal at Ullapool. Her tires then ceased to roll as she caught the ferry to the Isle of Lewis, finally arriving in the town of Stornoway. As it docked, she slipped back into the driver’s seat and was ushered off the ferry with only a short drive left to her destination, the Royal Hotel.

Bea pulled up in front of her family’s favorite old inn and parked her car on the street. She couldn’t help but smile as she glanced at its white-stucco exterior inlaid with rows of four-paned windows and capped by a flat charcoal-grey roofline. The building sat next to the wharf. Sailboats bobbed carefree in the water, and the hotel had always had a homey feel inside as well as out. She could already visualize the warm and rustic rooms with their expansive views overlooking the harbor. She had been there recently with her family, just prior to her eighteenth birthday, but she hadn’t been nearly as curious then as now. Her life had turned a corner, and she knew that her world would never look or feel the same.