How standing stones and kisses inspired 'Kissing the Highlander' anthology
Willa Blair and her fellow authors in the Kissing the Highlander collection of five novellas (coming Feb. 10) share with us how ancient standing stones inspired their stories. Kissing the Highlander is available for preorder now.
Willa: What brings five bestselling historical romance authors together to create a collection of their work? How about men in kilts, feisty heroines and mysterious standing stones in the wilds of Scotland? Set in different time periods, these five novellas have a common theme: that love can be found with a little help from ancient standing stones and a wee kiss or two.
Keep reading to find out why this idea excited each author and how they incorporated standing stones into their stories in Kissing the Highlander.
Terry Spear, author of His Wild Highland Lass
Observing the natural wonder of the Scottish Highlands, my heroine is awestruck. Who wouldn't be, to see the ancient monolithic stones? Only she captures the eye of the laird who owns the land, and he thinks she is just as awe-inspiring.
About His Wild Highland Lass: Lady Sorcha Barclay fled her brother-in-law's castle due to his unwelcome advances. A circle of standing stones captures her attention and she catches the eye of the local laird. Laird Ronan Daziel gives Sorcha a home. He's duty-bound to take a wife to ensure a clan pact. Taking Sorcha to wife could lead to battle. How can he wed another when she stole his heart? (Check out more today on HEA from Terry Spear.)
Eliza Knight, author of The Highlander's Charm
Stone circles have this enchanting draw — whether you see them on television, in a picture or you're standing right in the center. It's visceral — you can feel it in your bones. When my characters come upon the standing stones, a place Catriona has seen before, she loves watching Samuel's awestruck reaction. There's an element of romanticism that tugs two people together — and the allure of a kiss is too hard to resist.
About The Highlander's Charm: English knight Samuel de Mowbray is determined to save his sisters from the Highlanders who stole them. But while in Scotland his loyalties waver and a feisty, headstrong lass could destroy everything he believes. Determined to save her clan, Catriona Buchanan must travel north to ask for help. Unfortunately, to do so, she must trust the Englishman. But there is something different about him and she can't help but be captivated by Samuel, and his steamy kisses.
Willa Blair, author of Heart of Stone
Since I recently visited Clava Cairns in Scotland, my imagination went zing! over the idea of standing stones. What those sentinels must have witnessed through the years! For Heart of Stone, I thought it would be fun for Gavan to stumble on an enigmatic lass within a stone circle. Whether their love is due to the megaliths or the efforts of Marsali's precocious Scottish deerhound, the result is a romance with a touch of magic and mystery.
About Heart of Stone: Marsali Murray doesn't really believe weaving a chain of bluebells within the circle of standing stones under a waxing moon will bring true love, but she's desperate for more adventure than she'll ever have in her remote village. Little does Gavan MacNabb know the lass he meets one moonlit night, the spell she sings and her determined deerhound will change the course of his life.
Victoria Roberts, author of Kilts and Kisses
Scotland's dramatic landscapes have witnessed thousands of years of human history. Whether or not you believe the standing stones are positioned for astrological reasons or as burial markers, etc., that is something modern-day archaeologists can speculate about. But when two young lovers who don't believe in such superstitions meet at a stone circle in 1607, will their fate be sealed by a single kiss — or by the mysterious standing stones?
About Kilts and Kisses: Ceana Gunn wants nothing more than to see her clan the way it was when her father was still laird. But her uncle has other ideas. Ceana soon determines that the only refuge to be found is in the arms of her enemy. When Luthais MacKay is left in charge of the MacKay clan, he discovers a mysterious woman on his lands and vows to unravel her secrets…one layer at a time.
Vonda Sinclair, author of My Captive Highlander
Visiting some of Scotland's standing stone circles such as Callanish and Ring of Brodgar inspired me to want to include an ancient site in a story. Though no one truly knows what these monuments signified to the people who put them in place, we know the stones had to be incredibly important to them. To us, they are mystical and mystifying and they make our imaginations go wild with speculation. What if one of the stones had a special purpose — drawing two people together and bonding them in a soul-deep love that would last forever? That is one of the questions in my story, My Captive Highlander.
About My Captive Highlander: After a galley wreck in a storm, Shamus MacKenzie is taken hostage by the enemy MacDonalds. Maili, sister of the ruthless chief, feels compelled to bring this dark warrior food and see to his injuries. With one forbidden kiss, Shamus steals her heart. Can he convince the enchanting lass to help him escape the dungeon, preventing a battle between their clans and saving many lives?