Hi! I’m Betsy Dornbusch, author of Archive of Fire, Books of the Seven Eyes, and The Silver Scar (forthcoming June 2018 from Skyhorse) and lots of novellas and short stories. I’m so excited to participate in the Month of Joy at Skiffy and Fanty!
My first happy place is writing, but my desk is dull and messy, riddled with whisky bottles, teacups, pens, maps, bullet casings, and the random sword. (Don’t judge, I’m on deadline.) So I thought I’d go with my second happy place: which is basically everywhere I travel. I spent three weeks last June in Italy with my family and hanging out with a friend in Scotland. Yes, packing for Scorching to Rather Chilly in a carryon was a challenge.
Italy is amazing, but I fell in love with Scotland. It might be the mountains, the moody weather, the constant sea views, or that it was light nearly all night. Or it might have been that for the past year I’ve been dreaming of and writing about Scotland for my new series of fantastical mystery books set in the Highlands, primarily Inverness, Loch Ness, and the area around Beaufort, the old Clan Fraser of Lovat seat. I thought I’d share a few photos indicative of my trip and I hope these scenes from locations in the first book give you a few moments of peace and joy in this new year.
A fragment of Hadrian’s Wall – and it really is a lot taller on the Scotland side
Aldourie Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. No sign of Nessie, but she’s in there! (at least in my books)
River Beauly. Looks like a likely spot for a murder, doesn’t it?
Some of my very distant relations rest in the mass grave under this stone at Culloden Moor
Inverness at about 3 am after a few pints
Finally, no trip to Scotland is complete without a stop by the Writers Museum in Edinburgh
Thanks for taking a quick trip to Scotland with me!
Betsy Dornbusch is the author of several fantasy short stories, novellas, and novels, including the BOOKS OF THE SEVEN EYES trilogy and THE SILVER SCAR, forthcoming from Night Shade Books in 2018. When she’s not writing or speaking at conventions, she reads, snowboards, and watches Denver sports and punk rock concerts. Betsy and her family split their time between Boulder and Grand Lake, Colorado. You can find her online at http://betsydornbusch.com and on twitter.
