Talking Location With … Julie Shackman – THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

3rd April 2023

Talking Location with…. Julie Shackman, author of A Scottish Country Escape – THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Location and setting for me, are vitally important in a story.

I love visualising the sights, smells and noise when I’m reading a book, so that I feel transported to that place.

I hope my Scottish Escapes feel-good romances with the HarperCollins imprint One More Chapter, are no exception to this rule.

A Scottish Country Escape, my latest release, is based in my fictitious Scottish Highland town of Fir Haven. I always give my towns and villages made-up names, but all of them are based upon the assorted, beautiful locations I have visited, read about or travelled through in Scotland.

Loch Lomond is not a million miles away from where I live and that has been a great source of inspiration to me.

From its rugged hills, studded with heather, to its chocolate box pretty village of Luss, not to mention its silvery loch, it is not difficult to see why it is such a popular tourist attraction.

Loch Lomond

I think writers are often like magpies. I know I am! I tend to choose elements of scenery, buildings and landscapes from an array of areas and then mould them together, to create my own setting for my characters to inhabit.

In A Scottish Country Escape, I wanted to create the feeling of natural beauty and escapism. Without hopefully giving too much away about the plot, there is an element of mysticism and the history of places like Loch Lomond and its surrounding hills and woodland, encapsulates that for me.

Wildlife and a nature reserve also feature heavily in my latest plot and I was also influenced by Loch Lomond’s Trossachs National Park and its abundance of rolling hillsides and woodlands.

So too, did the magical walks in the area, which comprise of the likes of Doon Hill and Fairy Know. They gave me added inspiration for these mystical elements of my story. It is a circular route that passes by woods, countryside and riverside. You half expect the Tooth Fairy and Tinkerbell to flutter out from behind a nearby tree to say hello!

Look out too for the ancient pine at the top of Doon Hill. Legend has it, that the tree is a doorway to the Fairy Queen’s palace.

Falls of Falloch

Reverend Robert Kirk’s spirit was said to have become trapped in there after daring to reveal secrets about the fairies way back in 1691.

I mentioned the gorgeous little town of Luss before. It was in fact the setting for the Scottish television soap High Road many years ago and is a conservation village, fringing the shores of Loch Lomond, with stunning views across to Ben Lomond.

It was these dinky, stone cottages which inspired me with the cottages I created for A Scottish Country Escape – warm, comforting and cosy.

The theme of fairies remains evident in the Luss general store, with its stock of ethereal related gifts.

Another Scottish location, which has provided me with so much creative inspiration for my writing, is Strathyre in Stirling.

It is a breath-taking concoction of a Victorian village by the River Balveg. Described as the Gateway to the Highlands, it is a pleasurable sight of forests, loch and mountains.

Its claim to fame in September 1803, was that William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy stayed in the village and took walks in the local hills.

Wordsworth is said to have been inspired to write his poem, The Solitary Reaper, following his stay in the village.

It is the combination to beauty, escapism and wildlife, that inspired me to re-create this as the back drop to A Scottish Country Escape.

I would suggest that if you wish to undertake your very own literary tourism, you immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the area you wish to visit. It isn’t just about what a place looks like. I think it should trigger memories and emotions and make you feel something. Then you can translate that to your writing.

Also, take your notebook and pen with you, wherever you go, not just when you embark on a particular visit to a specific area. Carry it with you on your every day. You might just stumble across an unusual building, shop, monument, something in a local park or on a local walk close to home. They can all provide inspiration and trigger a variety of ideas for suture stories.

Enjoy your literary tours and let the creative juices flow, so that you can create your own imaginative settings!

Julie Shackman

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[cover photo courtesy One More Chapter]

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