Cozy Travels: Scotland + Happy News

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good road trip. While I haven’t been able to travel in quite a few years, that hasn’t stopped me from reading books that whisk me away to regions far and wide. Recently, I’ve been wanting to share some of my virtual traveling finds with you, friends, so I’m starting something new called Cozy Travels. This will be a book spotlight featuring at least one book for any specific location.

Grab a blanket and your favorite flavor of tea or cocoa, then settle in for our first Cozy Travels trip.

Cozy Travels: Scotland

Scotland has long been one of my favorite countries, ever since I was really little and discovered actor Sean Connery had the best accent. I’m always happy to read books set in this beautiful country.

I had the joy of editing our first book. It was a delightful return to Scotland in book four of The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy series.

Beyond Her Calling by Kellyn Roth

Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.

Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.

When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.

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Our second book is a recent discovery for me. It was a heartfelt stand-alone WWI story that took place at a makeshift field hospital that took over a Scottish castle. Yep, that was a premise I couldn’t resist, and it was very beautifully written too, pun intended.

Beauty Among Ruins by J’Nell Ciesielski

American socialite Lily Durham is known for enjoying one moment to the next, with little regard for the consequences of her actions. But just as she is banished overseas to England as a “cure” for her frivolous ways, the Great War breaks out and wreaks havoc. She joins her cousin in nursing the wounded at a convalescent home deep in the wilds of Scotland at a crumbling castle where its laird is less than welcoming.

Alec MacGregor has given his entire life to preserving his home of Kinclavoch Castle, but mounting debts force him to sell off his family history bit by bit. Labeled a coward for not joining his countrymen in the trenches due to an old injury, he opens his home to the Tommies to make recompense while he keeps to the shadows. But his preference for the shadows is shattered when a new American nurse comes streaming into the castle on a burst of light.

Lily and Alec are thrown together when a series of mysterious events threatens to ruin the future of Kinclavoch. Can they put aside their differences to find the culprit before it’s too late, or will their greatest distraction be falling in love?

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The next book is the first in my favorite trilogy of Sarah Sundin’s, Sunrise at Normandy. These books don’t spend a lot of time in Scotland, from what I recall, but they’re definitely worth mentioning.

The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin

In 1944, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton arrives in London to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. He works closely with Dorothy Fairfax, a “Wren” in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), who pieces together reconnaissance photographs with holiday snapshots of France—including those of her own family’s summer home—in order to create accurate maps of Normandy. Maps that Wyatt turns into naval bombardment plans for D-day.

As the two spend time together in the pressure cooker of war, their deepening friendship threatens to turn into something more. But both of them have too much to lose to give in to love . . .

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Which books set in Scotland have you enjoyed?
Which locations (domestic or international) would you like to see featured in Cozy Travels?

Happy News

Friends, I was asked to take part in an online magazine’s debut edition, and it is now live. If you want to hop over to the website for Sky’s the Limit Press, their literary journal (hosted by Grace A. Johnson) is now available right on the website.

There is a plethora of articles from many different writers, so I’m sure there’s something for just about everybody to find interesting in this new online magazine. If you want to skip down to my part (you are my readers here, after all), navigate down to pages 36-37. The book I mention in my part of the interview is found here.

Thank you, Grace, for the opportunity to take part in your debut magazine edition!

Registration Is Open!

Another Write In Faith Camp session is right around the corner, and I’m busy preparing for it these next two weeks when I’m not painting a rent house or tutoring middle school students. WIF Camp is a virtual writing camp open to Christian writers of all ages, and every writer gets to set their own word count goal (or page or chapter count, if those work better for you).

It’s so inspiring to me to come together with fellow writers from around the world to spend time in fellowship and chasing down those sometimes elusive and never-ending words to fill up a new story idea… or an old one. I hope you’ll come get a WIF of writing with us in April!

Registration is now open, through March 25. Camp will be the full month of April. More details, including the registration form, are found on the official camp page of this site.

If you don’t receive an e-mail from writeinfaithcamp@yahoo.com within 48 hours of submitting the form, please e-mail me there to let me know. Google Forms usually works well for me, but it does glitch on rare occasions.

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