Blogger: Michelle Ule
Sitting in for Wendy who is out of the office again today.
How important is a Scottish setting to a novel?
Today in my Zumba class, the women were surprised to hear I was a novelist and asked me how “juicy” my romances were.
Uh, not quite what they were looking for.
But they got into a discussion of the glories of Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander series, and I listened closely.
Gabaldon’s series is a time travel story between Jacobite Scotland and modern times. (The first one, published in 1992, moved back and forth between 1743 and 1946.)
One woman has read all the books, listened to audio versions several times, watches the TV series (on STARZ) and is headed to Scotland for a celebration soon.
The other women drooled. “I love Scotland,” more than one said.
I smiled.
I like Scotland, too.
And so do a lot of other people. Goodreads has 81 pages of listings for “Scottish novels,” leading off with my husband’s favorites by Sir Walter Scott.
Why?
Twenty years or so ago, Harlequin surveyed readers about what they liked to read.
(I’m sorry, I can’t find the link explaining this.)
The publishing staff weren’t too surprised by the answers until they came to the “Other” category. “Scottish historical novels” outperformed some of the standard options that required only a check mark rather than having to write in the category.
Surprised, they looked into past sales history and discovered that, indeed, Scottish historical romances almost always garnered strong sales. How could they have missed this?
As a result of the survey, Harlequin made the obvious decision to regularly publish Scottish historicals.
Liz Curtis Higgs’ 2003 Thorn in My Heart, launched the fascination in the CBA world for a Scottish setting.
What is it specifically about a Scottish setting that drives the interest?
Kilts?
Misty craggy peaks?
Red hair?
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s uprising?
Braveheart?
My love for Scotland began earlier with Mary Stewart‘s romantic suspense The Ivy Tree. It segued into Mary Elgin’s fun series beginning with Highland Masquerade and elicited a long laugh with Elizabeth Peter’s merry Prince Charles doppleganger escaping the palace in the 1970s, Legend in Green Velvet (pre-Diana, Peters herself described this funny novel as “nonsense”).
Are the novels with Scottish settings describing a real place?
When my daughter-in-law and I visited Scotland in 2010 (finding her Hay heritage tartan while there), I insisted on a one-day tour around the country. Our time was limited, but I wanted to see some of the settings of these novels.
Of course we rode a boat across Loch Ness, admired the hillsides, got a gander at tartan making and ate scones with our tea.
The craggy mountains were moody, and while we didn’t frolic in any glens, I could imagine them by the chill streams full of salmon.
We hard a bagpiper or two and stopped at a forlorn, broken castle.
My camera hardly stopped taking photos.
But it was the tour guide who made me laugh.
“I don’t know what it is about Scotland that makes the tourists come. Have you ever considered, we’re just like Africa? Tribal, poor, ruled by others, swarthy-skinned and wild?”
Sounds like plenty of conflict opportunities to me!
What are your theories about the attraction of a Scottish setting?
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I don’t get it. My memories of Scotland are cold, wet and muddy summers, and cold dark winters. The scenery is pretty, but nothing to write home about.
Or are my views tainted because I live in New Zealand?
Wow, lucky you, Iola. I’ve always wanted to visit New Zealand. 🙂
I, as well, would love to visit New Zealand. The pictures I’ve seen of the landscape are breathtakingly beautiful.
Scotland – where the grass is truly greener (on account of the rain; thus Iola’s damp memories).
Michelle –
There is something about Scotland. The beautiful scenery, the quiet of the lush countryside, the intrigue of the old castles, the Highland cattle – I love it all. I have often thought that if I could steal away anywhere to write for a few months, I would go to Scotland.
Oh I dunno. Long-haired men in kilts? 😉
I like the sound of spoken Gaelic and have a lot of Gaelic music. I like the tradition of the old clans… at least how they are portrayed in literature. Their turbulent history. The sorrow in the landscape as well as the beauty, and the tragedy of Culloden and its aftermath… it’s heart wrenching, and sometimes I like a good heart wrench.
The Scottish accent is my favorite of all English-speaking accents, even when I can’t quite understand the words.
And they spell whisky with no e.
A good heart wrench … yes, Lori! 🙂
Scotland, my newfound love. 🙂 I’ve read Five Days in Skye which sparked my love for Scotland. But then I read Love’s Reckoning, which was set in America … and the Scottish accent slayed me, combined with the strong character figure, of course. I can’t overemphasize strong character figure enough. Oh, yes it did. I’m not so sure it’s Scotland, but the Scottish. I found myself looking up all the words she used so I would know exactly what they meant.
And Love’s Reckoning didn’t mention one kilt or bagpipe. That may have had me running the other direction. This man wore breeches and played a fiddle. 🙂
And I’d say it’s just being different from what I normally hear, but no other accents give me cause to pause. And I know I shouldn’t be admitting this … but therein lies the problem. 🙂
Shelli, I was thinking about Five Days in Skye too. LOVED that book.
I try to hear accents when I’m reading, and the Scottish one is one of my favorites too.
There is something about the history, the beauty of the country and the different culture that I suspect draws people. There’s almost a mystique about Scotland. I’d love to visit there some day. Clouds and all. 🙂
Shelli, Five Days in Skye has been on my TBR list for too long. Need to get to it…immediately!
You’ll love it, Meghan. 🙂
Well, they were Scots-Irish who traveled to that part of North America after Bonnie Prince Charlie was deposed. That’s part of the Appalacian (sp?) mystique as well.
Some large percentage of Americans have Scots-Irish blood in them, including me. Ancestors came after the battle of Culloden (sp? again)
Yes, Michelle. The history is really interesting to learn.
I have for some time intended to read the novels by George MacDonald, who was a mentor to Lewis Carroll and is said to have greatly influenced C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Madeline L’Engle. He was praised by G.K. Chesterton and admired by Oswald Chambers. A friend who is a voracious reader and book clubber endorses them as some of the best books she has ever read.
Michelle, thanks for the reminder. I think I will head to the library today.
They say MacDonald is best read in “translation,” because the dialect can be hard for modern readers to follow well.
One of my favourite places I have ever visited. There is something so romantic and lugubrious at the same time. And Edinburgh remains one of my favourite cities in the world!
Ooch, now, hear the rhapsodies of these lassies in the glen!
I love New Zealand, too, it would be a toss up which I’d prefer–you do have Amazon in NZ, right? 🙂
I’ll add a photo of your highland cattle, Lori.
Hmmm. My novels are set in WV where the people are often of Scotts-Irish descent . . . Tribal, poor, and wild certainly apply!
Hi Michelle,
I was surprised by your blog. The Outlander series is on my “to-read” list as both my mother and sister have read all the books and loved them to pieces. And my sister is not generally a fan of fantasy–although I am. (So how my sister got to these novels first, I’ll never understand). I just had no idea that Scotland was so alluring as a setting. Hmm. I’m a Celt by ancestry (both sides of the family) and my current WIP, while not set in Ireland, is strongly Irish in its inspiration. I’ve even used Google Street level to explore Irish rural areas and towns so that I can describe the setting of some of my scenes. In my next novel, I’ll have to consider Scotland as a location. It’d be a good excuse for a vacation in Scotland. My father’s parents were from Port Glasgow. I suspect, though (and maybe you will clarify this) that it is the highlands that are the star setting rather than the cities and port towns like Glasgow. My intuition tells me that it is the romantic, lonely, wild beauty of the highlands (like the Moors of Wuthering Heights) combined with the idea of meeting and enchanting a strong man in a kilt (preferably a chieftain) and ultimately being embraced not only by him but his whole clan that make novels set in Scotland a perfect world to escape into.
I think you’re right, Christine–it’s the countryside that appeals and dreamy Edinburgh, of course, with the castle on top of the hill.
I suspect the truth is most clan members were hungry, cold and poor. It’s rarely the sharecropper you read about–always the laird. Some of that may have to do with our desire for leadership–why else would anyone love a man like Braveheart?
I think you’ve hit it, Michelle. It’s the romantic dream of life in medieval or even dark ages Scotland. It’s being in the land of heather and hills, mists and magic. The reality would not have been that fun to live–even with the laird. 😉
I love novels set both in Scotland and Ireland. What do I love? I don’t know, there is something remote and wild and free about the setting. For such small countries the books always make the setting feel remote and untouchable. There is a strength to the characters, always fighting for freedom and independence. And within the melting pot of the U.S. or A. so many of us can trace our roots back. I am English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Cherokee. When I read Stephen Lawhead’s Robin Hood books set in ancient Whales, I get goosebumps. Brock and Bodie Thoene’s Irish trilogy thrill me. And bagpipes…is there anything more sorrowful and lovely than that? My heritage is a huge mix up of a lot of different places, but I get a little thrill when I read about these people. That is me, I suddenly feel. Just like my ancestors of so long ago.
Hmmm…there are spelling errors, so many spelling errors. Please, kindly ignore.
You know for Sir Walter Scott, who probably began the “romance of Scotland” as historical novels, Scotland was the wild area of the United Kingdom. Much like our western states, Scotland was where folks ran off to escape English society. The tension between the British sovereign and Scotland went on a long time (and still does for some Scots).
It’s only a four hour slow train ride from Edinburgh to London–it’s not that far away at all, albeit Hadrian’s Wall (or what remains of it) marks the division.
Great topic today, Michelle!
It gets me wondering about story settings in general. Would love to know if this group uses setting as a determining factor in what they choose to read. I certainly do. It also informs what I write. My stories start with setting way before the characters walk onstage.
If it’s set in England, the U.S. South, or West there’s a better chance I’ll read it over other settings.
Setting can play a major role and this post originally was intended to talk about settings and how to choose, but then I remembered the story about Scottish settings and it morphed from there.
I’ve been thinking about Iola’s point and it makes the other ingredient I had hoped to include–what makes Scotland so exceptional? New Zealand is just as beautiful, has younger and craggier mountains, is isolated and even has a tribe–the Maori. A lot of the inhabitants ancestors came from the UK and they have an accent.
So why have Scotland’s tales gained such a following and New Zealand’s have not?
Or, maybe we should try to change that! Christchurch Tales, anyone? 🙂
New Zealand … maybe a writer’s new opportunity?
A little bird told me … New Zealand author Kara Isaac has a contract for two CBA novels set in New Zealand. I don’t know the title, but I think the first releases in Feb 2016 and features a visit to Hobbiton.
Iola » Oh, see, I’ll look for that! 🙂
Parts of NZ resemble Scotland, especially in the South Island where Scottish immigrants founded the very Scottish city of Dunedin. My own heritage is a mix of English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish, almost in equal measures.
I’m fascinated with NZ history, especially as we didn’t learn much of it in school. So the more I find out about our past as an adult, the more I am fascinated. And oh, the stories I am learning! The things the pioneer women had to endure, as harsh as any American pioneer had to face. Such mixed reactions they received from the Maori tribes as well – either accepted and revered, or kidnapped and eaten. The world has certainly fallen in love with our scenery, thanks to the LOTR movies, but would they fall in love with our history? Why would families leave their homes in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and come to the furthest part of the world to start a life that in many respects is much more difficult than what they left behind? And if the earthquakes and weather and primitive conditions didn’t make them flee for Australia, what made them stay? And how did they survive? Would you want to read about a family’s journey of settling in a land far under the southern skies? I sure hope you do. I have a few brewing 😉
The mystique? I don’t pretend to understand. I have enjoyed novels set in Scotland, am interested in learning about my potential ancestral ties, and the bagpipe gives me the good kind of chills. But I beyond that, there’s no fascination for me. Then again, I am one of the few people I know who has no interest in Paris/France, so perhaps I’m just ‘different.’ 🙂
This is good information to keep stored in the writer’s mind, though. Who knows when the sound of the bagpipe will inspire a story? Thanks, Michelle!
I’m laughing at your comment, Melinda. A bagpipe played a major role in my Christmas novella The Yuletide Bride. Knowing so many people find them interesting, I included #bagpipes in all my tweets and ended up being followed on Twitter by the bagpiper for The Red Hot Chili Peppers–you never know where they’ll take you!
As I am an Outlander fan as well, I can understand he love of Scotland….who doesn’t want a hunky Scotsman in a kilt! But in all reality, it is more than that. Scotland has all that green! Soothing, calming green against mountains and rivers. It is rugged and mythical in looks. One can only imagine fairies roaming the grounds! When one reads a romance, they want to escape the realities of life. Scotland, with its untouched countryside and old world charm offers that escape against most of our own lives. It may not be just Scotland, but England’s countryside, the hills of Africa, the wineries of France, or the fields of New Zealand. They are all escapes…and that is the allure.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for answering the question if there are other places that conjure up romance just by their names! If you set a story there, you often catch an editor’s interest just because of the setting.
Well, I can’t speak for anyone else. I’m of Scottish descent (Clan Ross). I’ve attended many clan gatherings and highland games, and painted portraits of athletes and pipers. I met my husband in a ceilidh band. I love the music and language, and definitely feel a kinship with my fellow Scots.
Yet, I feel no urge to return to the land of my grandfather or to particularly seek out novels set there. Maybe this is because I know my roots. Maybe because I’m most satisfied here in the New World (even though I was born in Europe).
Maybe others relate to Scotland because it’s “exotic” without feeling “foreign”. I honestly don’t know.
Well, I met a Scottish woman recently living in California, married to an American. I asked if she missed Scotland. She replied, “I have to admit the Scottish accent still gets me. I speak to my broth’er on the phone and then pull back in embarrassment at my excitement…Aggggh, that is my brother!” She says there is nothing more sexy than a Scottish accent….even to her!
Silas Ballantyne.
That’s all I got.
😉
T’is enough.
ACH! Aye, t’is!
And the potential for hiring a Scottish guy to say “I am betrothed unto thee forever” and having it on a loop is just sooooooo tempting. Think of the swoon factor.
I wonder if Laura would go for that?
Amen.
Apparently, my comment from this morning never made it into the feed. Ugh.
I enjoyed your post, Michelle. I think some of what I love about the idea of Scotland is the greenery, the different culture and the accent. When I read books with Scottish characters, I try to “hear” it in my head as I read. 🙂 There’s a sort of mystique about Scotland (and Ireland in my mind) that I think might draw readers. 🙂
I loved your pictures!
And yet, when you’re in country talking to someone and you can’t understand a word they’re saying . . . it’s embarrassing.
Trust me on that one!
When we can’t understand, we do like Eden in Love’s Reckoning … just nod and gaze. And tame our hearts, if possible.
I do trust you, Michelle. 🙂 Years ago I listened to a book on CD by an author whose last name is MacDonald. I can’t remember his first name. He was a pastor in the 1800’s or early 1900’s I think. The books were written in the Scottish brogue. I loved listening. I confess, I had to rewind to catch some of the words and understand them based on context. 🙂
Jeanne, your comment was under mine. It’s there! 🙂 And yeah, I found myself looking under You Tube … how to speak Scottish! 🙂 Help me!
That’s funny, Shelli. I see my comment in response to your comment. BUt I can’t see the one I left. 🙂 Go figure.
Sorry if I left two similar comments, Michelle! 🙂
My pastor in Vancouver was from Dundee, Scotland.
And umm, let’s just say I can now do a SPOT ON Scottish accent.
I have to confess to being a long-time Diana Gabaldon fan, myself. Don’t worry…I skim past the steamy sections, with I have to admit is much more difficult with the new Starz series. Ugh. Why, why, why?
I think Scotland is intriguing for many of the reasons that everyone else has listed. I’d add one more. I’m not sure about today, but in their past, they were a much less cultured place. Fewer manners and social niceties. Life was hard and you survived by your wits and your connections. Many like to read Amish fiction because the culture is a little different from ours, but not totally foreign. I’d say the same happens with Scottish fiction. They’re a little different, but still relatable. We have fun imagining ourselves there.
By the way, if you’d like to see/hear me try to play the bagpipes, the video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1EKShBMHIM
Michelle, that was priceless! Loved it! 🙂
I loved the “Dad…dadadadadadad…”
Weird how our family movies have that same narration.
That was awesome!
I don’t read romance but, like so many others have mentioned here, I do have ancestors from that area and they’re only a few generations back so I know more about them than some of the other ancestors. Maybe that’s one reason why so many people like to read about that area.
Good point, Janet. We all envision those handsome men in kilts siring our ancestors, don’t we? 🙂
Hey, I’m a genealogist. I know I go back to the kings–like MacBeth’s family–ha!
For me it’s all about Big Country and Simple Minds.
I LOVED Big Country!!
I thought that pain and truth were things that really mattered but you can’t stay here with every single hope you have shattered.
Because reading about it takes me there—traveling there seven times is not enough. It’s cold and the weather’s wild, the people are friendly but dour and keep to themselves, there are more sheep than people, life in the Highlands is arduous just getting around, it has a history a mile and a half deep, the mountains are breath-taking, it’s a savage land producing tough people.
My draw to Scotland started in 1975, long before it was vogue. And, yes, my WIP is set in the Highlands on the sea. The research trip was fabulous!
Paul McCartney singing “Mull of Kintyre” always makes me want to learn to play the bagpipes, and sends me to Amazon to look for kilts…
Scotland is not important. It’s vital.
I’m pretty sure Sir Paul raised his family in Scorland. An obvious fan. 🙂
I rarely meet anyone who knows Mary Stewart and her novels. I cut my teeth on them in Junior High. Couldn’t get enough of them.
Mary Stewarts Merlin/Arthur books were wonderful additions to the Camelot lore. The Crystal Cave was a fantastic book.
Did you folks know Mary Stewart died last year? I was surprised to learn that just the other day: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/15/mary-stewart