WARRIOR'S SECRET (Book #2: The Pict Wars) is available on preorder!

Exciting news! WARRIOR'S SECRET (Book #2: The Pict Wars) has a publication date: November 28 2019. Can't wait for you to meet Ailene and Muin!

Some secrets will break your heart. Friends to lovers and unrequited love set in Ancient Scotland.

Ailene is the bandrui—seer—of The Eagle tribe. With her role comes much responsibility. She lives a solitary existence and prefers it that way. Ailene doesn’t realize that her best friend Muin is in love with her.  

Muin is The Eagle chieftain's son. He's loved Ailene since they were children yet has never gotten up the courage to tell her. But with their island under siege from marauders from the mainland he's running out of time. 

It’s only when Ailene dreams of Muin's death that she starts to see her best friend in a different light … only has her change of heart come too late? 

➡️Preorder your copy here and it will be delivered to your Kindle on November 28th!

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Just 10 days till THE ROGUE'S BRIDE launches!

THE ROGUE'S BRIDE is now available on preorder ... and will be released on June 20th!

Book #3 of The Brides of Skye series has been a real journey for me. Get ready for an angsty, complex, and highly emotional story of revenge, redemption—and love.

Some things cannot be forgotten—or forgiven. The widow trying to forge a new life for herself. The man she once spurned bent on revenge.

Caitrin is a widow left to rule her husband’s territory alone. The survivor of a loveless, unhappy marriage, she vows never to let another man control her. Instead, she finds herself in charge of a vast estate.

Alasdair MacDonald returns from war to discover his sister-in-law is chatelaine over his dead brother’s lands—territory that now belongs to him.

Caitrin has haunted Alasdair’s dreams from the moment she spurned him years earlier. He’s never gotten over it, or forgiven her for breaking his heart by choosing his elder brother over him. Now he has a chance for vengeance, to take her young son and her new-found freedom from her. Only he soon discovers that his long dormant feelings for the beautiful widow can’t be so easily set aside.

Release date, June 20th—preorder your copy today!

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Scottish folklore on the Isle of Skye: The Old Man of Storr

The Old Man of Storr (Wikipedia image)

While researching a setting for BATTLE EAGLE (my current work in progress, Book #3: The Warrior Brothers of Skye), I came across The Old Man of Storr—a unique stone formation on the north of the island.

Actually, this landmark has some fascinating stories attached to it, which have inspired me! I have my characters going to a Gathering of the Tribes here.

I'll get to the folklore in a minute, but first, some detail about what this land mark actually is.

Situated off the west coast of Scotland, the Isle of Skye is known for its beautiful scenery and unique land formations.The 160ft tall pinnacle stands below the 600ft cliffs of the Storr itself. The spectacular ridge of hills (the result of a massive landslip) that runs for about 30km, form the backbone of the Trotternish peninsula in the north east of Skye contains one of the islands most recognisable landmarks, the Old Man of Storr (in Gaelic ‘Bodach an Stòrr’).

Giants, brownies and fairies

Brownie (source: Wikipedia)

There are plenty of tales attached to The Old Man of Storr. One story goes that the Storr is the thumb of a giant who then became buried in the earth after his death. Another version of this is that while fleeing from attackers two giants—husband and wife—made the error of looking back and turned to stone.

Another story features a brownie. In this tale, a man saved the life of a brownie but never asked for anything in return. The pair became good friends and after the man died (of a broken heart following the death of his wife), the brownie carved two stones, one became the Old Man of Storr, and the smaller one his wife.

The brownies, fairies (or the Fair Folk as they're named in my books) are often found in Scottish folklore. The are both beautiful and terrifying, and often trick humans. In this story, the fairy folk offer an elderly man the chance to always have his wife with him. Previously, the man would walk up to the top of a hill with his wife, but she is now too old. The old man accepts but it is a trick and the fairy folk turn both he and his wife to pillars of rock, ensuring that they would indeed always remain together.

Find out more about these fascinating stories on The Haunted Palace Blog.

Return to Dark Ages Isle of Skye!

BARBARIAN SLAVE has been released! 

This emotional tale about a Pictish warrior and a Roman noblewoman was released yesterday (January 31, 2018).  Already I've had some amazing feedback about the novel—it seems as if readers can't get enough about Dark Ages Scotland.

I've already started on Book #3 of the series, BATTLE EAGLE.

Here's what some early reviews are saying about BARBARIAN SLAVE so far

"Great story, bold characters, strong heroes and beautiful but also strong heroine. It was an emotional journey with several twists and turns." (Kathy, Goodreads) ★★★★★

Jayne Castel has an immersive style of prose. She builds a world full of texture and main characters and side characters that seem real for all that they are the heroes and heroines of their day. Her villains always have a chance of winning, and that is what makes the story so thrilling. Add in a love story that ties emotions to actions and consequences, and you have the components of a great story. Bury yourself in the past with this great book." (Celestine, Amazon/Goodreads) ★★★★★

"Loved it! This story had a very good storyline and a strong female heroine! Could not put it down." (Karen, Goodreads) ★★★★★

BARBARIAN SLAVE

He takes her as his warprize--but she enslaves his soul. Pict and Roman culture collide in this epic Historical Romance set in Dark Ages Scotland.

Lucrezia is the wife of a Roman soldier posted on the northernmost reach of the Empire. Locked in an unhappy marriage upon a desolate outpost, her hopes for happiness are slipping away. However, her life changes forever in the winter of 467 AD. Barbarians from the north band together and attack Hadrian's Wall.

Tarl mac Muin is a Pict warrior with a thirst for battle and glory. He's part of the Barbarian Conspiracy that will change history. But when he takes Lucrezia as his slave, he sets off a chain of events that neither of them could have foreseen.

In an epic adventure that starts at the Roman fort of Vindolanda at Hadrian's Wall and takes Lucrezia north to the wild shores of the Isle of Skye--she discovers love and happiness when she least expects it. Only, a shadow from the past risks ruining everything.

Get your copy here:

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What I learned about the Picts?

Researching BLOOD FEUD was great fun. The Isle of Skye is a fascinating setting and the history and culture of the Picts was one I loved immersing myself in. 

As well as gaining a lot of info online, I got out library books on the history and culture of the Picts. A friend also loaned me a book on Pictish symbols, which she'd bought during a visit to Aberdeen. All helped me add depth and color to my story.

Here are some of the discoveries I made about the Picts (specifically those who were likely to have lived upon the Isle of Skye in the 4th Century):

• The early Picts were a tribal society, formed by hunting (boar and stags mainly), fishing and farming (sheep, goats and cattle). They were also a warrior people and their would have been a number of feuds and battles between tribes. Ironically, the only time the Picts ever truly united together was against a common enemy: the Romans.
• The Pict chieftains lived in fortified stone forts (duns) upon headlands—the heart of the fort would have been a brochs: a stone round-tower.
• Pictish houses tended to be dug into the earth and circular in shape with alcoves around the edges for sleeping. They had cone-shaped thatched roofs, giving the inhabitants room to stand up inside. The dwellings would have been built in this way to make them warmer and protect from drafts during the cold winters.
• The clan (the word comes from 'clanna' which means 'children') came much later in Scottish history. Instead, the early Picts could have easily been grouped according to animal names (according to the many animal symbols they used). i.e. the People of the Eagle.
• The word 'mac' meant 'son of' so a warrior's name: Galan mac Muin meant 'Galan son of Muin'.
• Many historians believe that Pictish chieftain descendency came down through the female, rather than male line. There is some debate about this, but the fact remains that Pictish women enjoyed considerable independence and rights (compared to some of the later British cultures). Pictish women were also warriors, and could be as formidable as their menfolk in battle.
• The Picts didn't wear kilts or tartan (that came centuries later)—however, it's likely they would have worn clothing (leggings or skirts) made of plaid.
• Despite the cold climate the Picts often went barefoot, and the men barechested. What clothing they did wear would have been minimal, with leather foot wrappings to protect their feet during the coldest months of the year.
• They bore blue (woad) tattoos on their bodies (depicting the tribal markings and symbols of their people) and would have painted their bodies for special occasions and before going into battle.
• The Picts took pride their appearance, the men and as well as the women—they wore beautiful jewellery and hair accessorys, and both sexes generally wore their hair long.
• They were a pagan people, who would have believed in more than one god—rather a host of gods and goddess to represent different times of the year and different stages of life.
• The passing of the year was celebrated by a number of fire festivals (as with all Celtic peoples).
• The Pictish were highly artistic—they left behind a number of symbols and carvings on standing stones, buildings and jewellery.
• They were a culture that believed in magic and superstition—they believed in fairies (called the Aos-si or 'Fair Folk') and in magical creatures such as selkies (half man, half seal), kelpies (water horses), brownies (a type of pixie) and wulvers (men with heads of wolves). 
• Druids were an important part of Pictish society, and highly respected.
• When the Picts wed, they did so barefoot and standing outdoors in nature.

Those were just some of the bits and pieces I gleaned during my research, and which I wove into my story. 

Piecing together Pictish culture when we have so little recorded history on them means that an author has to fill in a lot of gaps herself! As there is no existing map to show us what 4th Century Isle of Skye would have looked up, I have delved into the realms of fantasy and created my own—complete with four warring tribes: The People of the Stag, Wolf, Eagle and Boar. Here's the map which appears in BLOOD FEUD.

Intrigued?

Grab the first three chapters of BLOOD FEUD for FREE off Instafreebie and see what you think!

Teasers from BLOOD FEUD - new release

BLOOD FEUD is now available for preorder on Amazon—and will be released on May 18 2017.

In the pre-release period for the novel, I'd like to share some of my favorite passages from the novel. Hope you enjoy them!