Guess what? Still one of my all-time favorite books. I loved writing this book for so many reasons. This is the book of my heart in many ways.

I researched and researched. It was such fun because there were actually written sources from this time period. For much of the 1200s in Scotland, very little is written.

I hired a special Medieval Scottish Historical editor. I also enjoyed it so much that I made the time period carry on through the next two stories.

This was also the beginning of one of my best creations: Lucky Loki.

 

Favorite scenes:

1. LOKI/BRODIE – The beginning of this relationship was such fun. A cocky, yet hungry, young lad and a fierce warrior looking for the love of his life clash. Loki grabbed our hearts all the way through this novel and many more, enough to get his own story. But this scene where Nicol and Brodie played with the lad, and got as much as they gave, is still a favorite.
2. BRODIE’S FEELINGS ABOUT ABUSE- I still smile when I think of Brodie’s reaction to noticing that Celestina’s dear father abused her by twisting her wrist under the fine linens at the royal castle. His response? Do what any noble Highlander would do. Stand up, haul back your fist, and punch the bastard in the face, no holds barred. What damsel-in-distress doesn’t wish for the same? This was the beginning of a great scene which traveled through much of the castle.
3. THE POWER OF ALEX GRANT – This novel started the reputation of the Grant warriors and that of Alex Grant, as well. There was an entire scene down a passageway of the royal castle where chaos reigned. King Alexander III, a local baron, a wealthy Norwegian merchant, and a sweet lass were all surrounded by the king’s guards, but nothing could put an end to the melee until Alex Grant found his way there and basically blackmailed the king with the number of warriors he would pledge to the cause. It was only the beginning of the reputation of the Grant warriors.
4. MISSY ANGEL- What could be sweeter than Celestina falling in love with Lucky Loki as well? He was so endearing to her that she had to give him a hug, even when he climbed up the rungs of a garderobe. And of course, Loki allowed it, with a huge smile.
5. LOKI AND THE DRAUGR- You couldn’t help but love whenever the spry laddie got the best of the big brutes, like the time he put the stones in Aldrik’s shoes to alert him to when they moved Celestina. The lad was quite clever. The other part of Loki that I loved was he never entertained anyone with his action’s as much as he did himself. He couldn’t stop giggling over the image of the big bastard stepping on a bootful of stones and bellowing.
6. CELESTINA FINDS HERSELF – Not sure which scene shows it better—when she puts Ivarrson and Aldrik both to the ground with a knee and a fist to the groin or when she takes on the drunken Norseman who dared to touch Loki. I rarely think of my novels as movies, but this is one of the scenes I would love to watch: Brodie as he heads down the pathway after Celestina with a huge stick over her head, and he tells her to remember how he used to lift Jennie onto his horse. She throws the stick away, faces him, and holds her arms up, only to be quickly scooped up by her savior.
7. CELESTINA AND BRODIE- In the manor home of Baron Lunde when the elements of first attraction wreak havoc on both of them (love at first sight can happen), I knew their story would be great. I also loved their handfasting with Alex Grant officiating.
8. THE BATTLE OF LARGS- The Norse on the beach, the Highlanders and their swords, Alex Grant with his golden helm and chain-mail clad destrier Midnight, and a wee lad with a slinger.
9. CELESTINA FINDS THE LETTERS FROM HER MOTHER TO HER TRUE SIRE – yikes! More tears for me.
10. THE SECOND OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SCENES- Of course, it’s when Lucky Loki becomes Loki Grant. From the sniveling, frightened wee laddie standing alone in front of the huge Alex Grant, to the sobbing of Celestina and Maddie, to the Grant warriors surrounding him to pledge to protect him forever, the scene is full of tearful moments and happy ones, too. But the best?

 

“I made it. Is that no’ right Laird Grant? Am I finally a Grant warrior and a member of your Guard?”

“Nay, laddie, that is no’ correct.”

To the crestfallen face to the final line

“Lad, I christened you a Grant, no’ a Grant warrior.”

And nothing could have meant more to Lucky Loki than having parents.

He even changed his name from Lucky Loki to Loki Grant.

 

Other notables?

Inga and Nicol marry, will eventually have two lads, Fergus and Finlay, who steal our hearts for other reasons.

We meet baby Bethia with green eyes and a big smile.

We also learn what a surly pig-nut is.

 

Did I miss your favorite scene? Tell me on my Facebook post!

 

Keira Montclair

I have very fond memories of this book, because this was when I learned to listen to my readers.

My original plan (after I found out Rescued was selling) was to have a series of five books for Clan Grant, one for each of the Grant siblings. It would have been simple: Alex, Brenna, Brodie, Robbie, and Jennie. Easy-peasy, no problem. But I hadn’t anticipated something.

The arrival of Logan Ramsay.

The moment Logan Ramsay stepped onto the page and his character came to life, everything changed.

Yes, readers loved Quade with Brenna, and they fell in love with wee Lily, Torrian, and Growley too (of course).

But then there was Logan. His personality was larger than life, and he just took over.

I received emails and comments and reviews everywhere begging for more of Logan. Some said they wished Brenna would have married him. Others said it should have been his book. As a new writer, I didn’t know what to make of all the comments. But Quade and Logan did have a brother and a sister, right? Hmmm….

And so I happily added three more novels to Clan Grant. Although it was too late to change the series title, I expanded my original plan to include not only Logan, but Micheil and Avelina. Clan Grant became a series of eight novels instead of five.

Brenna was a great character because she fed that part of my brain that was still committed to nursing. She quickly became the most renowned healer in all the land. I love writing about her and her daughter Jennet, who shares her abilities.

This book was also when my brand as a writer became clearer to me. If you’re not exactly sure what my brand is, please notice how many of my favorite scenes from this book contain bairns and a dog. A verra big, lovable dog who stole our hearts.

SPOILER ALERT!!! DON’T KEEP READING IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK!

 

My favorite scenes:

 

1. LILY AND HER STONES. Not sure why this tickled me so when I wrote it, but I giggled all the way through the scene when Lily hides her stones for her brother, Torrian, and proceeds to “find” them herself. Fortunately, since her brother isn’t strong enough to walk on his own yet, Torrian doesn’t care.
2. LILY RUNNING. I love when Lily is finally strong enough to walk on her own and to attempt running. Of course, wee Lily has never been able to run before, so she considers any fast walk running. Do you remember how she asks Alex Grant to watch how fast she is?
3. BRENNA/ALEX. Which brings up another reason why I love that scene. Brenna knows the only way she can get her brother Alex to allow her to stay is if she brings Lily downstairs—wee, bonny Lily who makes him wistful for the daughter he doesn’t have yet. Alex reveals his soft side, and I love that part of him.
4. QUADE STANDING TALL AGAINST THE GRANT WARRIORS. Quade is a calm, commanding chieftain who’s always able to make decisions. I love it when this part of him wavers, and he goes alone to greet the cavalry of Grant warriors ready to tear his castle apart at Alex’s orders for kidnapping Brenna. Quade admits the fault is solely his (really, Logan?), and vows to accept responsibility for his actions. But the best part of this scene is how Quade can’t take his eyes off Brenna riding her horse across the meadow. We ALL knew he’s madly in love with her, but does he? And I love how intelligent and unassuming Brenna is throughout the book.
5. QUADE AND THE ARROW. I love the scene when Quade has to make the decision to help Brenna. He’s never had a tough stomach, but when the woman he loves insists he be the one to dig the arrow out of her flesh, he’s able to do it.
6. QUADE STANDS ON HIS HORSE. It may be rare, but some practiced riders are able to stand on their horses. It’s a skill that is possible if practiced enough, but using your bow and arrow while standing on the back of a horse AND hitting your target? It’s fiction, folks. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. It was fiction and FUN.
7. LOGAN/BRENNA. Logan steals her beloved mother’s book, but as angry as we all are with him, he makes up for it at the end when he bends his knee in front of Brenna, returns her book, and vows to protect her forever. And we all know how he feels about Lily and Torrian. He’s grateful enough to Brenna to stand at the base of the stairs on her wedding night, keeping everyone away. Yes, he owed her one.
8. THE CRYING SCENES. This novel is full of them. I cried when Lily asks her father if she can call Brenna “Mama.” And then I cried again when Torrian says he thinks she should because she never knew her mama. Let’s not forget the scene when Torrian says he had wished to die once. (By the way, they did put unwanted babies out in the forest to die in medieval times). And of course, there is one scene that made me sob from start to finish, but you must read on to find out which one that is…
9. THE BIG FAVE. This scene and a couple of others still rank as my all-time favorites of ALL my books: TORRIAN MEETS GROWLEY. I mean, how could you not cry when the big lovable deerhound helps the wee laddie learn how to walk? Growley won everyone over and still lives on in my heart. I just love dogs, especially big ones.

 

Other notable characters:

Lady Arlene. I would have given starving Lily a piece of pasty, also.

Iona. This was the first time I dropped a character into a book and left that thread dangling. She returned, didn’t she? I’ve been known to do that in other books…and it can be such fun to bring a character back—either because it’s a beloved character or a character we love to hate.

This book was a major accomplishment for me in another way. I felt like I had nearly mastered the art of suspense. I was proud of the mystery I played out with Brenna’s attacker. I found I really enjoyed writing suspenseful scenes, and it gave me the confidence to do it more often.

Fun facts: I had many, many emails from people who suffer from celiac disease who thanked me for writing this story. Even I was shocked when I researched the devastating effects of unchecked celiac disease. Loved receiving those heartfelt messages.

I’ll own up to one mistake I made in this book: I used the incorrect name for the priest. How could this happen?

Father MacGregor was Father Sinclair in Rescued by a Highlander until two weeks before release when I read another author’s book and found she had named the priest the same thing: Father Sinclair. Paranoid that I’d be accused of copying her, I quickly chose another name and changed the priest’s name to Father MacGregor.

The problem was that I was still working a full-time job, and I hadn’t expected Rescued by a Highlander to sell. I didn’t start Healing a Highlander’s Heart until much later, and I remembered the priest as Father Sinclair. After all, that was his name for two years through all the rejections and rewrites. He was only Father MacGregor for a week in my mind.

I published Healing a Highlander’s Heart without giving it any thought until a reader made the comment in a review at Barnes and Noble. How did Father Sinclair become Father MacGregor? I never would have known if someone hadn’t pointed it out to me.

That’s why I read all readers’ reviews, although I’ve learned to stop after the first sentence on those really nasty ones.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out the post on Facebook to post your comments.

 

Happy reading,

Keira Montclair

 

The success of Rescued by a Highlander was such a shock for me. I tried to get this book published for two years. After countless rejections, probably more than fifty, and several rewrites, I self-published the book.

I guessed I’d sell ten copies. Yes. You read that correctly. Ten.

I hoped to sell a hundred with the plan to give my daughter 50% of my profits toward in-vitro costs. So imagine my surprise when I sold seventy books in two hours on the third day, and sales continued to climb from there. I was stunned, ecstatic, and so hopeful for my daughter and her husband.

Thank you, readers! <<hugs to all of you!>>

Now I have two lovely granddaughters, as you know, and the rest is history.

Alex and Maddie became two beloved characters of not just ten or a hundred readers, but thousands.

That number still humbles me. Who would have guessed?

I did have the book re-edited by my current editor, Angela Polidoro, whom I adore, and she’s been with me ever since the release of Healing a Highlander’s Heart.

I digress. I promised to share my thoughts on my favorite scenes. I do have quite a few in this book. Here they are, presented in no particular order. SPOILER ALERT! Yes, there will be spoilers. STOP NOW if you haven’t read it.

My favorite scenes in Rescued by a Highlander:

1. MY LADY. I love it when Alex carries Alice to the keep when she arrives at Grant Castle all beaten. Her husband Mac is with her, but Alex is the one who carries her, AND he also calls her ‘my lady’ because she protected and cared for Maddie. One of many SWOONS for Alex Grant!
2. As long as we’re talking about Alice and Alex, let’s not forget when she calls him swine and hits him with a book for sneaking inside Maddie’s chamber before they’re married. I love Alice. She does indeed represent Maddie’s mother, in case you were wondering.
3. THE PEARLS. Another favorite is when Alex finds pearls for Maddie that look exactly like her mother’s. A thoughtful man…swoon again!
4. THE SINKHOLE. It broke my heart to write the scene where wee Emma and Jennie fall into the sinkhole (especially since Jennie makes a slow recovery!), but it’s perhaps the greatest illustration of Maddie’s fortitude. This is when Maddie truly shows not only her ability to bear pain, but more importantly, her ability to love.
5. THE BIG BATTLE. Alex’s battle with Niles Comming is a favorite for many reasons. Two parts of this scene are particularly special for me, so I’ll focus on those elements. The small steps Maddie takes toward Alex for the first time illustrate a major change in her self-confidence. I had trouble writing this scene because I don’t usually head-hop (hop from one person’s point-of-view to another’s within the same scene), but I felt it was so important to show both of their thoughts when Maddie finally finds the courage to trust Alex and step closer to him. Alex notices, and this small movement spurs him forward.   The other important part of this scene is how Maddie demonstrates her strength by asking Alex to promise not to tie her to the marriage bed.

6. ALEX AND MADDIE AFTER THE FIGHT. When Maddie finally visits him after the fight, Alex Grant shows his true depth of character and his best quality—patience. Maddie learns much about him when he allows her the chance to conquer her demons on her own terms, even if she must step away from him to calm her nerves. She learns to trust in this small scene, and he earns it. Swoon again…
7. THE BIRTH OF THE TWINS. True, it’s always great to see a villain get their just due, but it’s even better to see a huge Highlander insist on staying in the birthing chamber with his wife! I love that he stays by Maddie’s side during all her births—something unheard of back then.

 

Other thoughts?

On their wedding night, Maddie closes her eyes and dreams of her mother. Yes, that is what I intended, though some interpreted it as a spiritual scene. You can believe whatever makes your heart sing.

I’ve also received reviews that state the audio does not match the book. That is correct. The audio is the first edition (before edits by my present editor, Angela Polidoro), and the book is the second edition. When I receive the rights back for the audio book, I will have it redone by my current narrator, the wonderful Paul Woodson, so the two will match. This is the only book where that happens.

And finally, why did Jennie still suck her thumb when she was eight years old?

I received many critical reviews for that little item, but I wrote that scene based on my knowledge as a recovery room (PACU) nurse and pediatric nurse. When children are extremely traumatized, they may revert back to earlier habits. I’ve seen twelve-year-old boys suck their thumbs after surgery.

So, was Jennie Grant, who’d lost both her mother and her father in her short eight years, traumatized when her eldest brother threatened to have another brother flogged in the middle of a huge argument?

She sure was. I’m never going to change that thumb popping into her mouth.

Comments are encouraged, but I have to approve them first in order to weed out the spam, so be patient.

What was your favorite scene?

 

Happy reading,

Keira Montclair

 

As I finished writing Roddy’s story, I discovered something unexpected.

After twenty-nine books, I’m losing track of my characters. If I wish to make it to fifty books, something needs to be done.

I keep a notebook for each book, filled with details about the characters and plot, and I save the details on One Note, but this method has become tedious and time-consuming. It’s also not practical to take a stack of notebooks on a plane whenever I wish to visit the grandbabies and plan to write.

Maybe it’s my age, maybe I have grandchildren brain, or maybe I just have too many characters.

What prompted this revelation?

As many of you know, I love to include children in my stories. I fell in love with wee Emma and Tommy in Rescued by a Highlander, then Lily and Torrian in Healing a Highlander’s Heart, and it grew from there.

In the middle of Daniel’s story, I introduced another lad named Terric, and it got me thinking. How many wee lads have there been in my books? Many popped into my mind:

Loki, one of my faves

Torrian

Ghillie

Kenzie

Steenie

And the list goes on…and that’s where the problem started.

I could not recall all of the young ones I’ve had in my books. I decided I needed to do something about this, and fast, because I’m not flipping through those twenty-nine notebooks any longer.

 I’ve taken on the task of reading all of my books again and putting the details of each into one volume that I can take with me anywhere I go.

When I started this volume, I decided on three pages for each title. For each book, I have separate sections. Here are my sections:

1. Characters and brief descriptions
2. Where are they traveling? How many towers in Grant Castle?
3. Notes about anything unusual: battles, injuries, notable historical figures, etc.
4. My favorite scenes in the book with page references to the paperback.

 

Thus, the roots of my idea.

I plan to write a blog on each of my books, primarily to share my thoughts with you: what I liked about the book, which characters were special to me (besides all of them…LOL…they are my characters, after all), which scenes are my favorites. And occasionally, you may see a comment about a review I’ve read. (Rest assured, I won’t name names.)

Why reviews? Because authors are cautioned against making comments on reviews, but sometimes I really wish to explain something. I’ll start by addressing the question of why eight-year-old Jennie sucked her thumb in my Rescued by a Highlander blog next week.

Come back for more! I’ll post my first one tomorrow and then a new blog every week.

 

Thanks for reading,

Keira Montclair