Please give a warm welcome to New
York Times, USA Today and RWA
RITA Finalist Susanna Kearsley! Susanna’s latest North American release, The Shadowy Horses, has just hit stores
this month.
Hi,
everyone! It’s so great to be back here with all of you to celebrate the
re-issue of my book The Shadowy Horses, with a Scottish hero who’ll feel right at
home with a few of the Highlanders here, although being from the Borders he
speaks Scots, not Gaelic, and is more at home wielding a trowel than a
broadsword.
Archaeologist
David Fortune is one of my favorite creations, and because he comes from the
small east-coast fishing village of Eyemouth, where the Scots language is still
spoken, my efforts to learn a few phrases and words for myself led to several
fun scenes between Davy and heroine Verity Grey, who comes north to take part
in a dig for a lost Roman legion, and finds a lot more than she bargained for.
Here’s an excerpt
from one of those scenes, in which Verity learns that some phrases have more
than one meaning:
Encouraged by his openness, and the growing ease of our
companionship, I chanced another question. “Your dad was a fisherman, wasn’t
he?”
“Aye, so they tell me. I can’t really mind him. I have this memory
of a big man in a gansey—a guernsey, you call it in England—that always smelt
of fish, but that might not have been my dad. Everyone smelt of fish, in our
house. My grandad was a cadger.”
“Oh.” I nodded sagely.
“Sort of a traveling fish-salesman, you mean.”
We’d come to the end of the middle pier. A sharp right turn would
have taken us over the Eye Water by a small metal drawbridge, then on around
the lifeboat station to the looming bulk of Gunsgreen House. But David chose
instead to lean his elbows on the bright red railing at the pier’s end, and
study my innocent face.
“Been sleeping with that dictionary, have you?” he asked, in a
tone laced thick with amusement. “How d’ye ken what a cadger is?”
“Well, I had to look up ‘ca’ canny’ the other day, and ‘cadger’ is
right on the same page, so I thought I might as well memorize it, too.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “‘Ca’ canny’?”
“Yes. It means to take care, or be cautious.”
“Aye, I ken fine what it means. Why’d you need to look it up?”
I shrugged, and leaned in my turn on the railing. “Wally said it
last week. When Jeannie went out in the car. I don’t know where she was going,
but Wally told her to ‘ca’ canny along that road.’ And I just wondered what it
meant.”
“You could have asked.”
“I don’t like asking all the time. Besides,” I pointed out, “my
dictionary works just fine. I did
know what a cadger was.”
“Aye, so you did.” He smiled a little and turned his face forward
again, looking across to the harbor’s shielded entrance. Every now and then a
stiff gust of wind caught the swirl of the sea and tossed a mist of white spray
over the barrier wall. I could faintly taste the salt from where I stood, and
smell the cleanly biting scent of the North Sea. The smell of fish was fainter
still, but for David, at least, it stirred memories. “He had a small business,
my grandad did, selling fish up north, around Edinburgh. Mostly miners up
there, in those days, with large families. Two pieces of fish to the pound was
no use to them—they wanted ten pieces, to feed all those mouths. And that meant
whiting. Ever clean a whiting?” he asked me.
“No.”
“Bloody awful things. My grandad used to come to auction every
day, to get his boxes of whiting, and every day when I got home from school I’d
have to help to filet them. Christ,” he shuddered at the memory, “I hated
working at the fish. We’d all get so cheesed off that we’d stop talking, after
the first hour or so. Nothing to do but count the fish. Used to be two hundred
and thirty-seven whiting,” he informed me, “in a six-stone box. They’ve changed
the weights now, but that’s what it used to be.”
I propped one foot on the red-painted railing and followed his gaze
out to sea. “Is that what put you off being a fisherman?”
“Not really. You’re either born to the sea or you’re not, and I’m
not. My mother kent that, early on. She always tells the story of how Peter
caught me digging up the garden, and said I was born to be an archaeologist.”
“And he was right.”
“He usually is.”
It was a simple statement of fact, and I stayed silent a moment,
thinking about the excavation at Rosehill. About the disappearance of the Ninth
Legion, all those years ago, and about a ghostly presence that last night might
have said nona…
A white shape glided silently beneath us, and I looked down,
startled. No ghost, I reassured myself, but something just as strange. “David,
look!”
“Oh, aye, the swan. I wondered where he’d got to.”
“Do you mean he actually lives here? Here, in the harbor?”
The bird cocked its head at the sound of my voice, and having
surveyed me with one round uncertain eye, turned smoothly and floated back
underneath the little red drawbridge, seeking the relative security of the
channel.
“He’s magnificent,” I said.
“Aye.” David watched the bird’s sleek figure disappearing
underneath the bridge.
“Does he have a mate?”
“Not yet. There was a female here, a few years back, but she only
stayed a fortnight. She couldn’t seem to settle down to life inside the
harbor.” He turned his head and met my gaze unhurriedly. ‘And he’s well stuck
here now, that lad. Too old to change his ways.”
He’d only moved his head, I thought, and yet I felt as though the
space between us had grown smaller. I felt suddenly aware of just how near he
was, of how little effort it would take to move toward him, feel his warmth…to
raise my hand and touch the hard unshaven contours of his face.
His eyes flicked down toward my lips, and back again, a smile in
their depths. “Ca’ canny along that road,” he told me gently.
But he wasn’t warning me off. No, I decided with growing
amazement, watching the smile spread slowly from his blue eyes to his mouth; he
wasn’t giving me a warning. He was issuing a challenge.
I’ll admit I grew fond of that phrase, after writing that scene. It’s
right up there with “sleekit”, my favorite Scots word. What’s the best
Scottish word or phrase you’ve come across, in your reading or writing?
A big thank you to Susanna for joining
us today! To be entered to win one of two copies of The Shadowy Horses,
please leave a comment, answering Susanna question at the end of her post. US
and Canada only, and please leave an email address so we can reach you easily.
We’ll choose a winner on Friday, 10/12!
THE SHADOWY HORSES BY SUSANNA
KEARSLEY – IN STORES OCTOBER 2012
THE INVINCIBLE NINTH ROMAN LEGION MARCHES
FROM YORK TO FIGHT THE NORTHERN TRIBES. AND THEN VANISHES FROM THE PAGES OF
HISTORY.
Archaeologist
Verity Grey has been drawn to the dark legends of the Scottish Borderlands in
search of the truth buried in a rocky field by the sea.
Her
eccentric boss has spent his whole life searching for the resting place of the
lost Ninth Roman Legion and is convinced he's finally found it—not because of
any scientific evidence, but because a local boy has "seen" a Roman
soldier walking in the fields, a ghostly sentinel who guards the bodies of his
long-dead comrades.
Here
on the windswept shores, Verity may find the answer to one of the great
unsolved mysteries of our time. Or she may uncover secrets someone buried for a
reason.
"Like
something out of the pages of Daphne du Maurier."— Daily Express
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
New
York Times and USA Today bestselling author SUSANNA KEARSLEY’s writing has been
compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne Du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her
award-winning books have been translated into several languages, selected for
the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader's Digest, and optioned for film. She
lives in Canada near the shores of Lake Ontario. For more information, please
visit http://www.susannakearsley.com/,
Like her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusannaKearsley,
and follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusannaKearsley.
Susanna, when are you leading a romance writer's tour of Scotland, because count me in! Wonderful snippet from a book I'm hearing wonderful things about.
ReplyDeleteMy best Scottish moment was when a venerable (he wasn't old) taxi driver from Aberdeen took me up to the Highlands, and spoke some of the Doric his wife's people favored. He said he couldn't understand it himself unless he'd had a wee dram or two, and he was a local boy... Didn't know Scots was still spoken anywhere.
I love it when Scottish men talk about what is under their kilts! The term "sporan" for some reason always brings a smile to my face.
ReplyDeleteI love your work Susanna, I think I have read everything that has been released in the US so far.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the best Scottish word or phrase you’ve come across, in your reading or writing?
Mo Chride. I first encountered it reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and it means my heart. I just think it's such a beautiful term and says so much in just two small words.
I love the word "bairn" for a child. Sounds warm and sweet.
ReplyDeleteA misst ye sae muckle!
ReplyDeletecuseyn01@yahoo.com
I love your work Susanna!
aye, such a wee bonny lass :)
ReplyDeleteSusanna, I love your books and tell all I know to find and read your work. You are such a unique writer to me and I am SO happy to have Shadowy Horses released in the US.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Celtic mutt and haven't grasped Scot Gaelic as much as Irish but I LOVE to learn from David Fortune.
I love her books, I just started reading "Rose Garden" and now I want them all!!
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the best Scottish word or phrase you’ve come across, in your reading or writing? I like "Bloody awful" gets me every time!
sherrilc78@yahoo.com
I'm afraid I'm in the dark with the Scottish language but I do like the "wee bairn" and if "bloody" is a Scot word then I love it. It sounds so, so horrible especially when a half Scot/half Texan says "damn bloody". A trip to Ireland (since I have Irish ancestors) and to Scotland has always been near the top of my bucket list so maybe someday I'll hear some more of it.
ReplyDeleteI love your work and am eagerly awaiting The Shadowy Horses. I will probably have to listen to it on audio as well since a Scottish accent will just make it 100% more enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved how Jamie Fraser calls his beloved Clare, "sassenach" in The Outlander series. It makes me smile everytime.
Thanks for the giveaway, I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Poppy Fields
poppyfields77@verizon.net
I love anything about Scotland, my home in my past life. I hear bagpipes and start crying.
ReplyDeleteJanet DeWitt Hubler
That is a beautiful excerpt and I loved it.
ReplyDeletelittle lamb lst at yahoo dot com
Love it! I'm sharing this around the web. Congrats on all of your success.
ReplyDeleteWhen I visited Scotland, I learned that they really do say, "Och" (or however you spell it). I couldn't understand much else for the first day or so.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite Scottish word is mo cridge (my heart). It's mentioned a lot in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series but the most recent time I heard it spoken was at our local Highland Games...I heard an elderly gentleman refer to his wife as gaol mo cridhe (love of my heart). I melted.
ReplyDeleteSusanna, congrats on your re-issue of Shadowy Horses! I love the word lass. Such a gentle word for a burly Scot. :)
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of Susanna's work....I read the Winter Sea earlier this year and LOVED IT! I am really hoping I win a copy of this book, I've had it on my TBR list for a while now :).
ReplyDeleteBest Scottish term I've come across in my reading....is a toss up. I love bonny lassie and sassenach.
thelitbitch@me.com
I am really looking forward to reading this book! It sounds like a story that will keep me up all night.
ReplyDeleteI like Scottish accent. One of my favorite Scottish word is "lass". It's a sweet endearment.
Cambonified{at}yahoo{dot}com
I became a -huge- fan of yours after reading 'The Winter Sea'. I have recommended it so many people and they have all loved it as well!!
ReplyDeleteMy fav Scots words is 'clashmclaver' and 'skelloch' .. funs words to say. They fit the Scots so perfectly. :-)
donna.mccabe@rocketmail.com
These are all great words, everyone -- keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteAnd Grace, I'm not sure Scotland's ready for the both of us on tour :-) But I do love the idea of a romance writer's tour of Scotland. Hmmmm....
All the "Scottish" words I remember were in English, but coming from my Scottish grandfather with his gentle "brr", sounded cozy and exotic. Beautiful passage above - the book sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteDana McNeely
dana.mcneely@yahoo.com
Oh, I've heard great things about this book. I like when they use the "bonnie" lass. And I just love listening to Craig Ferguson :)
ReplyDeletecatslady5(at)aol.com
Susanna,
ReplyDeleteI loved The Winter Sea and The Rose Garden and look forward to
reading The Shadowy Horses.
I like the word bairn.
jtcgc at yahoo dot com
I havent read a lot of stories set in Scotland so all I can think of are bairn and sporan.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release!! Sounds really good.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
Congrats on the book! I'd say lass.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
"Things that gang bump i' the nicht"
ReplyDeleteI had a mother that read to me...and I remember the excitement of such a phrase.
Thank you for your marvelous books. In my youth I loved Daphne Du Maurier's books. In my old age I feel that I have found Du Maurier again in your writings.
"Things that gang bump i' the nicht"
ReplyDeleteI had a mother that read to me...and I remember the excitement of such a phrase.
Thank you for your marvelous books. In my youth I loved Daphne Du Maurier's books. In my old age I feel that I have found Du Maurier again in your writings.
Spreath: highlanders' raid on lowlands cattle
ReplyDeleteWhat a great conversational excerpt. Congratulations on your lovely books!
"Bairn" is one of my favorites from The Outlander series, too.
ReplyDeleteApologies for the delay! Our winners are
ReplyDeleteNancy Cusey
and
taurus
I'll be emailing you both shortly!
Danielle