Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

Heart of a Lion -- The Obsession Lives On

I love this book. I loved writing it, I love the characters. Heck, I even went to a falconry class just so I could have the experience of being around a hawk like Athena. Am I obsessed? Perhaps, just a bit. I wanted to pull in some of the places I’ve visited in Scotland. A lot of the castle’s interior is based on Castle Doune. Monty Python fans might recognize it as the castle from The Holy Grail. (Say it with me now… “Your father was a hamster and your mother smelt of elderberries! Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!”) They even provide coconut halves so you can “gallop” through the castle grounds. I didn’t find Castle Campbell until a later trip, but it too seems perfect for the setting of this book. Lots of back staircases, and dark cellars and lush forests surrounding the grounds.

If you want to learn more about the places that inspired me to write Heart of a Lion, check out the links below.

Falconry Experience: http://www.dalhousiecastle.co.uk/falconry.asp
Castle Doune: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/doune/dounecastle/
Castle Campbell: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dollar/castlecampbell/