Category: Paranormal Romance and Legends

Writing, reading and thinking about novels and legends.

Ancient Stone Circles and Other Mysteries: A Look at the Orkneys of Scotland

Ancient Stone Circles and Other Mysteries: A Look at the Orkneys of Scotland

https://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Orkney/Stenness/stenness-0274-12092006.htm
Stones of Stenness in the Orkneys, Scotland’s prehistoric wonderland (image: britainexpress)

I’m always on the lookout for mysterious places around the world as I work on my upcoming 4-book series. Why place a dramatic scene on a bland, everyday street corner when you can find inspiration from one of the world’s many ancient ruins, remote landscapes and historic cities?

So when I came across some accounts of an amazing cluster of Neolithic sites on the main isle of Orkney in northern Scotland, I sat up and started to dig deeper. Here’s what I learned about this fascinating part of the world.

Ancient Stone Age cluster - map of Scottish Islands
The Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a World Heritage Site in northern Scotland

Soaring Stones on a Remote Isle

Ancient Stones in Northern Scotland - the Standing Stones of Stenness
Still standing after 5000 years, these huge stones are the survivors of an Orkney henge (image: cc)

These are the Standing Stones of Stenness… tall, thin megaliths that shoot up from the ground like an array of giant stone spears.

Erected some 5000 years ago, the site is older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Only four of these huge stones remain, but clues within the landscape reveal that they were once part of a larger circle and henge.

Three other fascinating Stone Age sites lie nearby, and together with the Stenness Stones they form a World Heritage Site, The Heart of Neolithic Orkney

Ancient Stone Circles Abound in This Region

Ring of Brodgar Neolithic Stone CIrcle - Scotland - Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site _ author Linn Chapel - blog
A nearby site: The Ring of Brodgar – a spectacular Stone Age circle, third largest in Britain (image:cc)

Nearby there’s another Stone Age circle, the Ring of Brodgar. (I love these names.) Why were so many ancient sites built close to each other on the island of Orkney? It’s another one of those mysteries that captures our imagination.

In the long-ago past, 60 stones stood around the perimeter of the Ring. Now only 36 stones remain, but they give ample testimony to the impressive nature of the site.

Framed by a huge circular ditch that was carved by stone-age peoples from solid sandstone bedrock (how did they do it?), these stones were erected perhaps 500-1000 years after the Stenness Stones, but a firm date is still pending as archeologists continue to investigate the matter.

The Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge in the Orkneys, Scotland- romance author Linn Chapel - blog

What a setting! The Ring of Brodgar lies between two lochs, with the blueness of sea and sky all around (image: cc)


The Winter Solstice: a Special Time for this Ancient Tomb

Ancient chambered tomb of Maeshowe - Scotland - author Linn Chapel - my blog
The famous Maeshowe chambered tomb, constructed by Neolithic peoples thousands of year ago

This is Maeshowe, an amazing chambered tomb that was carefully aligned by its ancient builders so that a shaft of sunlight may enter the small entrance at sunset on the winter solstice and shine deep within the tomb.

Maeshowe ancient chambered tomb in Scotland - romance author Linn Chapel- my blog
The interior of the Maeshowe chambered tomb

Was the shaft of solstice light meant to fall on the body buried within the tomb – a chieftain, perhaps? It makes me wonder if the ancient builders believed in an afterlife of the spirit.

Ancient Mysteries of Village Life Exposed by a Storm

Skara Brae Neolithic village in Scotland - romance author Linn Chapel - my blog
Stone Age Skara Brae

Here’s the fourth site, just as amazing as the others: the miraculously preserved village of Skara Brae.

When a storm washed away some dunes in 1850, the stone foundations of a long-buried Neolithic village were exposed to view, showing beds, fireplaces and shelves. It’s an archaeological wonder, giving insight into daily life of Stone Age island-dwellers 5000 years ago.

Ancient Dwelling  in Skara Brae - Scotland - Orkney Main Isle
It’s not hard to imagine living here. With a warm fire, it’d be almost cozy!

And Now for Some Local Lore: The Story of the Odin Stone

The Odin Stone - local lore - Orkneys - Scotland
The Viking God of War

From my April newsletter…

Until about two hundred years ago, a large, lumpy megalith known as the Odin Stone stood in a field just north of the Stenness Stones.

Interestingly, the Odin Stone was pierced through with a hole.

Because of the hole, it’s not surprising that it featured in various rituals of recent centuries. For instance, it’s said that couples used to hold hands through the hole to plight their troth.

Note to self – good idea for a scene in a paranormal romance novel

But if Odin himself had any connection to this stone, the Viking god of war must have been really mad in 1814.

That’s when a local landowner had the Odin Stone smashed to prevent further trespassing on his land.

Odin - Viking Meme
Not to be toyed with

I can’t help wondering – with a bit of a shudder- what happened to the landowner. Did he live to regret his decision?

    Note to self – good idea for a reckless hero or heartless villain

My very own ancient stone circle

Can’t afford an overseas trip at the moment? No problem, when you’re a writer!

Inspired by Britain’s stone-age circles, I decided to send my characters into danger at a fictional stone circle in Somerset England, not far from the real-life city of Bath.

I named it The Devil’s Dance, and it appears in my upcoming novel Threshold of Destiny (Vampires and Mirabilim, Book 1).

The Devil’s Dance appears near the end of my novel, Threshold of Destiny

When my protagonists in Threshold of Destiny arrive at The Devil’s Dance, they know that a number of enemies – both human and vampire – are already present within the shadows.

But no one, friend or foe, can see the malevolent being from another world who’s also there, waiting inside the circle that night.

Romance Author Is Given Devil’s Best Advice

Romance Author Is Given Devil’s Best Advice

Linn Chapel's blog - writing a romance novel - the Devil's sales advice to this romance author

What’s a romance author to do? It’s not easy writing paranormal romance novels. There’s so much advice, especially from a certain quarter.


Advice from a Devil who questions sanity of clean romance author

The Devil Tells Romance Author: You’ve Got It All Wrong

Do you want your books to sell? Then listen to me. Put in the sleaze, add as many explicit scenes as you can, and don’t skimp on graphic wording. Forget about the plot. Don’t spend time on writing well.


But I have something else in mind that fired my imagination in the first place. The kind of stories I’m envisioning are exciting and romantic and fast-paced – but they’re driven along by emotions, not explicit passages.

You’re wrong about attracting readers, too.

For instance, Victorine Lieske wrote a clean romance thriller that was on the NY Times best-selling ebook list for 6 weeks in 2011. This energetic romance author went on to write more clean romance novels and earn over a quarter of a million dollars.

But it’s a sad fact that there aren’t as many clean romance novels available as explicit ones.

Romance readers should have more choices!


Tempting Devil scoffs at idea of choices for romance readers

This Romance Author is Naïve About Readers, Scoffs the Devil


Choices for romance readers? You’re making a big mistake!

You’re pitifully naïve… Romance readers will never turn the pages unless you bait them with explicit passages. Romance readers don’t really think, you see.

The sooner you adapt your methods to their true nature, the better – for the sake of your own career as a romance author.


Romance readers DO have minds of their own. Just look at all the reviews and comments posted by legions of readers.

Which brings me to an interesting point:  there’s certain kind of comment I keep seeing. I could cite some actual reviews here, but I don’t want to quote anybody without their knowledge, so I’ll just paraphrase some of the comments I’ve read in the last month or so.

Romance Readers have lots of comments about graphic content

There were so many pages to every explicit scene that I had trouble getting through it all, but the weddings were nice.

The graphic scenes were too long and detailed. I’m an adult, and I don’t want or need such lengthy treatments.

The long accounts of explicit sex were overdone – been there, done that. Boring. I’m not interested in a how-to manual – I want to be thrilled by what the characters think and feel!  

 I can’t be the only one who has noticed plenty of comments like these.

 Romance readers really do deserve more choices!


Romance author gains attention of guardian angel
The hero of her novel is a vampire? I’d better investigate this!

The Devil’s Parting Shot: But Those Vampires Will Get You Into Trouble!

Well, I’ve got better things to do than waste time with a stubborn soul like you.

I’ll leave you alone for now.  I can’t wait to undermine the confidence of some other hapless author.

All of you authors are such easy pickings!

But don’t think you’re in the clear yet, Linn.  You’re going to get into hot water over those drop-dead gorgeous vampires in your books.

My rival in the Angelic Hosts will be tickled pink over the clean romance angle – but she’s going to be VERY alarmed about the VAMPIRE HERO in your first book!

 I was peeking over your shoulder as you finished drafting that story – and I could see for myself that your hero’s a 200-year-old vampire who will seem sizzlin’ hot to women readers – hotter than Hades – even with all his clothes on.

 I’m going to tip off my Angelic adversary right now. What do you have to say to that?


Hotter than Hades or not, the vampire characters need to stay in my series.

  Evil spirits like you won’t like this, but I’ve woven some extra themes into the romance, themes about conscience and what it means to be human. Having vampires in the storyline makes everything work so that my themes come alive in a special way.

If your rival in the Angelic Hosts has any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.

Until then, I’ve got to get back to writing.


THRESHOLD OF DESTINY available now on Amazon

Check out my post on Winter Thriving! Some of the topics are shown below.

Myths, Legends, and Paranormal Romance Writing

Myths, Legends, and Paranormal Romance Writing

Anclent places, Scottish castle at Stirling

Legends: Treasure-troves for Authors of Novels

This photo of Stirling Castle comes from one of my daughters who is having a semester abroad in Scotland. I couldn’t resist adding a caption and posting it.
Scotland brings to mind myths and legends, and all the elements and scenes they contain. These stories are really treasure-troves, filled with fascinating elements for writers of fiction – especially the more imaginative genres, like fantasy and paranormal romance.
The genre of my new series-in-the-making is paranormal romance. As I finish the revisions on Threshold of Destiny, I’m also making notes for another volume in the series.

 

From Scotland – a Hero in Distress, a Heroine in Armor

Here’s a great scene I came upon in the story of King Fingal and the sons of Cothmar, a legend from Scotland. In this myth, a noble warrior who has undergone much sadness and hardship has been captured by an evil king and left to die in a sea cave. The rising tide spells his doom. (This scene gives me a chill, remembering the real-life crisis awhile back in Thailand, when those young boys were trapped in a cave system as flood waters rose.)
But at the last minute the neglected daughter of the evil king puts on the armor of a man and rescues the warrior herself. No one, not even the warrior, finds out who she is until much later. (There’s a romantic ending, too.)

Fodder for the imagination, isn’t it?