Writing is wonderful.
Researching things mentioned in the books? Well, believe it or not, that can be pretty cool too.
I still don’t have a title for my upcoming contemporary romance. It will come to me, just as the character’s names did.
But, research? Well, I fell down a rabbit hole there.
In the opening scenes of the new book, Simone Grant finds herself in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is on the trip of a lifetime, touring sights and places whose history and beauty are unlike anything back home in Oak Hill, North Carolina.
One of the first places she visits is the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Telling you a little bit about the history of the Palace without doing a massive “info dump” can be tricky. In any of my stories, there is a high probability that I read many books about something I distilled into a couple of sentences. Case in point – for Through the Mist: Restoration, I read a lot about the Act of Proscription and its effects on Scottish culture. In that particular book, it is only mentioned in a sentence or two. I digress….
There are a lot of different stories about the origin of the Palace. The founding dates back to the 1100s. So, yeah, we understand how the story might change over time.
Around 1128, King David I was on a hunting expedition near the site of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Some stories say he was thrown from his horse and landed in front of an angry hart (a.k.a. stag). Other stories say he had a vision of the animal.
A ‘rood’ (a.k.a. cross) appeared. Did he use it to fend off the charging beast? Did it shine above the hart’s antlers, its brilliance startling the animal and sending it away? Did he imagine the whole thing?
Whatever the true story, this point is a fact – he founded the creation of an abbey on the site where the event happened.
The abbey eventually turned into a palace. Kings and Queens of Scotland and England lived there over the centuries. (Mary, Queen of Scots, is a famous resident.) Today, it is the official Scottish residence of His Majesty, the King.
When the King is not in residence, you can visit the Palace. If you are in Edinburgh, it is worth a visit. The gardens, which were a favorite of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, are beautiful.
See what I mean about rabbit holes? It’s fun stuff, though. Definitely more worthwhile than doomscrolling on social media….