At this time last year, I was writing Taken by the Laird, the book that was released yesterday. It wouldn’t be finished until nearly Christmas, but I was totally into the wintry setting. I’d always wanted to write a story with a snowed-in scene, but I don’t write westerns, and that’s where you usually find them. So I invented Castle Glenloch on the eastern shore of Scotland, a place that’s been known to get some snow. And voila! My snowed-in scene.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. On my visits to England, Scotland and Ireland, I visited lots of castles. And they’re always inspiring, each one. I can sit down on a low, stone wall, or stand in an empty castle courtyard, and just imagine the sights and sounds of life there when the castle was in its prime. It’s what drew me to writing – I loved thinking about the events that might have taken place during the Age of Chivalry – and I published several tales of knights and damsels before I switched to writing Regency-set historicals.

My inspiration for the setting of Taken by the Laird was Dunnotter Castle in Scotland (at right). It’s wild and remote, and the perfect spot for my hero, Hugh Christie, laird of Glenloch, to base his smuggling operation. In my version of the castle, Hugh’s ancestors rehabbed the place to some extent, so there are some habitable areas, but a lot of it is in ruins, which suits Hugh perfectly.

The ruins made me think about ghosts, and so Castle Glenloch has one. In fact, an article in Chemical and Engineering News (one of my husband’s scientific journals) gave me the perfect idea for my ghost – and I’m not going to spoil it by telling you now.   What I can tell you is that the ghost is a minor part of the story, so if paranormal elements put you off, don’t worry. It’s a small detail.

Hugh Christie was introduced as a widower in my January book, Wild. He’s a brooding man with a dark past and a secret, and when our intrepid heroine, Brianna Munro, shows up, Hugh knows it’s going to go downhill from there. She has obviously come into the castle to get out of the brutal weather, but he senses she’s not telling him the whole truth about who she is. He suspects she might even be the one who is sabotaging his smuggling operation.

 Brianna is actually the ward of an English viscount who arranges a perfectly dreadful marriage for her. She runs away, hoping that her brash Scottish aunt will help her – or just hide her. But she arrives late, and finds her aunt dying. Aware that she has no choice but to run again, she leaves right after the funeral, and soon stumbles upon Castle Glenloch. But when she meets its laird, she knows she has to lie about her identity, or else he’ll be compelled to send her (or take her) back to her guardian. And she’ll have no choice but to marry the creepy marquess her guardian has chosen for her.

Brianna feels it’s almost as dangerous to stay at Glenloch with Hugh, and she’s not one to sit and wait for things to happen around her. So she leaves the castle, intending to find a better, safer hiding place. Unfortuantely, her actions put her in grave danger, and Hugh has to rescue her, risking his life to do it.

That’s where the plaid blanket comes in. Check out the cover. The red wrap that she’s wearing is the blanket they have to share once they get to safety… But no spoilers here. I hope you’ll try Taken by the Laird, and also come and visit tomorrow when I’m the guest blogger at BordersTrueRomance. I’ll be giving away two copies of this book, and two copies of Wild. You can also read an excerpt from Taken by the Laird and enter Margo’s contest here: Margo’s Website.