Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway - Land of My Dreams by Norma Gail

Land of My Dreams

Author: Norma Gail

Genre: Christian Romance

Book Description:
Alone and betrayed, American professor, Bonny Bryant longs for a haven of peace. She accepts a position at a small Christian college in Fort William, Scotland, craving escape from her painful past. The passionate love which develops when she meets fellow professor and sheep farmer, Kieran MacDonell, is something she never anticipated.

Kieran harbors a deep anger toward God in the face of his own devastating grief. When Bonny’s former fiancé reenters her life, Kieran’s loneliness draws him to a former student.

How will Bonny decide between her rivals? Can they set aside the past to make way for a future, or will it drive them apart?

Land of My Dreams, Christian Romance Novel, spans the distance between New Mexico’s high desert mountains and the misty Scottish Highlands with a timeless story of overwhelming grief, undying love, and compelling faith.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ Amazon UK ¦ B&N

GUEST POST

How much research did you do into the Scottish Highlands and did you take anything away from what you learned?

Research is the magic word for any author. I began researching the Scottish Highlands before I wrote a book. Family history led to Scotland, which led to a vacation, which led to a book. One of the perks about writing a book is getting to look into all kinds of fascinating things and talk to interesting people because we write.

My latest research led to the likelihood that my 7th great grandfather was Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat, known as “The Old Fox”. He was the last man publically beheaded on Tower Hill in London. Some of you may recognize him as Jamie Fraser’s grandfather in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.

I began researching the Scottish Highlands in 2005 while planning our 30th anniversary trip. I love mountains, so the Lowlands held little interest, and it appears my feelings were correct. We spent two amazing weeks driving on the left side of the road, navigating roundabouts, and eating things like porridge, haggis, meat pies, and black sausage.

I devoured books on Scottish history, memorized the map of Scotland, and could give my own travelogue on the Highlands before we left. Being there in person was next to heaven. I returned with over 1000 photos, a huge stack of brochures, and a desire to return as soon as possible. As the idea for Land of My Dreams grew, those photos helped create a screensaver for settings I wanted to use in my book. I amassed a collection of Scottish music and drove my family crazy with bagpipe tunes on the stereo.

As the story grew, I lived in Scotland in my mind. I learned about sheep because the male protagonist is a sheep farmer. I learned a few Scottish-Gaelic phrases, though I’ve yet to meet anyone in New Mexico that speaks it. My book released in 2014 and I’m still researching as I work on the sequel.

My takeaway is a greater understanding of a country and people who have given the world some of the greatest scientific and medical advances in history. I have a great respect for a people that reclaimed much of their culture after their conquerors banned it for centuries. Scotland was a cradle of Protestantism and the home of many literary geniuses.

Land of My Dreams is contemporary, but readers can rest assured that the history and clan information is correct. Most of the places are real, and with the exception of a few, I’ve been there. You could walk into the restaurant and hotels today. The fictitious places are within the realm of possibility and the people are true to those you would meet on the street.

Scotland is the “land of my dreams” and I hope it becomes yours also.

About the Author

Norma Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 40 years. They have two adult children.

Author Links:

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