Like I mentioned in the reader letter, there was a lot of research behind this book from the people and places to wartime events and pirates. And even how to fire a cannon!
You can get a glimpse behind the scenes of the mess in this copy of parts of my working document where I’d pasted in the real research of the various battles…and made notes of how it could affect the lives of my fictional characters.
The song – “The Flowers of the Forest” – Here is a pdf of the lyrics and a translation of the odd words. And here is a YouTube video of the song played over images honoring fallen heroes.
The place: There is a very real Muncaster Castle outside Ravenglass at the mouth of the Eskdale valley in Cumbria (on the northern border of England) and it has been owned by the Pennington family for something like 800 years. I took a little creative license since the terrace was actually built in the 1780’s but the grounds are famous for their rhododendrons and the story about King Henry VI and his bowl is definitely part of Muncaster’s tradition.
There is also a very real place called Dalegarth Hall historically owned by the Stanley family with the nearby Dalegarth Falls (currently also known as Stanley Ghyll Force). During my research, I learned that one family member died in 1806 (a couple years before fictional Susannah’s dad died) and left such generous gifts in his will that the remaining property had to be mortgaged and was later eventually sold to Muncaster to cover the debts.
When looking for places in the Cumbria region as the setting for this story, having these two real places just seven miles apart was quite a find. However, while the family names and locations are real, my characters and others in the area are completely fictional…
Discussion Questions – get a pdf of discussion starters for your Book Club
Wondering what to read next? Well, what if a contemporary heroine was working at a castle, reading historical romances, and struggling with the same issues the characters faced? Then you’d have Saving Grace, another hidden identity romance set at a castle.