Why sirens?

My dad was actually the first person to suggest I write about mermaids (my dad . . . I know, right?!) At first, I didn’t put much stock in his suggestion. After all, mermaids?? In my head, the word conjured images of glittering seashells and vain, frivolous half-fish girls that made eyes at handsome princes all day.

Mmmm . . . not exactly my cup of tea.

It wasn’t until I watched a certain Pirates of the Caribbean movie, that the idea that mermaids could be sinister finally took root in my mind. And once it did, the challenge to tackle mermaids became much more appealing. (Thanks, Dad!)

Since I wanted my story to have a darker, more mysterious tone, choosing the location was important. I needed a place that—by its very setting—invoked the feelings I wanted to portray. Somewhere cool, dark, gray . . .

. . . Enter Scotland.

Hello, you beautiful, magical country, you!

Unfortunately, Falkeld Island is not real. So far as my own research has brought me, there are no magical mermaid islands off Scotland’s coast (darn!) But the setting itself was inspired by a real place. If you ever get a hankering to look at a really cool cave, do a search for Fingal’s Cave, located off Scotland’s Isle of Staffa. The clear blue water, black rock, stair-step cliffs, and square pillars of Falkeld were all inspired by this natural wonder, of which Sir Walter Scott once said was “…one of the most extraordinary places I ever beheld. It exceeded, in my mind, every description I had heard of it . . . composed entirely of basaltic pillars high as the roof of a cathedral, and running deep into the rock, eternally swept by a deep and swelling sea, and paved, as it were, with ruddy marble, baffles all description.”

Pretty awesome, right? In 2016, the hubs and I were lucky enough to be able to see it in person. We went in late September, when Scottish weather is pretty hit-and-miss, and I was a freaking stress basket all week… obsessively checking the weather… watching for incoming storms… and mentally cataloguing lists of valuables, just in case I needed to bribe the boat people into landing on the island anyway, weather be damned!

In the end, no bribes were needed. That Friday morning broke bright and clear, and after a lengthy ferry ride out to Mull Island, a subsequent bus ride across Mull’s one lane road, and yet ANOTHER ferry ride (much smaller this time) out to Staffa, Fingal’s Cave came into view—complete with a gorgeous rainbow that ended right on top of the island. As if Mother Nature herself had packaged it up just fo me! It was perfect, and every writer should be so lucky as to see the places in their head come to life.

My fictitious Island of Muireall and Tomberlyn Bay are also based on real places. The real Muireall is, in fact, the above mentioned Mull Island, which is home to a little bay-side town called Tobermory. Tobermory did, actually, play host to a Royal Navy training base during World War II, though their warship, the HMS Western Isles, was a lot smaller than my fictitious HMS Connelly. And guess what? The Admiral? Yeah, he was a real person too . . . surprise!

Vice-Admiral Sir Gilbert Stephenson commanded Tobermory’s Anti-Submarine Training School from 1940 through the end of World War II. He was notorious for being a hard case, and Brayan’s story of him throwing a man overboard is a variation on an account that really happened. On one occasion, the good admiral threw his hat onto the deck, declaring it to be a bomb. An overeager new recruit quickly kicked “the bomb” into the ocean, whereupon the Admiral declared it to now be a man overboard, and made the trainee retrieve it for him. (HA!) Admiral Stephenson’s strict discipline earned him the nickname of “The Terror of Tobermory,” however he was not as mad as my Admiral. The real Admiral Stephenson actually trained his soldiers so well that he is credited with being a factor in turning the tide in favor of the Allies during the Battle of the Atlantic. (See? Not such a bad guy after all!) In writing my own Admiral, I tried to create a character who—while, yes, is kind of a dirtbag—was also good leader, whose confidence in training and in battle inspired those under his command. Just like the real Admiral.

(Though, it’s okay if you still don’t like him . . . I don’t!)

The legend of a Spanish Armada ship sinking off Tomberlyn’s shores is also rooted in local folklore. After surviving England’s fireships, what was left of the Armada—including the Florencia, under Captain Bartoli—made their way North around the tip of Scotland, sailing back to Spain the long way. Unfortunately, they were woefully unprepared for such a journey that, combined with an early winter, proved to be their undoing. The surviving ships were pummeled by fierce storms, many of them wrecking on the shores of Scotland and Ireland. Out of the original one hundred and thirty Armada ships, only sixty-seven made it home to Spain. There are varying accounts of what happened to the Florencia, but local folklore speaks of a “treasure ship” that hobbled into Tobermory Bay searching for shelter from the storms. After a scuffle with the local clan chiefs, the ship was blown up, sinking it—and its “treasure”—into the sea. Though no such ship has ever been found off Tobermory’s shores, it does make for a fantastic story, wouldn’t you say?

As for the mighty sea god, Manannán Mac Lir and his beautiful maighdean mhara? Well, who can say if they’re real? Happily, the many variations of the maighdean mhara (or caesg, as they’re more commonly referred to in Celtic folklore) gave me lots of room for imagination. I chose to focus on the stories of mermaids who keep their souls separate from their bodies, hidden in bits of rock or shell for safekeeping, intrigued by the idea that in order to claim your wishes, you must capture the mermaid’s body and soul! The origin story of the maighdean mhara—of Queen Isobel and her faithless king—is entirely a figment of my imagination. So you won’t find it on any Google searches. However, stay tuned for more on that . . . a Siren’s sister novel, Otherworldly, will explore Queen Isobel, Manannán Mac Lir and the Otherworld in much greater detail. Get excited—I know I am!

As always, thank you for reading, dear friends. Your enthusiasm and support for my stories makes writing them THAT much more enjoyable.