Blue Bells of Scotland by Laura Vosika

Blue Bells of Scotland

by

Laura Vosika

Shawn Kleiner has it all: money, fame, a skyrocketing career as an international musical phenomenon, his beautiful girlfriend Amy, and all the women he wants—until the night Amy has enough and abandons him in a Scottish castle. He wakes to find himself mistaken for Niall Campbell, medieval Highland warrior. Soon after, he is sent shimmying down a wind-torn castle wall into a dangerous cross country trek with Niall's tempting, but knife-wielding fiancee, pursued by English soldiers and a Scottish traitor who want Niall dead.

Thrown forward in time, Niall learns history's horrifying account of his own death, and of the Scots' slaughter at Bannockburn. Undaunted, he navigates the roiled waters of Shawn's life—pregnant girlfriend, amorous fans, enemies, gambling debts—seeking a way to leap back across time to save his people, especially his beloved Allene. But he finds himself liking Shawn's life...

Author, Laura Vosika grew up in the military, visiting castles in England, pig fests in Germany, and the historic sites of America's east coast. She worked for many years as a freelance musician, and has taught general music, band, and private music lessons for twenty years.

In addition to The Blue Bells Trilogy, Laura has several other novels in progress and two non-fictions, one on raising a large family and one on Scottish history. She is the mother of nine, living in Minnesota.

Excerpt of Blue Bells of Scotland

"Give me the car keys." Amy thrust her hand out.

"You didn't get your international license. You can't drive."

"Watch me."

Shawn laughed, digging in the pocket of his baggy, medieval trews. "I know you, Amy. You won't jaywalk on a deserted street. I paid good money for this meal. I'll be out when I'm done." He flipped the keys at her, much harder than necessary.

She caught them in a neat overhand. "I will expect my grandmother's ring back as promised," she said in clipped tones, "or I will cause so much trouble in every possible corner of your life, that you'll wish you'd never thought up that idiotic story about tinagle connectors." She threw the tartan down at him.

"I didn't make...."

"Stuff it, Shawn. I saw Jim while I was waiting in the lobby. He almost died laughing, said there's no such thing on a trombone. Thanks for humiliating me, on top of it. Maybe some day you'll come clean about what you needed—make that wanted—the money for."

"Hey, that's not fair!" He jumped to his feet. "I needed that money! There was this big Scot. He was coming with his friends to beat the living daylights out of me!"

"Did you sleep with his wife? You probably deserved to be beaten to a pulp." She shoved past him, glaring back from the arched doorway at the top of the stairwell. "I cannot believe I've stayed with you this long!" She spun on her heel. Her voice floated back up from the dark staircase. "I cannot believe I kept thinking there was something better in you!" He ran to the western wall to see her emerge from the tower into the courtyard. Mist swirled around her ankles. "Everybody told me there was nothing better there!" she shouted up at him.

"Bull!" he shouted back, leaning over the tower. "They love me!"

"You have no idea what they say behind your back," Amy yelled. "Selfish, self-centered, obnoxious, loud! They're just afraid of your temper. Arrogant!" She turned and stormed across the courtyard, tearing through tendrils of mist grabbing at her legs.

"I am not loud!" he bellowed.

History of Blue Bells of Scotland

Today in history, in 1274, Robert the Bruce was born, most likely at Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire.

The third of ten children, he was the oldest of five sons. His older sister, Isabel, became the queen of Norway. His younger brother, Edward, briefly took the throne of Ireland during the Scottish Wars of Independence. His other three other brothers, Neil, Thomas, and Alexander, all died at the hands of the English, being brutally executed.

Bruce remains today one of Scotland’s greatest heroes, alongside William Wallace of Braveheart fame. In the wake of Edward Longshanks of England’s invasion of Scotland, he eventually became King of Scots and led Scotland to victory against a much stronger army at Bannockburn on June 24, 1314.

To read more about the history click here.

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"Laura Vosika spins a captivating tale that combines historical fiction with time travel and a bit of reverse alternate history cleverly woven in. Instead of changing the final outcome of an important historical event, Vosika changes the history at the start of the novel so that her time traveler changes it to what actually is. Although the grandfather paradox is mentioned, no consequences are shown for the changed history that the time travel generated such as people disappearing as if they never existed. The pacing flows from a measured cadence at the start of the tale and builds to a climatic crescendo reminiscent of Ravel’s Bolero."

~Joan Szechtman, author of This Time~

See the full review at Joan's blog, Random Thoughts of An Accidental Author