Family genealogy has always been fascinating to me, so it was a true earthly delight to blow the dust off my own family heritage and dedicate this novel to my sixth great-grandfather, George Hume. He and my Scottish ancestors had a very colorful history living on the Scottish borders and being so close to England and its enemies back then. As a result, he was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching surveying to George Washington from 1748 to 1750. I wish I could include all his exploits here but am happy to say he inspired this novel in countless ways.
I’ve always been thankful for those intrepid Scots, especially those who journeyed to America. After several trips to Scotland myself (which left me wishing my family had never left there), I’ve attempted to re-create what it might have been like forsaking such an epic place and coming to a new country against one’s will. Yet since I am an American and more than two hundred years of history have severed my Scottish connection, I’m sure this novel is but a shadow of what that scenario was truly like. I’m also sure that a Scot would tell it differently. But I attempt to honor my Scots heritage and ancestors here with this fictional account and hope readers feel a sense of Scotland’s majestic, heartrending history. Many of you share those rich Scottish roots. I like to think our ancestors may well have known each other!
This story was born while I was hiking on the Isle of Mull and descended a very steep cliff to enter a sea cave at low tide. Our guide told us this immense cave had been used by smugglers long ago. As we continued our hike, we climbed upwards to stone cottages, abandoned and crumbling, overlooking the sea. I thought of all the stories these places could tell in their time. The character of Lark came to mind right then, and later Magnus while I stayed at a castle on the coast. Edinburgh, which figures into this story briefly, is my favorite city, though Glasgow is fascinating too.
I relied on many sources while writing this novel, primarily the Hume family history, letters, and other accounts of Scottish immigrants coming to America. My son also began beekeeping during this time, but I must confess I’m not an authority on bees, though I find them remarkable!
My hope is that you find this story meaningful and inspiring and can say, despite the valleys of life, “Yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Ps. 16:6).