Month: February 2021

At the end of the Guardians of the Circles prequel, Talisman of Fire, Albyn and Geth settle at a place called Classac on the Long Islands. At the beginning of book one, in the same series, we find them still there, 30 years later.

My inspiration for the setting of my stories, especially Classac, is a place called Callanish, on the Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland.

On top of a hill, overlooking a sea loch, stands a ring of weathered standing stones, erected 4,500 years ago by a culture we know so little about. This was the late Neolithic, and people had settled, grown grain, and farmed cattle and pigs for over 1500 years. This was the culture that built most of the megalithic structures in Britain.

The Callanish stones comprise a stone ring with a central megalith, itself weighing about 7 tonnes. There are short rows of standing stones to the east, south, and west, and a double row of stones, forming an avenue to the north.

Various people have claimed astronomical alignments for the stones. It’s hard to imagine that they didn’t have some such purpose. Why go to all that effort if it was just for decoration!

What is incredible about Callanish, though, is that it is not alone. Within a few miles of the ‘main site’, known as Callanish I, are at least 15 more identified stone circles, or megaliths. This was a place of great importance to the ancient residents of the island.

Visible from Callanish I, and just a short walk away, are two more circles. Neither is as grand as the hilltop structure, but both have their own charm. Callanish II comprises an ellipse of stones; five still standing, and two fallen, just a few hundred metres from its neighbour.

Callanish III sits on a hilltop, close to the public road, and comprises an outer ring of 13 stones, eight still standing, and an inner circle with just 4 remaining stones.

When you consider that this culture had no metal tools, it would be a marvel that they built one circle. To erect so many, even if it was over many years or centuries, is impressive.

These are the people that inspired me to write the Guardians of the Circles books. I hope you’ll be as fascinated by them as I was.

D J Eastwood

P.S. If you’ve read and enjoyed my novella, Talisman of Fire, please consider following this link here to leave a rating or a review for the story.

Thank you.

Writing is a strange pastime. You plan and plot, spend hours researching, then write for weeks or months. When you’re done, it’s a mess. There are mistakes and plot-holes, the dialogue is terrible; the ending is not good enough.

You edit it and edit it again. Finally, you show it to some people you trust, your beta-readers. They point out all the things you missed, plus a load of suggestions that need to be addressed.

Months, perhaps years, after you began your journey, you finally have something you’re satisfied with. You format it and send it to Amazon…

Then it’s gone. The thing that has been your constant companion for so long is no longer there. You’re alone.

It’s strange sending your ‘child’ out into the world. You do not know how they will fare, but it was time to let go.

Well, that was me just before New Year 2021. The manuscript of The Apprentice Tattoo was out there for all to see, and I was left with… well, I was left with the two prequels I’d started while I was waiting for beta-readers to get back to me.

If you’ve read The Apprentice Tattoo, you’ll remember Spirit Messenger Albyn, guardian of the great stones of Classac. Well, in my head, he always had a back-story. So Talisman of Fire was born, telling of Albyn’s early life, and how he came to be at Classac.

You might also remember Spirit Master Yalta, guardian of the stones of Stanna. I wanted to know about her life before Stanna, too. That spawned the novella, The Turning Stone, telling of her journey to step into her power.

I’ve decided to make a gift of these two books. With that in mind, I’ve put Talisman of Fire into a joint promotion with forty other free stories, under the umbrella of History and Mystery.

Look through the dazzling array of covers and find one, or more, you like. Click on them, and you’ll be taken to a download page. Choose as many as you like. I’m pretty sure there is something for everyone.

Oh, and the good news is, once you’ve got Talisman of Fire, you’ll find a link to download your copy of The Turning Stone inside!

Follow the link to go to the History and Mystery giveaway, HERE.

D J Eastwood