The Story Behind the Story: SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD: A NOVEL

The Story Behind the Story: SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD: A NOVEL

Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard (Author of THE BEAUTY DOCTOR and TEMPTATION RAG: A NOVEL)

I am frequently asked about what led to my discovery of the fascinating, but previously overlooked, women in my new historical novel, SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD: Sibell Lilian Mackenzie, 3rd Countess of Cromartie, and her younger sister Lady Constance. The Mackenzie sisters grew up in the Scottish Highlands during the late Victorian era, daughters of an earl and occupants of the famed Castle Leod. Though I first learned of them in 2019, I feel as if, somehow, they’ve been on my radar much longer.   

I remember, at the age of eight or nine, telling my mother that I couldn’t decide which I wanted to be: a nun or a Spanish dancer. Odd, because I was neither Catholic nor Spanish. I guess, even then, I had a vague sense there were two opposing sides to my nature. When I discovered Sibell and Constance Mackenzie, I saw the same dichotomy in them—one a serious-minded spiritualist, the other a barefoot dancer—which, I suppose, is what immediately made me identify with them both. 

I had stumbled upon their history rather by accident while engaged in some personal soul-searching. I have always been fascinated by the Unseen World. In fact, in junior high school I wrote my term paper on extrasensory perception. But at this somewhat more advanced stage of my life, my thoughts were naturally turning to the problem of faith and where my own spirituality had led me. In the course of my reading, I happened to come across the name of Sibell Mackenzie, spiritualist and believer in ghosts and reincarnation. That she was also a published, and quite popular, author further sparked my interest. My research quickly shifted from personal to professional.

I had no difficulty locating basic information about her sister Constance—gold-medal swimmer, big game hunter, and scandalous barefoot dancer who eventually was banned from court by King Edward. The Mackenzie sisters clearly were complete opposites. After delving into a great many archived newspaper stories about each of the sisters, I developed a strong sense of the conflicts between them. And, as every writer knows, conflict is the essence of drama. 

I had found the stars of my next historical novel! 

One night, early in my contemplation of writing the novel, I woke up a little past midnight to see in the semi-darkness what looked like a figure in a hooded red cloak hovering a few feet from my bed. After staring at it awhile, I brushed off the strange apparition as simply a trick of shadow and light, and I went back to sleep.

The next day, I began reading a novel penned in 1910 by Sibell Mackenzie, Countess of Cromartie. I had ordered a first-edition copy of the book, which is out of print, from an antique book store in London, but I hadn’t yet found time even to open the cover. That morning, I did. To my surprise, in the very first chapter I ran across this paragraph: “It was a glorious warm night. I remember every trivial thing I did that evening. I ran up to my room and put on the first cloak I found hanging there, a scarlet one with a hood.” Though there had been no doubt about my intention to write a work of biographical historical fiction focusing on the Mackenzie sisters, now I felt certain that the story’s narrator must be Sibell. 

Beyond telling a good tale, authors writing historical fiction about people who actually lived must decide on the right balance between fact, conjecture, and imagination. In the course of my research, I did an immense amount of reading on topics from the peerage and Mackenzie clan history to hypnosis and past life experiences. I traveled to the Scottish Highlands, tracked down obscure official documents, and consulted psychics at the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain; it is rumored that Sibell once served as the association’s president. Archived newspaper articles and society columns were an especially rich resource. Public fascination with the Mackenzie sisters meant that their every move was recorded by the press, often accompanied by colorful editorializing. 

Readers may wonder which elements of the novel are actually true. To the extent possible, I maintained accurate dates of births, deaths, marriages, and other major life events. Less important dates and timeframes were occasionally altered to assist the story. My research uncovered evidence that the sisters’ relationship suffered long periods of estrangement and that Constance’s behaviors became an ongoing source of tension and concern. Without revealing too much, I can tell you that the newspaper article included in the novel concerning the old Mackenzie “legend of the stream” is 100 percent factual; this very unsettling legend is pivotal to the novel’s plot. 

While writing SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD, I tried to open my mind to the forces of both sisters’ personalities, but especially Sibell’s, since the events are seen through her eyes. I feel that I came to know her quite well. She was a writer with an exquisitely beautiful imagination, and I am confident that she would understand and approve of her story being told with a good deal of latitude, as is the prerogative of historical fiction. In relating that story through her voice, I hope to open for readers at least a small window into her soul, and also the mind of her complex and intriguing sister, Lady Constance.

SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD, published by Black Rose Writing, is available through book retailers everywhere now.

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Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Her latest novel, SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD (release date: January 19, 2023), is the haunting, emotionally charged story of two sisters torn apart by jealousy and superstition, and the impossible leap of faith that could finally bring them together. Her 2017 release, THE BEAUTY DOCTOR, is a riveting medical thriller that takes place in the early days of cosmetic surgery when the world of medicine was a bit like the Wild West and beauty doctors were the newest breed of outlaw.

THE BEAUTY DOCTOR was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Awards, AZ Literary Awards, and is a Book Readers Appreciation Group Medallion Honoree. TEMPTATION RAG: A NOVEL is a page-turning story of love and revenge and a deeply human portrait of racial and gender inequality in the ragtime era. “Music, art and culture spring from every page of this delightfully artistic work.” (Readers’ Favorite Book Review, 5-stars)

FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @EHBernardAuthor

Find out more about her on her website https://ehbernard.com/

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SISTERS OF CASTLE LEOD

A family tragedy, a forgotten legend, and two sisters locked in a bitter feud…

“Heartbreaking and redemptive…a thoroughly engrossing story that will have readers quickly turning the pages.” –Megan Chance, bestselling author of A Splendid Ruin

Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular Outlander books and television series, but few know that Gabaldon’s fictional Castle Leoch was inspired by a real Scottish castle, Castle Leod. The two sisters who lived there at the turn of the twentieth century were among the most fascinating and talked-about women of their era.

Lady Sibell Mackenzie is a spiritualist, a believer in reincarnation, and a popular author of mystical romances. Petite and proper, she values tradition and duty. Her younger sister Lady Constance, swimming champion and big game hunter, is a statuesque beauty who scandalizes British society with her public displays of Greek-style barefoot dancing. The differences between the sisters escalate into conflict after Sibell inherits their late father’s vast estates and the title 3rd Countess of Cromartie. But it is the birth of Sibell’s daughter that sets in motion a series of bizarre and tragic events, pitting sister against sister and propelling Sibell on a desperate mission to challenge the power of fate.

Sisters of Castle Leod, by award-winning author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, is the emotionally charged story of two sisters torn apart by jealousy and superstition, and the impossible leap of faith that could finally bring them together.

This title is available on #KindleUnlimited.Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU

 

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