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Come along, reader friends! Author Debra E. Marvin is joining us today for a little trip to Scotland PLUS a giveaway of her latest release!

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Case of the Clobbered Cad is set in Edinburgh, Scotland and neighboring Linlithgow. With such an old city—one that treasures its history—going back sixty years to 1956 didn’t seem that long ago.

Edinburgh is set alongside the Forth River near the East Coast of Scotland and has long been the capital. In fact, the chapel of St. Margaret (now the oldest building in the city) was built on castle hill around 1080.

If you’ve only heard a few things about this great city they might refer to The Royal Mile or Edinburgh Castle, but there’s so much more to admire. Even with as much digging as I could manage online, nothing could compare with visiting first hand:

Heather Munro gazed down Victoria Street so long, she became another gray-suited statue along the Royal Mile.

Missing her bus stop, again, was the perfect excuse for a stroll down the delightful, if misleadingly named street, George IV Bridge. Edinburgh was a forest of weathered architecture ripe with history. When she wasn’t rooted to the sidewalk, gawking, she wandered it like a modern-day Alice in Wonderland.

 

Five Favorite things about Scotland

Debra: The Sky. Whether it’s the far northern latitude or the fact it receives the Atlantic’s prevailing winds, the skies over Scotland never failed to be dramatic.

Beth: I think the sky does get prettier as you travel towards the pole (our Aussie and Kiwi friends will have to let us know if that holds true on the other side of the world), makes up for the shorter days in the winter! 

Debra: The Accent. If you enjoy hearing one Scot speaking, imagine ‘immersion’. While Scotland, like England, is relatively small compared to the U.S., the local dialects and pronunciations vary widely.

I was welcomed at the airport by the customs officer and I pretty much smiled my way through the next ten days. I had no problems understanding anyone until, on the train, I sat across from a man hailing from Clydeside—the strongest of the Glaswegian tongue. I understand that even other Scots may at times struggle with that one!

Beth: Oh I loooooove accents! Scottish is among my favorites! 

Debra: The Architecture.  A happy mix of ancient and modern. It’s true we take for granted that which we’ve grown up with and it didn’t seem to be any different in Scotland.

I tend to oooh and ahh over New England Salt Box houses from the mid-1700s, while ‘New Town’ Edinburgh is just as old. And there’s no lacking for interesting details. Just like my protagonist, Heather, contends, there does seem to be an abundance of castles.

Beth: Old world “old” blows our mind just a little bit here in America, lol!

Debra: Personal Connection. I was spoon fed a love for Scotland as a wee lass and the interest continued to grow. My heart longed to go, to travel for those in my family who never went back or never visited. Real or imagined, it felt like home. My goal for the trip was to just soak it all up. I didn’t need to see any one thing in particular, but I did need to just breathe it in, listen to it, smell it and taste it. I succeeded.

Beth: Awww, that’s wonderful! 

Debra: The Land and Lochs (and the sea). I can’t tell you how beautiful Scotland is unless you’ve seen it for yourself. Even in rain, it just astounds you with vivid colors and textures. If I ever disappear with my passport, you’ll know where I am.

Beth: I know what you mean, some places just captivate the senses!

Debra: Yes, I traveled to Scotland last year, and picked up as much detail in setting as I could find to supplement a lot of online research. I even found a great website that is dedicated to memories and photos of Edinburgh in ‘modern times’, which gave me so much to work with in a 1956 setting. And, well, I’ve lived that long, and those old days don’t seem that long ago!

Thanks for discovering Scotland with me. I hope you enjoy a visit while you help solve The Case of the Clobbered Cad!

Beth: Thank you for telling us all about Scotland, Debra! What a wonderful place!

 

About the Book

Inspired by the famous Girl Detective, the members of the Olentangy Heights Girls’ Detective Society, affectionately known as the Nosy Parkers, spent their formative years studying criminology, codes, and capers. Unfortunately, opportunities to put their unique skills to work were thin on the ground in the post-war boom of their little corner of suburbia and they eventually grew up to pursue more sensible careers. Until…

Heather Munro’s youthful devotion to The Girl Detective led to a passion for digging around in history. Now pursuing her Master’s Degree in Celtic Studies, Heather must balance exploring Edinburgh with her determination to excel in her all–male classes at the University. Unfortunately, on her first night working in the Archives room, she discovers the dead body of a visiting professor, the same would-be lothario she’d hoped never to see again.

As clues come to light, it’s clear someone hopes to frame Heather for the murder. Besides her quirky landlady, whom can she trust? How can she clear her name? The police and the American Consul have plenty of suspects, but only two seem to have both motive and opportunity: Heather and the quiet Scottish historian she longs to trust.

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About the Author

Debra E. Marvin tries not to run too far from real life but the imagination born out of being an only child has a powerful draw. Besides, the voices in her head tend to agree with all the sensible things she says.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and serves on the board of Bridges Ministry in Seneca Falls, NY. She is published with WhiteFire Publishing, Forget Me Not Romances, Journey Fiction and contracted with Barbour Publishing, and has been a judge for the Grace Awards for many years.

Debra works as a program assistant at Cornell University, and enjoys her family and grandchildren, obsessively buying fabric, watching British programming and traveling with her childhood friends.

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Giveaway

Debra E. Marvin has generously provided an ebook copy of The Case of the Clobbered Cad for one Faithfully Bookish reader!

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Have YOU visited Scotland, reader friends?