My August post "Of Haunted Castles and BookCovers," found me anxiously (hand-wringing, sweating, pacing...well, you get the idea) awaiting my book cover for my soon-to-be
released novel, "Spirit of the Knight." As you might recall, I
fervently hoped a castle would grace the cover in some small fashion. Debbie Taylor, of Dca Graphics,
did not disappoint...
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| Cover by Debbie Taylor |
Not only did she not disappoint; she used
one of the very castles that inspired my fictional castle... the mysterious, Eilean Donan. According to a host of witnesses, this castle, which is situated in Loch Druich, is truly haunted. This beautiful edifice was all but destroyed
in the year 1719. History records that three frigates from the Royal Navy bombarded the castle for three full days while fighting Spanish mercenaries who
supported the Scots during the Jacobite rebellion. It is believed that the ghostly soldier often
seen carrying his head inside the gift shop, lost his life--and his head--during this battle.
He's not the only man to
lose his head in an altercation in this location either. In the year 1331, after
defeating his enemies, Robert the Bruce became king of Scotland. He
subsequently made his nephew, Randolph, the Earl of Moray, the warden of
Scotland. For their lack of respect for the law, Randolph promptly executed
fifty men and hung their heads on pikes from the battlements of the castle. He did this as a
warning to all those who would follow their lead. (Ick...)
