• Invertary is based on a small town in Scotland called Inverary. I kept the names quite similar because I love this town. It’s one of my favourite places in the world! The town was founded in the 1700s and sports a small castle, a wonderful waterfront and rows of white washed houses. All surrounded by brooding Scottish hills. Click on the image to visit Inverary’s website.
  • Scotland is famous for its castles. Actually, it’s probably more famous for its whisky, haggis and men in kilts! Anyway, there’s a lovely little castle in Inverary. There’s also one in the second book in the Invertary series – Goody Two Shoes – but it’s a lot less impressive than the one below!
  • In Lingerie Wars everyone seems to be wearing tartan! Tartan would be called plaid in America, but in Scotland it holds much more significance than just another fabric design. Today we associate different tartans with different clans. The material also holds a special place in Scottish history as it was banned 1746 in an attempt to impose control on Scotland’s warring clans. Needless to say, we didn’t take that well and the ban was lifted a few years later!
  • Some of the words and phrases used in Lingerie Wars are baffling to the non-Scottish reader. My proofreader wrote a huge question mark over the word foutering in my draft – it means fidgeting – so I took it out and limited my Scottish words after that! You do get one of my favourite words in the book though – Numpty. Numpty is a good humoured and gentle way of saying someone is an idiot and they’re amusing you. Go on – try it on someone, then smile knowingly!
  • Fishing is a huge sport in Scotland – think of all those lovely lochs and rivers – and there is no better place on earth to salmon fish. When I was younger my friend, Scot, used to take me fishing. I would just watch him, his skill was intimidating and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself trying to fish beside him!  Instead I spent my time lazing beside the loch and gazing at the beauty of the Scottish landscape. This is what I had in mind when I wrote the scenes where Alastair teaches Rainne to fish.
  • Hogmanay in Scotland is a party to beat all parties. No one does New Year like the Scots! I remember streets with a party in every second house. People would just wander in an out of the parties – whether they knew the people or not! Today there are massive street events and fireworks, but I like the get together in Lingerie Wars where the whole town decked in tartan and tinsel ready to see in the new year.
  • I’m ashamed to admit this, but I hate bagpipe music. I know – I’m a pathetic excuse for a Scot… Needless to say, there will be no heroes who play the bagpipes in my Invertary books!

8 People reacted on this

    1. I’ll put it in Goody Two Shoes, Gretchen, but it’s quite possible that we’ll be the only ones who know what I mean! 🙂

  3. I LOVE LEARNING THE FUNNY (TO ME) SCOT WORDS! I AM IN LOVE WITH ALL THE CHARACTERS AND INVERTARY! I HAVE VISITED THE SITE FOR INVERARY AND THE CASTLE (: I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE IT ALL IN PERSON ONE DAY!! HUGE DREAM OF MINE NOW !!! -SINCE READING YOUR INVERTARY BOOKS (: I LITERALLY TALK ABOUT THEM ALL THE TIME TO MY BOYFRIEND AND HE HASNT READ ONE PAGE, YET, BUHH HE KNOWS QUITE A BIT OF THE DRAMA (: AND OH.. THE WOMEN OF INVERTARY CRACK ME UP!! (: I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR BOOKS AND I’M CURRENTLY WAITING FOR MY PAYCHECK SO I CAN READ BAD BOY, (ALREADY READ HERE COMES THE RAINNE AGAIN), AND CAUGHT! THEN ON TO THE BENSON BOYS ((:

    1. So thrilled you’re enjoying the books, Holli! <3 I love Inverary, so I know you'll adore it whenever you get to visit. Just don't go in winter! And if you go in summer, make sure to cover up against the flesh eating midges! 😀 Really hope you enjoy Bad Boy when you get it. Thanks for reading my books! janet

  4. Oh yes i cant wait to start bad boy!(: super excited about it! And thank you for the midge advice! Wouldnt have known if it werent for you!(: and would love to read more about your sheep on your blog 😂 so sassy! Haha it means so much i heard back from you! 😄😆

  5. Love these books. I looked up Invertary because I’d never heard of it 😂 thought I’d missed a trick. The reactions to the foringners is priceless and tipical. I really needon’t to recreate the tartan lingerie you’ve inspired me xx

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