Roma Cordon - Bewitching Scottish Romance

Roma Cordon was introduced to romance novels in her teenage years and instantly became a voracious reader of the genre. In the 1990s, she came to live in New York where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees. After taking a writing course at New York University with Anne Rice, she dived into the world of writing while testing the waters at public speaking at her local Toastmasters club. By day, Roma works in the finance industry; in the evenings and weekends, she is a passionate romance writer. She also writes on her blog romacordon.com.

Please give us a short introduction to what Bewitching a Highlander is about.

Bewitching a Highlander is a historical romance novel with fantasy undertones, set in Scotland in 1747. While searching for her missing father, healer Breena finds herself on a Scottish isle, seat of the vile Campbells, where she meets Egan, a future Dunbar clan chief.

He’s there to keep the peace between the Dunbars and the Campbells but she’s hellbent on causing trouble.

After he saves her from an ornery Campbell sentry, to repay an old debt he joins her quest to save her father. They’re pulled together by a fiery attraction — but pursuing their love could mean risking everything…

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to write this?

Scotland’s history, it’s culture and people have always fascinated me. In fact, while on a trip in the Scottish Highlands with my husband, the idea for this book was born. Historical romance has always been my favorite genre of fiction, and when I found out the Witchcraft Act of 1735 abolished witch hunts, the rest of the story and timeline fell into place.

I also have to say that Sally Owens from the Sandra Bullock movie, Practical Magic, is my all-time favorite movie heroine. She inspired Breena the heroine of Bewitching a Highlander!

Tell us more about Breena MacRae. What makes her tick?

Breena, the main character, is terrified of being burnt alive at the stake for witchcraft. Because in her world, this is what happens to witches. She is hiding her identity from the Campbells to cloak her search and rescue mission for her imprisoned father. If caught, the Campbells will not hesitate to torture and kill her.

Despite her fears she casts divination spells to help in the search. But when she is found out by Egan Dunbar, who rescues her from the clutches of a Campbell guard, she has to decide whether to trust him. But can she put everything at risk, including the lives of those she loves?

How much research did this story require from you? What was the most interesting aspect of this research?

Research into European history was fun for me. For this book I travelled to Scotland and visited places like the Isle of Skye, Dunvegan Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, the Isle of Harris/Lewis, etc. This was the most interesting aspect. I also spoke to tour guides and shop owners. I consulted with spell craft reference writings by Scott Cunningham, Ann-Marie Gallagher, Marion Weinstein, etc. For period costumes I found Milla Davenport’s The Book of Costumes helpful and for architecture Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill’s Classic Georgian Style’s book was a wonderful source of information. Plus, it goes without saying, where would we writers be without Wikipedia, Google, and Pinterest.

What did you have the most fun with when writing Bewitching a Highlander?

The connection between Egan and Breena was fun to write because it is emotionally impactful to the story. Breena and Egan are both strong characters who lead eventful, exciting, and dangerous lives. Their coming together was romantic and explosive. The redefining of their relationship from physical attraction to something deeper and more meaningful was satisfying. The change in their relationship was gratifying to put down on paper because of the hurdles jumped and the distances travelled for them to reach their ultimate destination; a happily ever after.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Absolutely. I let the characters do the driving. I knew only one thing before starting to write Bewitching a Highlander, I knew it would have a happy or a happy-for-now ending.

Neil Gaiman said in his Master Class that we as writers should always write the truth: whether it’s about a man in a blue and red onesie who can fly, bend steel, and save the world, or it’s about a young witch who after nineteen years of thinking her parents abandoned her, finds out her father is a prisoner in an enemy clan and will do anything to save him, even if it means her own death.

I am a big believer in what Neil Gaiman said, even before he said it. So, taking along only my happy ending or my happy-for-now ending, I let the characters tell me their truths.

You included some witchery in your story. Why did you take this approach?

Breena was inspired by the character Sally Owens from the movie Practical Magic. She is one of my all-time favorite heroines.

Witchcraft has an unfair and inaccurate stigma attached to it. Some equate it with devilry, Satan worship, blood sacrifices, black magic, hexes, and the like. But this is a remnant of the Middle Ages and bad propaganda hatched-up by religious zealots. Others equate witchcraft with Glenda, the good witch from Wizard of Oz; a beautiful and ethereal fairy, who masterfully grants wishes.

But what about a witch who is a typical woman? One with reverence for nature, spirituality, and life?

In Breena’s world, witches are burned alive at the stake, yet she stays true to her witchery heritage when it would be so much easier to give it all up. She stays true to her heritage despite the fear of discovery. This is in part due to the special relationship she has with her grandmother who taught her the practice. It’s also due in part to the fact that witchery is so ingrained in her persona, separating the two would be impossible.

What are you working on right now?

I just completed the manuscript for book 2 of the Scottish Highland Warriors series. It is a period piece romance, set in 1747 Scotland, the same as Bewitching a Highlander.

This manuscript is a friends-to-lovers trope. Two childhood friends meet again after years, each working on opposite sides of the political sphere. One is a rebel spy working for the Jacobites, and the other is on the side of the opposition—a British army captain. When these two are forced into a marriage to avoid a scandal, they’ll have to survive each other first before they can take down common enemies.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

I would love to connect more with readers! I am mostly on Instagram, and Twitter. But you can also find me on Bookbub.com and Goodreads.com. Sometimes you can find me on Facebook. And to find out more about me, my writing process, and what I am working on, please come visit me on romacordon.com and sign up for my monthly newsletter by clicking here and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.