Highland Fling on the Whisky Trail by Margaret Amatt
About the Book:
What happens in
Glenbriar stays in Glenbriar
When sunny and efficient Felicity Swan lands her dream job
as PA to the new CEO of the Glenbriar Whisky Co., the dream soon turns into a
nightmare. Gavin Sinclair isn’t what she expects.
Gavin’s only qualification for the job is that he’s the
owner’s son. He knows he’s out of his depth but he doesn’t need his PA
criticising the changes he wants to make.
Questioning his business decisions isn’t the only way
Felicity makes Gavin hot under the collar. He can’t get her out of his mind.
But dating an employee is strictly off-limits, especially one ten years younger
than him.
While touring the Glenbriar distilleries together, Gavin and
Felicity discover each other’s company is more intoxicating than the whisky.
But when the trip’s over, they have a tough decision to make if they’re to
ensure their highland fling isn’t simply a brief tryst at the illicit still.
Q&A with the Author:
Q: Tell us about this
book.
A. Felicity Swan has taken what she imagines to be a dream job
as the PA for the CEO of a whisky chain. Sadly it doesn’t work out exactly how
she expects because Gavin Sinclair the new CEO is really grumpy and some of his
plans go against what Felicity believes is the right direction for the company.
But he has his reasons, mostly because he’s been catapulted into a role he
knows nothing about and is afraid of sinking before he’s even got started!
When Felicity persuades him to go on a tour of the
distilleries that’s when the fun really starts! They realise they have a lot
more in common than they thought and they’re also strongly attracted to each
other!
Q. What inspired this book and the series?
A. Whisky production is a big thing in the area I live.
There are two distilleries quite close to me and even more the further north
you travel. I read an article about a family run distillery in the highlands
and how they’d been forced to diversify and adapt to keep up with larger
companies. It sparked the idea but I didn’t initially see it as a story in
itself. The first book in the Glenbriar series Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel is where I first used the idea
for the whisky business. As that story developed, the idea for Highland Fling on the Whisky Trail
developed too. The main characters have both appeared as side characters in
previous books and they fitted perfectly into this story.
Q. This series has connections to another series
you wrote. What can you tell us about that and why did you choose to have
characters in both series?
A. Yes indeed! Felicity has appeared in the Glenbriar series
already. She was Briony’s friend in book one and also appeared briefly in book
four. She was crying out for a story of her own right from the start! Gavin
appeared in book ten of my first series Scottish Island Escapes. He was Holly’s
ex boyfriend in that and was almost a ‘villain’, so it was fun redeeming him in
his own story. I once read that the best way to make a side character
(especially one that seems ‘bad) feel real is to give them a solid backstory –
even if no one else ever reads it, if I can be clear on their motivations it
makes them read more authentically. Sometimes in doing that I create a
character so real to me that I feel they need their own story. This is exactly
what happened with Gavin.
I wanted the two series to be linked as it’s one thing
readers always comment on about how much they love the way the characters
intertwine.
Q. When did you decide you wanted to write?
A. Many years ago. I’ve always enjoyed writing and
storytelling but having the confidence to share what I’d written with others
took a lot of work.
Q. You’ve written a few books set in Scotland.
What draws you and you characters to this area?
A. I live in Scotland so it’s a bit of writing about what I
know. The first series was set on the Isle of Mull which is a place I visit
frequently and absolutely love. The second series is based on the area I live
in and so I can write it very authentically.
As for my characters, they have wide and varied reasons for
being here. Felicity in Highland Fling on the Whisky Trail is actually from London
but came to Scotland to work. Gavin is Scottish and has always lived in
Scotland.
Q. What is your
favorite part of writing?
A. Planning and starting a book is always fun. I love
collecting and organising the ideas then setting off on the journey!
Q. What is your writing process?
A. My writing days are on Monday and Tuesday. I pretty much
have to stick to that as I have another job the rest of the week. Once I get
writing and get in the zone, I can become immersed for hours! The fastest first
draft I ever wrote was seventy thousand words in 6 days! But normally it’s
nowhere near as quick. That was a very happy fluke. My first drafts usually
take about two months to write and then I spend at least that again, sometimes
more, on editing.
Q. If someone has not read any of your books,
which book should they start with?
A. They could start at the beginning of the first series
with A Winter Haven or if they want
to start the Glenbriar series then Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel is
book one. All the books can be read as standalones though.
About the Author:
Margaret is a Scottish author and chocolate lover who has
been writing stories for over twenty years (possibly more if you count her
primary school efforts). Her early works will never see the light of day and
are locked in dusty vaults on some old floppy disks. But after all those years
of practice, Margaret released her first novel A Winter Haven in 2021. This is
the first of a ten-book series set on the gorgeous Scottish Isle of Mull.
Margaret has also written five books in The
Glenbriar Series with more planned for 2023.
The stories are unashamedly romantic but with lots of drama
and an eclectic mix of characters. Each book can be read as a standalone but
followers of the series will enjoy catching up with the characters.
Keep in touch on
social media:
https://www.margaretamatt.com/subscribe
https://www.facebook.com/MargaretAmattAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/margaret_amatt_author
https://twitter.com/AmattAuthor
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