Interview with Donna Ashcroft - author of ‘Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands’
Interview with Donna Ashcroft
Author of ‘Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands’
Release date: Sept 18th, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture
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Please provide the inspiration behind Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands and the importance of the setting to the story.
The book SPARE by Prince Harry was published early last year. It made me wonder what it would be like to be the ‘spare’ in a family where a title would be handed down to the eldest son. How it might feel to be the younger son in this scenario. Would you feel less important, or like you didn’t matter at all? This kicked off the premise for the story.
The setting is the beautiful and wild Scottish Highlands in winter. I wanted to base a lot of scenes in the novel outside. Both Ross and Ivy have an affinity with nature and for Ivy, this is something she recognises about herself during the novel and it’s a big part of her character arc. For Ross, it’s the place he has escaped to, leaving his family behind.
Tell us a bit about Ivy Heart and Ross Ballentine. Who are they and one major dilemma/challenge they each face.
Ivy has just turned thirty and she’s covering a maternity leave as a PA for Miriam Ballentine who runs Hawthorn Castle.
Ivy was very close to her father. He died when she was sixteen and her mother had a heart attack recently. Ivy blames herself. Her guilt is driving her to secure a job she doesn’t want in order to make her mother happy.
This sets off a chain of events that starts with her going to Christmas Resort so she can track down Ross, in order to persuade him to return to his family home to become Laird. Only Ross isn’t interested.
Ross is a recluse. His parents were killed in a boating accident when he was twelve. He blames himself and believes his big brother and grandmother rejected him as a result. He left his family home, Hawthorn Castle, five years ago and now lives miles from anywhere and anyone.
Ross works at Christmas Resort looking after the grounds and running outdoor adventures. He has one friend, Old Man Grizzle, who he reluctantly cares for.
When Ivy insists that he has to return to the family home, he finally has to confront his past.
Who was your favourite character in Winter Wishes to write and why?
I always enjoy writing grumpy, older men. Old Man Grizzle is a fabulous character who I had so much fun with. He loves his visits from Ross but constantly complains about them. He’s losing his eyesight, but won’t go to the optician (for reasons that become clear half way through the book). Instead, he buys glasses on eBay, attempting to find a pair that will work.
He’s sweet, funny and vulnerable and I included him to draw a parallel with Ross, so my hero would see what his future would be if he continued to separate himself from people.
Name one or more major themes addressed in the novel.
Guilt. Both Ross and Ivy feel guilty for different reasons, but they can’t be happy until they find a way to confront and let go of their guilt.
The book is also about finding the right path in life. For Ross, who decided to walk away from his family because he thought he wasn’t wanted, the right path was about ostracising himself. For Ivy, who wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, it was about leaving that path so she could make her mother happy. By meeting each other and finally facing up to the truth, they learned which paths they had to follow to be happy.
There are some adorable or unusual animals in your story. Tell us about the ones you have chosen and why,and the parts they play in the plot.
There are three pets, each with a part to play in the novel.
Bowser is Grizzle’s pug. He provides humour. He attacks Ross whenever he visits, effectively mirroring Grizzle’s unwelcoming attitude. But when the pug meets Ivy, he adores her, and Grizzle does too. By echoing one another they show the reader a softer side, exposing their true natures.
Ross has a wild boar called Snowball and a golden retriever named Moose. For Ross they are his adoptive family – he doesn’t have to prove himself to them, or question his place. This is something he’s not had since his parents died and it’s something he needs. Until the book begins he thinks that is enough.
Both pets also drive the plot in places, Snowball accidently knocks Ivy over, leading to a romantic encounter between the characters and Moose is injured when Ivy and Ross are on a reindeer spotting adventure. This results in the couple being snowed in.
Did you face any writing challenges during the creation of Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands? If so, how did you overcome these obstacles?
The book flowed until half way through and I was really happy with it. But then, I got stuck. Grizzle’s story began to take over the main story and I lost Ross and Ivy completely. Then a few things happened in my personal life which derailed me further.
The book was originally meant to be published in 2023 but we pushed it in 2024 instead – this meant I could put it down for a month. I needed space away from the story to understand where I’d gone wrong and what should happen next. Then I finished it. But it wasn’t until structural edit stage that I realised what needed to happen and I rewrote the second half of the book.
It was interesting, because I’d originally written things into the story ie. Grizzle believing it was Mairi Gibson delivering his meals rather than Ross. But it was only once I had the time and space away from it that I realised she was a big part of Grizzle’s arc. The person who would help him realise that he needed to change. It had been there all along, I just hadn’t been able to see it. By completing Grizzle’s story I was able to finish Ross and Ivy’s too. I just had to trust my brain to work it out, but I also needed to put it down in order to see the way forward.
Picking names for characters can be a hard task. Do you have a method you follow?
I use Google, I search for common or unusual Scottish names or animal name suggestions for particular breeds.
In Christmas books I try to use a ‘christmassy’ name for at least one of my main characters. In Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands, I used Ivy. But choosing names is mostly about finding what fits the story. Once I see the right one, I know.
You have been a romance novelist for a number of years now. Name at least two things you have learned about the craft of writing during that time that you could share with upcoming authors?
Every book is different and it doesn’t get any easier no matter how many stories you write (at least it hasn’t for me). Believe in the process. Your brain knows what it’s trying to do, even if you don’t. Trust it, because the more you fight or doubt yourself, the harder the process will be.
The best ideas will come to you when you’re not sitting at your desk. So if you’re stuck, get up and walk, bake, take a shower, do something unrelated to writing. Give your subconscious a chance to work and it’ll show you the way when you least expect it.
Do you have a favourite Christmas Resort like the one in your story? Where is your perfect Christmas holiday destination and what is special about it?
Oh, I wish Christmas Resort existed!! Unfortunately, it came from my imagination and there is no such place. But I fantasize about spending Christmas somewhere snowy. I’ve been to Iceland in October (when it didn’t snow), but if I could take my family somewhere for the festive season it would be where there was plenty of snow, a cabin in the woods, reindeer and a big fire. That would be my dream.
For now, being at home is wonderful. I have a big family and we get together at Christmas. There are varied ages and we have a lot of fun eating too much and playing games.
Do you have any new book(s) in the works that you can tell us a little about?
This year, I didn’t write a summer book, but I have two Christmas books instead! Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands is the first, and A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands is the second.
A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands is set in a new place – a village called Mistletoe. There are some wonderful characters in this story and it’s a very emotional read. I can tell you that it includes elements from the Cinderella story.
The hero, Alex Forbes-Charming, and heroine, Ella McNally are playing Cinderella and Prince Charming in the village pantomime. The characters are dealing with similar challenges to their pantomime characters which they have to overcome in order to be happy. This one is a lot of fun – there’s a fairy godmother, naughty step-brothers, a mean stepmother and a very cute young boy who plays a mouse.
But there’s a deeper storyline running through it. One about seeing the truth and being brave enough to please yourself, rather than other people.
Thanks so much Donna for being my guest author! You look very festive in your hat!
Please connect with Donna on her website and social media (links on her site) for more information on her books.
