Wick woman in seventh heaven as novel number seven is published
Retired Thurso High School teacher and former Wick resident, Julie Adams, has just published her seventh novel.
Julie Adams, who grew up in Wick and taught at Thurso High School, appeared on the historical fiction panel at Angus Book Festival recently to talk about her Scottish Agent novels: Book 1:1789 and the sequel Women of the Revolution, as well as launching her seventh novel, Fenagill.
The book, like previous novels Malbister and Broken Wings, is set in the north Highlands, in the fictional village of Fenagill. Close by is Fenagill Tower, formerly known as Fenrir’s Leap, which is said to be under an ancient curse. The first-born son of every owner has always died before they can inherit the estate.
Pet sitter, artist and antiques and collectables expert, Cally James, has been tasked with looking after three cats in a house in Fenagill village and discovers that the curse persists, with three people connected to the Crowe family having gone missing.
Julie says: “Themes including obsession and coercive control, and a failure to let go of the past drive the narrative, with a cast of characters including a 1960’s supermodel and a rival antiques dealer with a grudge.”
Asking about the idea behind the setting, Julie added: “I spent two-thirds of my life in Caithness, and I really owe my writing progress to Caithness Writers, who supported and encouraged me.
“There are so many tower houses and castles dotted about the coastline, that I thought I might add a fictional one in the book. The village is partly based on places further south, but as I wrote, I got a real feel for the place and realised it belonged in Caithness.”
And asked what she is now working on, Julie mentioned a writing apprenticeship she embarked on around five years ago and said her aim is to complete and self-publish 10 novels in a variety of genres. “Fenagill is the seventh novel, and I’m currently writing the third in the Scottish Agent series, set in 1791. I recently gave a talk on the series to the Montrose Probus Club.”
Julie is kept busy, as her poem Cormorant was published in an international anthology with the theme of hope and renewal.
“I’m in a walking group on the Arbroath cliff path, where we often see international tourists, some of whom often take risks to take selfies with the background of the rocks and the wildlife.
“I wrote the poem as flash fiction but used it in a seminar with Aberdeen University creative writing professor, Alan Warner, who suggested I could develop it. That’s how an earlier book, Into The Woods, came into being.”
Julie publishes poetry and short stories on her blog: joolscaithnessnovel.wordpress.com/
Fenagill is available as an ebook and as a paperback on Amazon amzn.eu/d/d9mA4YT
The book is 240 pages long and priced at £7.99 for the paperback and £1.99 for the Kindle edition.
