An Irregular Marriage
From the mist-shrouded Isle of Skye to the red shores of Prince Edward Island, this tale follows the transatlantic journey of those seeking a new life. Centered on the traditional practices of herbalism and midwifery, the story weaves together the mystical elements of second sight and the search for legal and social legitimacy. It is a reimagining of ancestral paths and the enduring power of feminine intuition.
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Staying behind for her betrothed was more than second sight.
The Isle of Skye. Scotland. 1803.
18 year old Annie McPhail hides the morning her family must leave on the ship destined for the New World and what will be known as Prince Edward Island, Canada.
She is betrothed to Alistair and cannot possibly leave.
This despite her parents’ opposition and Alistair’s own ongoing absence and seeming disinterest in marriage at all.
Alone and waiting, Annie finds herself with Belle.
Mother of Alistair, Belle is a healer and midwife yet rumours of her witch abilities echo throughout the Isle,
After discovering Belle’s gazing ball, Annie begins to channel something within. While still longing for a husband and home, Annie is drawn to learn more about herself and her own mystical gifts under Belle’s tutelage.
‘An Irregular Marriage’ is the empowering story of Annie’s journey from the promise of marriage and the urge to reunite with her family, to an unexpected mentor and the appearance of second sight. This changes everything.
FOR FANS OF…
The setting of An Irregular Marriage echoes the high-stakes cultural displacement in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (specifically the Fraser Ridge era), focusing on the struggle to maintain identity in a new land.
IN MARGARET’S WORDS – THE BACKSTORY
“An Irregular Marriage is a story that was told to me by my Uncle Harold, since deceased. He was the keeper of family lore and history in our branch of the MacLeod clan. This story is one that caught my imagination.
The germ of the story is true. There was a young woman who defied her parents and stayed behind on the Isle of Skye in Scotland for love of a boy. The family emigrated to Prince Edward Island with the Earl of Selkirk in 1803. I began mulling over the implications of her disobedience and the remainder of the story is pure fiction.
The times after the Highland Clearances of the 18th century were tough. Far tougher than any we have experienced with out stock market recessions and job losses through down-sizing. I had to figure out how this young girl, about 16 years of age, could support herself. She still thought as a child.
After a couple of years of mulling and other writing projects that intervened, e.g. Anna’s Secret and some Molly stories, I was ready to begin writing. By now I had figured out where Annie, as I called her, would end up, and points in between. I didn’t know yet how she would get there but by this time her voice was beginning to become loud in my literary ear and I was going around the house muttering to her and to myself until she had built up such energy in my mind that I had to write down what she was saying to me. The story itself took three to four months to put on paper and after that, many edits and one major revision that took a couple of weeks. Once you change one thing you have to be sure the rest of the story falls into coherent line again. This revision was a result of an observation made to me by my friend Margot who read the manuscript. Her suggestions made the story that much stronger.
Next came the business of formatting the manuscript and working with my excellent cover artist Susan Christensen to build the cover and size it to the number of pages in the formatted product. She did a stunning job on the cover art. Once the book is available we go into marketing mode and mostly stay in that frame of mind while I work on my next project which is something entirely different and really kind of exciting.”
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
“Margaret Westlie’s newest novel, An Irregular Marriage, revisits her earlier theme of Selkirk Settlers arriving on Prince Edward Island from Scotland’s Isle of Skye, in the early 1800s. This time the main character is Annie MacPhail. She learns about the healing vitality of water drawn from fairy springs, and she gazes into Belle’s crystal ball, seeing visions of the future. Westlie’s style is solid and consistent, with an undeniably bright flair. Historical fiction melded with a touch of fantasy, An Irregular Marriage is a great read.”
BOOK DETAILS:
- Series: Ancestral Echoes, Book 4
- Genre: Historical Family Saga
- Themes: Scottish Migration, Midwifery & Herbalism, Second Sight
- ISBN-13: 978-1926494029
- Publisher: Selkirk Stories Book Publishing