Devil in a Kilt by Sue-Ellen Welfonder
Author’s Note
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed this special 20th anniversary edition of Devil in a Kilt. From my side of the writing desk, those twenty years flashed by in the blink of an eye. I’ve written many other books since then, but this one remains the favorite of most of my readers. Everyone loves Duncan. He’s also been very good to me. Devil in a Kilt enjoyed an amazing debut, winning a Romantic Times Award for Best First Historical Romance, and many other awards. It has also been translated into many foreign languages, though never into audio, something I might now do on my own.
For all those reasons, it was a bit daunting to go back through this beloved story and ready it for a new release – especially one as special as a 20th anniversary.
My writing voice has changed over the years and so I had to consider how to prepare this edition without compromising a much-loved book cherished by so many of my readers. My decision was to give the story a very light edit only. I corrected typos in the original print edition and rephrased some wording, but left the story as it stood. I hope Duncan and his friends approve.
Above all, I hope you do. If you’re a longtime reader, I hope you enjoyed revisiting Duncan and everyone at Eilean Creag. If you’re a new-to-me reader, I hope you, too, enjoyed this book which, so many years ago, launched my career.
Below are a few notes about certain things in the story. I hope you’ll find them interesting…
~ Duncan’s Castle: Eilean Creag Castle is based on Eilean Donan Castle near Skye, one of Scotland’s most iconic castles. It was there, many years ago, that the story idea for this book came to me. I was wandering around the outside of the castle on a chilly, mist-hung day and in my mind’s eye, I saw Duncan stride out of the mist, real-seeming and bold as ever. In that moment, his entire story just ‘appeared in my head,’ and I wrote the book when I returned home. It sold, and the rest is history.
Devil in a Kilt launched my MacKenzie series and in these books, I’ve made the castle larger than it really is. Another change I allowed myself is the stone bridge. In medieval times, the castle did not have a stone causeway. I use the causeway in my books because it is so famous. Eilean Donan Castle is the most photographed castle in Scotland and I believe the reading would feel ‘off’ if I erased a hallmark so strongly associated with the castle.
The real castle stood in ruin from the early 1700s until the early 1900s. At that time, Clan MacRae purchased and rebuilt Eilean Donan. The stone causeway was constructed at this time.
When Devil in a Kilt released, Kathryn Falk of Romantic Times kindly introduced me to Miss Mary MacRae, the granddaughter of John MacRae-Gilstrap who rebuilt Eilean Donan. Miss Mary told me many stories of the castle’s construction and she also visited my home in Florida several times (she had a niece here, so visited now and then). She was a very lovely lady and I feel so blessed to have known her personally.
~ Sassunach: There are several spellings for this Scottish word for the English. Sassenach is probably the most popular. The Irish use Sasanach. I prefer Sassunach with ‘u’ because it is the spelling I’ve come across most often in my nonfiction research books on medieval Scotland. After decades of ‘feeling at home’ with this spelling, it would feel odd to me to use another version.
~ Devorgilla: Longtime readers may wonder why Devorgilla does not appear in this book. The answer is simple. She did not yet exist. Devorgilla made her first appearance in my second release, Knight in Her Bed. She went on to become a recurring character in most of my books. I chose not to work her into Devil in a Kilt because (see above) it was my wish to leave the story as is. No worries, though, she creates enough mischief for Duncan and other MacKenzies in later books. New readers: Devorgilla is a meddlesome crone who stirs magic and mayhem in my stories.
That’s it for now. Thank you again for reading Devil in a Kilt’s special 20th anniversary edition. And for taking the time to read my thoughts, here in this Author’s Note.
Wishing you Highland Magic!
Sue-Ellen Welfonder
(aka Allie Mackay)