Introducing Scottish Author Ann Burnett

A very warm welcome to prolific writer, Ann Burnett, whose second novel with Tirgearr Publishing, Love Begins at 40, is now released. I’ve known Ann for many years and have always enjoyed her other writing, so I’m delighted to see her new novels. I loved the first one, Festival Fireworks, set in Edinburgh and Australia, and I’m already enjoying the new one set in one of my favourite coastal towns, Largs. Ann is kindly sharing the inspiration behind this second novel.

Love begins at 40

Maisie McLelland spent ten years building up McLelland Events in Glasgow and has just bought a holiday home in the relaxing small seaside town of Largs on the west coast of Scotland. She immediately befriends her elderly neighbour, the widow of a local fisherman.

When Elizabeth is in need of rescue, Maisie steps in to help. Elizabeth’s grateful son, teacher and lifeboatman, James, takes Maisie to dinner to show his appreciation. Maisie’s not looking for a relationship and neither is James, as he’s still reeling from the loss of his son. They’re both surprised at the instant connection.

Over time, Maisie and James become friends and their closeness continues pulling them toward each other until emotion leads to intimacy. She agrees to help with the organisation of a Viking Festival he is planning in the town.

But as Maisie approaches her 40th birthday, tragedy strikes a double blow, and she’s forced to make some important decisions about what she really wants from life.

Love Begins at 40 is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US, or wherever you are.

Inspiration Behind the Story

It all started with a visit I made to Largs Writers Group one morning. It is a beautiful drive up the coast from where I was then living, with views across the Firth of Clyde to Arran and the Isles of Cumbrae and beyond on a clear day. And it was just that. The sun was shining on Goatfell, the highest mountain on Arran, the sea with its puffs of white caplets, was a mix of turquoise and deeper green and blue, and I was looking forward to meeting old friends at the group.

Largs is a small seaside town on the Firth, once one of the many resorts to which Glasgow holidaymakers would flock for their annual break. Now it's quieter, more 'douce' and attracts perhaps more of the older generation and families than those looking for a livelier  time.

It has a long history, most famous perhaps for the Battle of Largs in 1263 when the possibility of a Viking invasion loomed large. The weather, however, came to the rescue of the townspeople and a storm blew up, sinking many of the Viking longships. It is celebrated as a great victory and the Pencil along the shore, is a memorial to this event.

I gave my talk, had tea and buns with the group and answered as many questions as I could, then joined some of them for lunch. And all this time the magic of Largs was seeping into me. What if I were to use Largs as the setting for a book? Who would come to the town to live? Would it be a permanent home or a second home? What kind of home would it be?

And so I built up a picture of my protagonist, Maisie McLelland. Unlike most female characters in romances, she would be that bit older, approaching her fortieth, a successful business-woman looking for a better work-life balance and feeling that something was missing from her busy life. 

This being a romance, who would be her leading man? I don't like determinedly alpha males, all hulk and muscle and no character, so James, like Maisie, has his own back story, his difficulties, his heart-break. His mum, I decided, would live across the landing from Maisie's flat, so convenient for getting them together, but like all good stories, I placed many difficulties on the way to an ending. I'll leave it up to the reader to find out if it ended happily!

The town of Largs plays its part in the book, as do the Vikings and the glorious Firth of Clyde. I've taken several liberties with its layout and festivals but hope that the locals don't mind too much.

I hope you enjoy reading Love Begins at 40 as much as I enjoyed creating my story.

Thanks for sharing that interesting background, Ann – love the setting!

Ann Burnett was born in Scotland where she now lives but has travelled extensively and lived in Canada and Australia.

She has published short stories, articles and children’s stories, as well as writing a novel, Loving Mother, as part of her Masters in Creative Writing. She is an experienced Creative Writing tutor and adjudicator for the Scottish Association of Writers.

Her short stories have been published in New Writing Scotland, Glasgow University Creative Writing anthologies, My Weekly, That’s Life (Australia), Woman's Weekly and the Weekly News. Her collection of short stories, Take a Leaf out of My Book, is available on Amazon.

Her memoir, illustrated with her father's photos, A Scottish Childhood, Growing up a Baby Boomer was published this year. But perhaps she is best remembered for writing Postman Pat stories for a children's comic every week for five years. A labour of love indeed!

You can connect with Ann on her Website/Blog, Facebook, Twitter (@annburnett3) and Instagram (ambur66)