I’m joining the blogtour for Displacement, the first in Anne Stormont’s Skye series. I have a lovely guest post from Anne for you to enjoy today in which she talks about how books have inspired her. You can order a copy of the book here: Displacement
Books That Inspire Me
It will probably come as no surprise that I love books and reading. I always have. Books have informed, nurtured and entertained me. And many have proved to be inspirational.
Don’t worry though – I’m not going to list every book that has ever inspired me – however, I would like to share the three ways that books have inspired me. And I’ll also share the titles that I’d strive to save in the event of a fire.
Inspired to Learn
There are so many books that inspired my learning – from the illustrated ABC books of my pre-school years, to my school history books and university psychology textbooks, to the cookery, gardening, how-to and self-help books that I continue to refer to as the need arises. And I have to admit to a passion for dictionaries – the English definition sort, and the Scots, Gaelic and several other languages translation sort. And then there’s my love of atlases which dates back to my early childhood.
I bought the Gaelic dictionary pictured above when I moved to Skye and got a job teaching in the dual language primary school in the island’s main town of Portree. It helped and inspired me to learn the basics of Scots Gaelic – and by that I do mean the basics.
Inspired to Dream
I hardly know where to start with this sort of book. Poetry, memoir, creative non-fiction and fiction – all have encouraged me to dream, to imagine, to explore possibilities. These were (and continue to be) the books that open my mind, guide my actions and make me feel every emotion.
I got the above copy The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran when I was at university way back in the 1970s and I still find it inspirational and hugely comforting today.
Inspired to Write
As a fiction writer my inspiration for what to write comes from my own imagination and experience. But on its own that’s not enough. I’ve also had to learn how to write. There are the books I’ve read on developing your skills as a writer, the books that show you how to structure a novel, how to plot and plan your story and how to develop your characters. And there are the books that assure and reassure you that yes, you can write.
On Writing by Stephen King, also pictured above, remains my absolute favourite of all the books that offer advice on how to write. It’s more memoir than manual but boy is it inspiring!
Books so inspiring I’d face the flames to save them
The Peter Pan book was originally my mother’s when she was a child and it’s one of the first full length books she read to me. The Wilderness Journeys both confirmed and further inspired my love of nature and the outdoors. And I can exclusively reveal it has also partly inspired one of the plot lines in the book I’m working on at the moment. The three novels – Fugitive Pieces, Women Fly When Men Aren’t Watching, and Unless – are so wonderful, so exemplary and, yes, so inspiring to the aspirational writer parts of my mind, heart and soul – that I keep them close and return to them often.
And Walks on the Isle of Skye, Language of War, Language of Peace, and The Wall were foremost amongst the several books that inspired my own Skye based series of novels Displacement, Settlement and Fulfilment which tell the story of the love between Rachel and Jack. I got the Skye walks book soon after I moved to live on the island and I’m proud to say I’ve done all the walks – many of them more than once – and several of them feature in my above-named novels. And the other two – one which poignantly describes the Israel-Palestine conflict and one which is a novel based on the separation wall in that same country – added so much to my own experiences of this part of the world and helped me to build the plot thread that describes Rachel’s story when she travels from Scotland to explore her Jewish heritage.
Yes, books are indeed amazing, entertaining and oh so inspirational!
Displacement – from the back of the book
Divorce, the death of her soldier son, and estrangement from her daughter, leave Hebridean crofter, Rachel Campbell, grief-stricken, lonely and lost.
Forced retirement leaves former Edinburgh policeman Jack Baxter needing to find a new direction in life.
After Rachel and Jack meet on a wild winter’s night in the most dramatic circumstances, an unlikely friendship begins, despite their very different personalities. However, their feelings for each other gradually go beyond friendship – something neither of them feels able to admit. And, when Rachel leaves to go on a life-changing journey to the Middle East, it seems unlikely their relationship will go any further.
Can Rachel give her heart to Jack?
Can Jack trust himself not to break it if she does?
Set against the contrasting and dramatic backdrops of the Scottish island of Skye and the contested country of Israel-Palestine, Displacement is a story of courage and love – where romance and realism meet head on.
Displacement is the first of the three books in the Rachel & Jack Skye Series.
About the author
Anne Stormont writes contemporary romantic fiction where the main characters may sometimes be older – but not necessarily wiser.
She hopes the stories she tells will entertain, but she also hopes they will move, challenge and inspire her readers.
She has written four novels so far – Change of Life, was her first. This was followed by the three novels set on the Scottish island of Skye – Displacement, Settlement and Fulfilment which tell the story of Rachel and Jack.
Anne is a Scot, living in the land of her birth. She’s a former teacher and when she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, country walks and gardening – and the occasional pillion ride on her husband’s motor bike. She also loves spending time with friends and family – especially her three grandchildren.
Anne has travelled all over the world and has visited every continent except Antarctica – somewhere she really should go considering her penchant for penguins.
She can be a bit of a subversive old bat, but she tries to maintain a kind heart.
Website: https://anne-stormont.com
Blog: https://putitinwriting.me
Facebook: www.facebook.com/annestormontauthor
Twitter: @writeanne
Portobello Book Blog 
Thank you for being part of the tour. K xx
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