Susan Leigh Furlong and Steadfast Will I Be

 Wild Women Authors welcomes Susan Leigh Furlong and Steadfast Will I Be, a June 2019 historical release by The Wild Rose Press.

A bit about our feature novel:

As long as she lives, Suannoch will carry half of the shilling she and Robin split when they pledged their devotion to each other. Even after an unwanted betrothal is forced on her, their unwavering love is stronger than anything trying to keep them apart. After Robin’s arrest, Suannoch vows to rescue him, or bring his body back, because where they have chosen, steadfast will they be.

Please tell us a bit about yourself, Suannoch. “First, ye will have to excuse my Scottish accent sprinkled with Gaelic. I dinna (don’t) ken (know) any other way to talk. I was born along the side of the road in the Scottish Highlands to my màthair (mother), Thalassa, as she fled a dangerous stalker. The two of us, rescued by Laird Bretane of Makgullane, lived quietly on the estate, but my mother, a gifted healer was also clear-eyed (a fortune teller), and often shunned by people who feared she could be a clootie (a devil). I grew up lonely until I met Robin, another of Bretane’s adopted strays. I kenned(knew) right away I was in love with Robin, but it took him a bit longer to figure out that he felt the same way about me.”

Tell us a little about Robin. “Robin was born on the English side of the border and was adopted by Bretane after his deranged athair (father) murdered his entire family. Bretane found him sitting in the rain, cold and hungry, by the side of the road when he was fourteen and brought him home to Makgullane. Because he was English, others on the estate often rejected him, which made us soul mates. We split a shilling, each of us taking half, first in friendship and later in love, and pledged our love over the first verse of a Findern poem. “Where I have chosen, steadfast will I be, never to repent in will, thought or deed.”

What kind of a man was Robin? “Robin was tall, dark-haired, very braw (handsome), and strong from years of work on the estate. He had a steady, fair-minded personality, and eventually he became the reeve and manager of Makgullane. All the men respected him, and all the women wanted to sleep with him. I was especially jealous of Glyniss who was bold about what she wanted. Robin refused to give up his English accent, just to spite the ones who had tormented him as a lad.”

When did Robin realize he was in love with you? “Robin appreciated my strong, independent spirit. It’s what made us such great friends, but when I was twenty-two, and Robin still had not spoken for me, I was forced to accept an unwanted betrothal. Robin’s true feelings came to the surface when he realized I would be gone from his life after I married. That was when we renewed our pledge to each other in love.”

We understand life was not always easy in Scotland in the 1500’s. “Thieves and robbers, called reivers, ran unchecked along the border, amassing enormous amounts of money, power, and riches while murdering anyone who got in their way. A smaller band of these outlaws, led by a man with a red stain on his face named Keenan, terrorized Makgullane and neighboring estates. When Robin defied Keenan, they beat him nearly to death. Thinking they had killed him, they attacked Makgullane. Now recovered, Robin and I fought side-by-side to defend our home and save our own lives. During the fight, Robin killed five of them and was later arrested for murder.”

Wasn’t this self-defense? “This happened during the reign of King James V who had been held prisoner by his step-father from the age of seventeen months until age sixteen years when he escaped and attempted to take back his throne. One of his objectives was to gain control of these reivers who acted with impunity, the most powerful of them being Johnnie Armstrong. As part of his campaign to establish his authority, young King James declared that all killings would be considered murder and the perpetrator hanged, so that the reivers couldna (could not) say they acted in self-defense. Robin was arrested on the false testimony of two survivors of Keenan’s gang and taken away to be hanged.”

What did you do then? “With two young lads from the estate, Hugh and Fergus, whom Robin had befriended, we followed the jail wagon for three days to plead with King James for Robin’s release. The young king couldna (could not) release Robin without losing face, so he ordered everyone in the kirkyard (church yard) hanged. This included Robin, Johnnie Armstrong, and twenty-four of his men, all sentenced to hang  without a trial, and ordered buried in a mass grave. The lads and I went home alone, grief-stricken.”

Suannoch, if you could change something in your life what would it be? “I wouldna (would not) change a thing. I loved living at Makgullane, and I wouldna (would not) leave my mother for anything. She taught me to be strong in mind and body, how to defend myself, and how to speak up for what was right. Bretane was like an athair (father) to me. Of course, I wouldna (would not) have missed kenning (knowing) and loving Robin.

Now it’s time for Susan to answer questions.

What influenced you to become a writer of historical romance? “I have always been fascinated by how people lived years ago. They were so busy living their lives, they didn’t know they were living history. If I could have dinner with someone from the past, I would choose an ordinary person, such as a pioneer woman who rode on a wagon train to California, or a runaway slave prior to the Civil War, or the butler for King Henry VIII.  The past must be escapism for me.”

Do your books require a lot of research? “Yes, they do. I love to do the research even though old books and records make me sneeze. People who come to the museum always know if I am working there! I try to be as accurate as I can and build my fictional story around actual events. Steadfast Will I Be is created around the reign of James V. Years ago I read something about James V being held prisoner by his step-father, and it sparked an idea in me that I let percolate until Suannoch and Robin came to life in my mind.”

What things in your real life do you bring to your writing? “Every character I create has a loving support system, be it a biological family or a created one. I may not intentionally set out to build such a family, but one always seems to factor itself in. In Steadfast Will I Be, Bretane adopts Robin, and Robin in turn takes an orphan named Hugh and a fatherless lad called Fergus under his wing. Robin and Suannoch eventually adopt both of them.”

What books are in your TBR pile? “Right now I have twelve books waiting on my Kindle – That’s nothing compared to my sister who has fifty – It must be a family trait! When I see a book online that looks interesting, I download it, and it gets in line. I read in all sorts of genres, but historical books speak to me the loudest. I often choose first books by new authors because I enjoy seeing what others write about. I also have the last two books of the twelve book Poldark series to finish.”

Tell us about your publisher. “A freelance editor recommended I send Steadfast Will I Be to The Wild Rose Press, and it was accepted right away. My editor is Eilidh MacKenzie, who specializes in Scottish novels, and she has been a godsend for getting the accents correct. She encourages me and does an excellent job of getting my book ready for official publication. I also like the support Wild Rose gives in answering any and all questions, no matter how trivial, in offering workshops on a variety of topics, and putting out a quality book.”

Anything on the horizon? “My second book, By Promise Made, due for release on September 23, features a grown up Hugh, the orphaned child from Steadfast. The historical setting of By Promise Made is when four-year-old Queen Mary of Scotland is betrothed to the nine-year-old king of England. That leads to a losing war, so the Scottish government betroths her to the five-year-old Dauphin of France. I inserted Hugh and Katherine, the queen’s royal guardian, into that true story. All this true history falls under the category of ‘You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!’ ”