Fàilte Annie Marshall

homecomingscotland2009.com

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome another Cathach  (warrior) - Annie Marshall.   Cathach?  Yes, Cathach.  Annie is a member of the RomVets  (click on the company roster, look for Annie's name, and count up two names for a surprise!)

From Annie's website,

I come from a large military family and was the first of our females to join the service! In fact, when asking my great-grandfather’s permission, he said, “It’ about time the women in this family did something other than passing out donuts at the USO.” With his endorsement, the rest is history! LOL

After spending eight years in the United States Army, I met my Knight in Shining Armor, face to face, on the battlefield of a medieval reenactment with a sword and shield in my hands and a claymore in his. Then I married that man in a Twelfth Century Norman wedding ceremony one and a half years later. Then after seven years and two wonderful children, he decided to take his turn serving our country in the Army! So now instead of making formations, I stand amidst the ranks of Army Wives and make care packages for my GI Joe! And I’ve found that not only do I come from a strong military family, I come from an amazing stock of strong women who support their military men. Believe me, this job is much tougher

Please join me in greeting Annie as she greets readers at her website:

Ceud mile failte!

100 Thousand Welcomes!

bbc.co.uk

Kim:  What is your favorite castle?

Annie:  Dunnottar Castle on the north east coast of Scotland near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire is my all time favorite Scottish castle. The land that it sits on dates back to Pictish times. At one time, the Keith Clan owned this majestic castle on the sea.

dunnottarcastle.co.uk

Kim:  Clan?

Annie:  My favorite clan is of course my family clan of Keith. (Marshall is a sept of the Keith clan.) I do however have a fondness for Clan Gunn which happens to be the clan that brought me my modern day warrior husband. The funny thing is, back in the day, the Keith and Gunn clans were at war. Perhaps that is why our house is haunted. The ancient clan chieftains are rolling over in their graves.



Kim:  Tartan?

Annie:  The green, blue, and black of the Keith/Marshall tartan are my favorite. However, I do love the MacKinnon tartan. My first two books, Her Highland Destiny and Her Noble Destiny, features that beautiful red, green, and blue tartan on their covers.

MacKinnon Tartan with Clan Badge

Kim:  Saying?

I actually have three favorite quotes from Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, and a Scottish Proverb.

"Try, try, try again." - Robert the Bruce (I can't tell you how many times I've had to say this to myself.)

Bruce Tartan with Clan Badge

"I can not be a traitor, for I owe him no allegiance. He is not my Sovereign; he never received my homage; and whilst life is in this persecuted body, he never shall receive it." - William Wallace (Statement at his trial on 23 August 1305)

Wallace Tartan with Clan Badge

Twelve highlanders and a bagpipe make a rebellion.
- Scottish Proverb
(This just makes me giggle.)

ragdollxeffect.webs.com

Tapadh leat (thank you) Annie for joining us during St. Andrew's Week!  I am giving away one Hawaiian trivet each day. The trivet has a design from a Hawaiian Quilt - unique as each clan's tartan.

To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about Annie, women warriors, haunted houses, and Scottish proverbs. 

2. Make sure I know how to contact you - send your email to sos.america@yahoo.com.

3. This giveaway is only open to US and Canadian residents. But if you live in Scotland, I will send you a special Hawaiian treat!

Mar sin leat (good bye),

Kim in Hawaii




Keith Hall


Annie comes from a long line of warriors.  From Clan Keith's website:

A Scottish warrior slew the Danish General Camus at the Battle of Barrie in 1010. For this, King Máel Coluim II of Scotland dipped three fingers into the blood of the slain and drew them down the shield of the warrior. Thereafter the warrior was named Marbhachir Chamius or Camus Slayer. Ever since then the Chief of the Clan Keith has borne the same mark of three red lines on his arm.  Chamius settled on the lands know as Keth. 

Three centuries later, Sir Robert de Keth was a close friend of Robert the Bruce.  He was given Halforest by him in 1308. The Marischal built himself a castle in the forest. Sir Robert's greatest hour was at the Battle of Bannockburn where he commanded the small cavalry of ponies against England's Shire horses and still managed to scatter their archers.

Sir Robert also signed the Declaration of Arbroath, declaring Scotland's independence from England.

In 1458 the 3rd Lord Keith was created Earl Marischal.

The 5th Earl was the richest nobleman in Scotland.

While the 7th Earl was imprisoned by the English the Keiths dutifully hid the Scottish crown jewels and other regalia across their lands (notably Dunnottar Castle) until the Restoration.

The present Earl lives at Keith Hall in Aberdeenshire.

Annie also writes about women warriors .... her 3rd book in the Destiny Series, HER ISLAND DESTINY, will be released in the spring.  I look forward to Annie's return to talk about the book!  For now, I give you a teaser from her website:

Isla MacKinnon is a CH-47 pilot in the United States Army and has been ordered to take a vacation to do something fun. So in the attempt to do so, she finds herself taking a workshop on jewelry making in the Orkney Islands. The first afternoon, she is taking a break to eat lunch by the sea and decides to dip her feet into the cool water. She is more comfortable in combat boots but wanted to wear the new sandals that unfortunately the longer she wore, the more they hurt her feet. The wind picks up and a storm blows in from across the sea. The hat that she was wearing gets caught by the wind and blows into the water. As she reaches out to retrieve the hat, she loses her balance and gets caught by a weird undertow that drags her beneath the surface. The last thing she remembers is a voice telling her to "Let go."

Cian MacKyleakin, laird of Moal Castle on the Isle of Skye is a giant of a man standing close to seven feet tall. Feared by his men and many of the English, he spent most of his life building his home and lands. However, Fergus MacAlpin, a favorite in King Edward’s court and a weasel has decided he wants Moal for himself. It is widely known that Cian’s grandmother was from Norway making him not of true Scottish blood, so MacAlpin challenges him for the keep. Aiding his friend, the English king decrees that Moal is to remain in MacKinnon ownership or be forfeited.

While attending the funeral of his betrothed, Cian catches sight of a body floating in the water onto the shore. The body is that of Isla MacKinnon. When her eyes open, his breath catches and he nearly drops her to the rocky ground as the green eyes that have haunted his dreams stare back at him. Could this beauty be the answer to save his beloved childhood home? Or has his dreams once again, betrayed him?