Packhorse or Funeral Bridge at Carrbridge near Duthil Kirkyard in the Scottish Highlands in land fought over by my Shaws and Clan Grant.
After decades of creating blogs of one kind or another, I am weary of creating another. My first blog was a blogspot.blog blog, and I know that dates me. It was a personal family blog with photos and stories from our lives, entitled, My Flaming Scots, referring to my energetic, intelligent, and entertaining children with roots back to Robert the Bruce in multiple direct lines. As annoying as that might be to Scots born and raised in Scotland, it is a feeling of belonging and home that runs deep in our souls.
A Kirkyard across the Bay of Skaill from Skara Brae on Orkney Island.
I’ve created other blogs for my church groups, one that has over 40,000 views now. And for a little church blog, that felt significant. From Lilly’s Blog, my Faerie Blog, REAL Life with Lilly to this one, I have attempted to capture the essence of my life’s creative work, namely my legendarium along with the art, and photography connecting and supporting it all.
After trying to find different ways of sharing these creations, it feels ironic to find my way back to a blog. And I apologize in advance for any repetition of ideas. I have long pondered questions of connection, belonging, and finding our way home. You will see these themes repeated. My constellation, ecosystem connecting, cyclical brain works in mysterious ways, even to me, lol. I find myself gathering ideas, goals, dreams, then whittling out what no longer serves, re-gathering my favorite things, refining, and returning to what I love and what works for me, apparently, like blogs.
Knowing this, it isn’t a surprise to anyone that my creative process is painfully dizzying at times. Since I was pregnant with my fourth child, I have been dreaming, writing, studying, living, healing, going on adventures, photographing, and painting ideas for my now, twenty-three-year-old Legendarium. I’ve tried so many different ways of sharing that it isn’t an exaggeration to say, I am weary of trying new things. Fortunately, I also am terribly stubborn.
Jaden and her love. An early oil painting that helped me bring her to life. My writing informs my art and photography and vice versa.
Life has cycled as well, and as I wander through my 53rd year, I have seen many things, lived many lifetimes of dreams, wonders, and terrors alike. And as life passes through seasons and stories, I revisit my fantasy world and continually find more magic, understanding of connections, belonging, and home each time. The wonder I feel is something that hasn’t grown old, and wanting to share it is something I hope I also never outgrow.
I contemplated how to introduce this current blog, From the Mists of Alba Veil. Simply put, it is a glimpse into this more than two-decades-long-adventure. One of self-discovery, creating magical fantasy worlds, maps, art, photos from magical places, characters, creatures, truly an entire legendarium. As I have spent endless hours creating, jotting ideas down here and there and everywhere, and now having gathered everything into one place, I am surprised how many themes have stayed the same. I am excited to see how things have grown from a town to a city to a world. I have loved having decades to build something so satisfying. And it is time to formally invite you along.
From the Mists of Alba Veil’s purpose is to share my magical adventure creating fantasy worlds, finding magic in our world, taking a break from the hustle to just breathe together, and sharing fasgadh (see definition below) while letting our wild world carry on without us for a time.
Farmyard Gate on a misty morning in the German countryside.
I am a fantasy author and artist who loves writing and drawing, wandering the woods and shorelines, or enjoying moments with small or large birds, a little bit of moss or flowers in the cracks of sidewalks, found between tall city buildings or larger ones out in the wilderness or nature preserves or National Parks and capturing the magic I find as I go, in words, art, and photographs.
Life is full of magic and wonder, and this blog will capture snapshots, sometimes literal snapshots, of adventures I find myself on.
One day I may share short videos and photos of meeting a mother and her young moose hiding in the swampy willows surrounded with glowing autumn leaves, that allows us a few special moments as they strip the leaves off branches like giraffes chomping off leaves from trees in the Serengeti. Then, I can share how the mother responds to blue jays warnings with the serious attention of one protecting her young as the child runs obediently back to the swamp.
The mother Moose lead a young moose out of the willows at Rocky Mountain National Park a couple weeks ago.
In another blog, I may share some of my Legendarium and world building progress from that week or from earlier in my journey, or art I am creating, or additions to the map of Trivar I’ve been assembling for decades, that will eventually overlap and share portals with faerieland and even our Earth, in the next series of fantasy novels that I have been planning.
I will share sneak peaks of the rewrite of, Beyond Trivar, and updates on my second book in that first series, The Third Daughter Prophecy. And after twenty years of collecting, creating, and organizing I have a pretty good idea where all three of my planned fantasy series, with many outlines, character sketches, and juicy details for all 11 novels are likely headed. And don’t forget the magical faerietales interwoven into each novel, connecting and deepening every story. I hope you will join me as we explore this magical portal.
The cover of my first Fantasy Novel, Beyond Trivar, and beginning of my, The Third Daughter Prophecy, series.
So, welcome friends, or in Scots Gaelic, “Fàilte” (FAWL-cha)
Hopefully, this blog becomes a fasgadh, (FAS-kuh) which is also a Gaelic word meaning roughly, a safe place, shelter, protection from the storm, and to me is a feeling as much as a place, a hearth to gather around, if only for a few minutes. Please return with us on this journey, this grand adventure, again and again.
We can find a break in the storm, warmth, community, and magic. Together.
From the Mists of Alba Veil. Fàilte!
All my love,
Grandma Mae
