'The Island in a Bottle’ is a pure flight of fancy, inspired by an old brandy bottle found in a second-hand shop which had an island, harbour, and schooner, with a background of a whole community and a village cleverly built inside.
It is genuine craftsmanship probably dating back just over a hundred years to the days of sailing ships. I like to think it was made by a sailor from a Tea Clipper in days gone by.
Finding myself isolated in lockdown because of the Coronavirus pandemic, I decided to write a form of escapism and opened a door to my imagination.
My Scottish ancestry on one side of the family gave me extra inspiration and directed me as to where this island should be. The family history, in the beginning, is in fact true.
I have researched Gaelic mythology in the hope that I have the facts correct and apologise to any Scot whom I may have offended by getting anything wrong.
I used to sing the selkie song ‘The Grey Selkie’ with my guitar in folk clubs years ago, and the selkie story caught my imagination even then.