Vickery Books

     The Middle Ages was a turbulent yet blossoming period which numbered among its kings Henry II of England, a many-faceted king whose name and deeds are etched in history. The first Angevin king, great grandson of William the Conqueror, Henry II was the founder of the Plantagenet family line of rulers, a dynasty of interesting as well as controversial kings.

    Henry’s aspirations for greatness drew him to a man whose name would be forever linked with his--Thomas Becket, archbishop, saint and martyr. Becket’s shrine became one of the world’s great pilgrimage centers and inspired Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

    I was inspired to write DESIRE OF THE HEART after a trip to Canterbury. Standing near the area where Becket was murdered I felt shivers up my spine, as if being touched by evil.  Ghosts of Becket's murderers?  I don't know.  Walking about the grounds of Canterbury I felt a different emotion -- a sense of peace and calm as if the spirits of the monks, priests and nuns of the past were walking with me.

    After Henry's death his son,  Prince John (who later was to become a king) furnished many a moralist with an example of an evil-doer. He was said to be a bad king, a false friend and a wicked uncle, faithless and untrustworthy. His treachery to his brother Richard was an ill omen for his own reign. History says that he was cruel and pitiless in the execution of his immediate will and lacked any conception of a far-seeing policy. Nevertheless his legendary (or real depending upon your point of view) fight against Robin Hood has made him one of the focal points of the legend of Sherwood Forest.  

     The tale of Robin Hood comes from the gathering together of many tales of brave deeds which over the years have been accredited to one man. In reality, however, the Robin Hood legend is a combination of stories of bold men of courage and the women who loved them.  Visiting the forest in Nottinghamshire I knew I wanted to do a story on the infamous outlaws of Sherwood.

           In a time of deceit and intrigue, their love was destined to triumph over incredible odds. 

     Lady Rowena Fitz Hugh’s first meeting with Kendrick de Bron had little to do with desire, unless it was a desire for vengeance that is. De Bron was just another one of Prince John’s Norman lackeys who deserved humiliation at her hands. Let him pay a price for traveling through the forest, she would give his garments and his gold to those who really were in need.

    Unaware that the “lad” who robbed and embarrassed him was in truth the Lady Rowena in disguise, Kendrick went ahead with his plan to ask her father for her hand in marriage, thus merging their adjoining lands.  Little did he know what repercussions there would be to his amorous request.

Rowena’s unparalleled skill at archery would win her secret entry into Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood’s forbidden world as she wielded her bow and arrow in fealty to Richard the Lionheart. Hoping to reclaim his family’s former glory, Kendrick played a dangerous game of pretense as he aligned himself with the usurper, John.

     Thrust into each others arms, determined to fight against their mutual desire, Rowena and Kendrick are caught up in the dramatic sweep of history and adventure that will make them part of a legend.

For those who would like to know more about the two clans used in FLAME ACROSS THE HIGHLANDS:

CAMPBELL, DUKE OF ARGYLL

Clan motto is "Ne obliviscaris" - Forget not. The badge is a boar's head.

     Known as the race of Diarmid, and spoken of as being descendants of that handsome Ossianic hero with whom the wife of Fingal fell in love, the Clan Campbell was for centuries a most powerful influence in Argyll and West of Scotland. The clan was prominent in Dalriada, the earliest Scottish kingdom. 

     Sir Colin of Lochow, the progenitor of the Campbells of Argyll was knighted in 1280, and from him the chiefs of Argyll received the designation, MacCailean Mor, retained by the Dukes of Argyll till the present day. The support which Sir Colin Campbell and his two sons gave to Robert Bruce was rewarded by a marriage with the King's sister, and the Campbells began their rise to supremacy in the Highlands. They assisted in the downfall of Bruce's opponents. Five centuries later the 9th Duke of Argyll wed Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's daughter.  

     The town of Inverary was founded in 1474 and has been the clan's headquarters ever since. From there, the rise to power of the Campbells continued. They helped the crown destroy the mighty Lord of the Isles, took over MacDonald lands in Knapdale and Kintyre, then swallowed up the vast MacLean territories in Morvern and the islands of Mull, Tiree and Coll. Their 16th century persecution of other Highland clans like the MacGregors and the Donalds gave them a reputation for being unscrupulous. The 7th Earl (1576-1638) was involved with the Campbells of Cawdor in overthrowing the MacDonalds of Islay but ended his days in exile. In the 17th Century the Campbells, however, picked the wrong side in the period's civil wars which resulted in the execution of two of their lords for treason.

     The Campbells have helped safeguard Scotland's heritage. In 1899 the 8th Duke of Argyll gave the Abbey of Iona, the island off Mull and Ulva from which St. Columba spread Christianity to the nation, and its historic sites were put in the care of trustees and the abbey there completely restored.The clan is now said to have twelve and a half million world-wide. The present 12th Duke of Argyll is also Hereditary Master of the Queen's Household in Scotland, Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, Keeper of Dunoon, Carrick, Dunstaffnage and Tarbert Castles and Admiral of the Western Isles.

I was inspired to write about the MacQuaries by Mary Margaret MacQuarie—great grandmother/grandmother. She was courageous, loving, and loved to tell stories handed down from generation to generation.

                   They came from different worlds.....   

     Cecilia Amanda Sinclair’s life was not exciting but it was predictable. She felt safe and secure as she followed her well-established routine that included teaching at the small wooden Austin schoolhouse. She was content, assuming that today would be like all the other days that preceded it. She did not know how wrong she was nor did she foresee that her life would be changed forever by an encounter with a bandit leader whose wish was to better the life of his people.

       Ramón Bautista Renaldo y Ortega was frustrated with himself because he could not read the message of warning intercepted by his bandit band. He wanted a better future not only for himself but for the children of the camp. Little did he know that his light-hearted comment to “bring back a gringo teacher to aid him” would be taken seriously. Nor could he have realized that the passion that stirred within him for the lovely captive would endanger their love, their lives, and the destiny of their two countries. 

     The history of Texas is rich with romantic episodes, colorful incidents, and stories of heroism, yet its chronicles are tinged with violence, too, and a turmoil which reflects the early years of a growing country.

     Mexico had obtained Texas along with its independence from Spain in 1821 but had neglected it. Some called it a barren desert. There were no courts, schools, established law forces and nearly no communication with Mexico City. As time went on, however, entire villages complete with church, farms, and cattle ranches were formed by Mexicans and converted Indians.

     Mexico was opened to Americans in 1822 in the hope of settling the land, the first being Stephen Austin and the original Three Hundred. All became Mexican citizens and tried to live within the customs and laws of their new country. But more settlers came who were not as law-abiding. Vast land holdings were seized and sold, land taken from Mexican settlers who had no legal redress and so lost their lands to those whose motives were often unscrupulous. The Indians also lost land that had belonged to them for generations. Having no land titles, they fell victim to those who looked upon them as inferior beings and somehow less than human. It mattered little that they had been living on lands even before the Mexican settlers or that they considered the land to be theirs. Little by little they were pushed aside. In a time when few could read or write, Mexican or American, it was all too possible for those who had these skills to take advantage of those who did not.

    In 1836, after much harassment from the Mexican government, American Texans decided to become a separate republic. Fighting broke out, the Alamo being the most famous battle. “Remember the Alamo” became a cry that was shouted for years and fanned the flames of the controversy and antagonism brewing between Americans and Texans.

     Texas became a republic, the Nueces River being established as the border between Mexico and Texas, with a twenty-mile strip on either side as neutral territory. Here bandit gangs, incensed by the loss of family lands and injustice, roamed, as did such Indian tribes as the Comanche and Apache. There was almost no law and order in this area except for the Texas Rangers and some minor military authority.

     Texas was annexed to the United   States and became a state in December 1845 when President James K. Polk signed the act declaring it as such. This annexation strained relations between the United  States and Mexico even further, pushing matters to the breaking point, the Mexican government still viewing Texas as a rebellious Mexican province and not an independent republic. The result in 1846 was the Mexican War.

     Though at first President Polk was against war with Mexico, he realized later that America should expand its borders before some other foreign power seized the land now the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and parts of Utah and Colorado. The settlement of the Mexican War brought this territory into American hands and it is interesting to note that many famous American military officers who would play important roles both North and South in the Civil War were involved in this fighting, Lee and Grant perhaps the most noteworthy.

     This, then, is the world encountered by a schoolteacher whose life is changed by an encounter with a bandit leader whose wish is to better the life of his people. Swept up into the tides of the Mexican War, their love will survive every obstacle and become as strong as the great state in which they live.       

   I grew up hearing stories about Mary Margaret Macquarrie and about the Macquarrie clan.  Mary Margaret was the epitome of the courageous frontier woman.  She came from Kentucky to Colorado where she met Howard Vickery, a handsome gold miner.  They had three sons, the youngest--my grandfather.  Fearless she wielded a shotgun and as one story goes, stood her ground while picking berries when a mountain lion was stalking prey.  She wasn't going to let anything get in the way of the pie she was baking.  Is it any wonder that many of my heroines are based on her?

     Marcia Virginia Vickery, my mother, best friend and writing partner, was born May 24th 1925 in the small mining town of Jamestown, Colorado.  She was born at home and was the only daughter --a rose among three thorns--Howard, John and James.

     Like many little girls, she adored her father and would often go with him on his trips to one of his gold mines.  Because of this she would learn valuable information about mining that she would later use in our writing.   

    It is never too late in life to fulfill your dreams.  At 60 years of age my mother, an avid reader who was interested in history, began to help me in doing historical research for the books I was writing.  Soon she was also creating characters and plots.  Writing together as Kathryn Hockett we shared in adventures with pirates, vikings, bandidos, soldiers, cowboys, and a Highlander or two (and the women they loved of course).  The picture (left) is Marcia at a photo shoot with one of the heroes of our books.

     From housewife to author....my mother was having the time of her life!  She even won an award as "the Romance Mother of the Year" which she cherished.  Best of all, our writing brought us even closer and gifted me with so many great memories.