This summer, I dragged my family to Scotland… to its outer edges. I so very badly wanted to see the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Skye was beautiful beyond compare. But…

What about the Isle of Lewis? While writing THE IRON FIN, I’d spent SO much time on Google, looking, reading about the place both now and in times long past that I couldn’t wait to see it with my own eyes.

Two particular locations surface in this novel that I was keen to visit: a blackhouse and the beaches north of Stornoway. Even more so, I wanted to be able to share this with you, my readers. And so I took photos and more photos. And videos.

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When Isa returns to the Isle of Lewis with Alec, we visit her family home: a blackhouse. Though such houses were common into the early 20th century, few remain today. While on vacation, I visited the Arnol Blackhouse Museum… and took these photos and a video of the interior for my readers!

North of Stornoway, there are a few sandy beaches. I drove up to Traigh Mhòr, a long strip of sand where Isa’s sister, Nina, would have been found. At one end of the beach, I found a rocky cove and climbed over the black rocks to explore a *small* sea cave.

Our last stop was at a smaller beach – both rocky and sandy – closer to Stornoway. This would have been the beach where Isa and Alec first met face to face:

About Anne

Though USA TODAY bestselling author Anne Renwick holds a Ph.D. in biology and greatly enjoyed tormenting the overburdened undergraduates who were her students, fiction has always been her first love. Today, she writes steampunk romance, placing a new kind of biotech in the hands of mad scientists, proper young ladies and determined villains.

Anne brings an unusual perspective to steampunk. A number of years spent locked inside the bowels of a biological research facility left her permanently altered. In her steampunk world, the Victorian fascination with all things anatomical led to a number of alarming biotechnological advances. Ones that the enemies of Britain would dearly love to possess.

To chat with Anne, stop by on Facebook or join the Department of Cryptobiology Facebook group. You can also join her newsletter list to have cover reveals, sneak peaks, sales and giveaways delivered straight to your inbox.