Kelli Estes is the author of the new novel Smoke on the Wind. Her other books include the novel The Girl Who Wrote in Silk. She lives in Washington state.
Q: What inspired you to write Smoke on the Wind, and how did you create your characters Keaka and Sorcha?
A: I have always felt a deeper connection with the Scottish side of my ancestry but, about a decade ago, I realized that I knew very little about Scotland. From that moment on, I made a concerted effort to learn all that I could about the country, her people, her history, and her culture. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.
Ready to go even deeper, I eventually joined Duolingo to learn the Scottish Gaelic language and started taking Scottish fiddle lessons.
I also discovered Scotland’s long-distance hiking trails. When I decided to hike one of those trails, the West Highland Way (WHW), I prepared by learning some of the history that had occurred in the areas through which the trail passes. As I read about outlaws, queens, kings, poets, and others who lived, worked, or traveled through the area, I found two new (fictional) voices talking to me.
Keaka, in present-day, is a mom about to leave her son at university in Glasgow and she’s spending her last week with him walking the Way, while also hiding the truth about his deceased father’s betrayal from him.
Sorcha, in 1801, is also a mom who, along with her son, was violently evicted from her Highland home and must walk to the city to find work while also avoiding capture by those accusing her of murder.
When I walked the WHW with my own son, I imagined I was one of my characters and my son her son, which resulted in some deeper insights into their experiences. Scotland is a place where the past feels close and magic shimmers just under the surface and so I made my characters experience that in a way that inexplicably connects them.
Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I always start with books. I dove into books on Scotland’s history and, when I focused in on setting my novel during the Highland Clearances, zeroed in on that subject.
I also read about mythology, folkways, food, clothing, transportation, the history of roads, the history of transhumance in Scotland, clans, second sight, and so much more. Each book had a treasure trove of resources listed in its footnotes and endnotes and I eagerly dove down the rabbit hole of all of them.
One thing that surprised me was that, despite what most people believe, it wasn’t the Battle of Culloden and its aftermath that killed the clan system in Scotland.
The seeds of destruction were planted way back in 1703 when the Scottish King James IV became the English King James I. Even though he was Scottish, he didn’t trust the people of the Highlands and he enacted laws that chipped away at the clans.
One example of this is that he required all land owners to educate their children in English-speaking schools in the lowlands. He also required these landowners to spend much of their time in Edinburgh and London. Their Highland estates did not provide them with the same income as English estates, yet they were expected to live the same lavish lifestyle as other elite.
By the time of the Clearances, the landowners (the chiefs of their clans) did not know Gaelic – the language of their people – and they did not know their tenantry by name. They no longer felt any obligation to them and saw only that the people were in the way of them turning their estates over to sheep, which promised to bring in more money.
So, in summary, I was surprised to learn that it was a Scot (a Stuart king) who laid the foundation for the destruction of the clans and the ultimate betrayal of the people.
Q: What do you think the novel says about mother-son relationships?
A: As a mom of two boys myself, I can’t help but believe there is something special between a mom and her sons. It’s often from moms that boys learn the softer skills of life such as communication, caring for others, and understanding emotions.
Society teaches a boy that he will grow into a man who provides for the safety of his family, and there comes a time in his adolescence or young adulthood when some days his mom is still caring for him, but on others, he’s caring for her. I expect that back-and-forth goes on well into late adulthood.
As this novel shows, and I deeply believe, to a mom, a son will always be her little boy in her heart, no matter his age.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: If nothing else, I hope readers take away an increased interest in Scotland and, perhaps, a curiosity about her history and maybe even her hiking trails and the Scottish Gaelic language.
On a deeper level, I hope readers take away a more nuanced understanding of the types of horrors that drive people away from their homelands and force them to immigrate to other countries.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m in the early stages of my next fiction book idea, which means I’m reading a lot of history and trying to nail down the plots of dual storylines. I’m also working on a nonfiction proposal for a book of history along the West Highland Way.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I have lots of resources on my website (https://kelliestes.com) for readers such as a glossary of Scots and Gaelic words, a pronunciation guide, Scottish music playlists (one is presented as a soundtrack to the book with a song representing each chapter), recipes, information on the Scottish Gaelic language, and information on the West Highland Way.
While there, readers can sign up for my newsletter to receive freebies, giveaways, behind-the-scenes info, and more. I can also be found on Facebook and Instagram at @kelli.estes.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
Kelli Estes is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, which has been translated into eleven languages, was the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nancy Pearl Book Award and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award, and is currently under option for film/TV; and Today We Go Home, a nationwide Target Book Club pick. Kelli is passionate about stories that show how history is still relevant to our lives today. Her lifelong love of Scotland has her learning the Scottish Gaelic language and the Scottish fiddle (both badly, but she’s working on it). She has walked three of Scotland’s long-distance trails (so far) and is currently planning the next. Kelli lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. Her new novel Smoke on the Wind is available now from Lake Union.
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