You’ve Gotta Love Yourself a Scotsman
And when they’re of the medieval variety, even better. Those were the days when men were men…and it still took just that one special lady to bring them to their knees 
These were men that lived hard, played fair, and only lost their hearts when all else had failed. Even the villains, and some of those border lads were horrendously nefarious, have the ability to make me smile, sometimes even fondly, sometimes for a very brief moment until I remember what all they got up to.
One of my favourite villains has to be Johnnie Armstrong and I just knew that one day he’d find his way into my stories — give or take a little literary licence. Dates, faces and deaths have been changed!
Unfortunately, Johnnie’s of the ‘very brief moment’ variety, he was not a nice man although you’ll find the odd account professing he was severely misunderstood. Let’s just say, this was the scoundrel who invented black rent (the forerunner of blackmail).
Now, I write historical romance, which means my hero, aka The Devil of Jedburgh, helped poor ol’ Johnnie on to his sorry end. The real Johnnie was hung at Caerlanrig chapel by order of King James.
But even this villain put a smile on my face when, with thanks to Sir Walter Scott’s The Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong, we see him and his band fighting off the king’s men
Said John, Fight on, my merry men all,
I am a little hurt, but I am not slain;
I will lay me down for to bleed a while,
Then I’le rise and fight with you again
So whether he’s a hero, a villain or a writer, I’ll take that Scotsman for my daily smile.
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Claire Robyns lives in Berkshire, England where she divides her time between being a mother, wife, software developer, reader and writer—not necessarily in that order.
You can visit Claire at www.clairerobyns.com or chat with her on twitter at @ClaireRobyns or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ClaireRobyns
Tags: Claire Robyns, Scottish romance
I lurve me some medieval scotsmen. Very interested to read a story with some Johnnie Armstrong!
I took one look at the delicious specimen on your book cover and decided you’ve won me over for the Scots! I’ll take some of that thank you very much!
It’s always interesting to gain a peek into the secret lives of real heroes, villainous or not! And I must say, the bad boy Scots do it for me.
I LOVED reading The Devil of Jedburgh!! It has all the classic ingredients of a Scottish Medieval romance: a dramatic plot, a gorgeous hero (strong, sexy, arrogant, yet loyal and honourable), and a feisty heroine who’s determined to fight for the man she loves. I truly enjoyed the characters in this book, all of whom are well-drawn, and the dialogue is very entertaining. The rich historical detail (clearly well-researched by Ms. Robyns) adds a really authentic flavour to the story. I highly recommend this book, as well as Ms. Robyns’ previous book (Betrayed), and can’t wait to read her next offering!