Download our Free Bloodlines  Family History Guide November 11 2018 HERE
and explore the past guided by your very own ancestors.

• The Why and How of Family History Research; with excerpts from the Scottish American Genealogy Mystery novels Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat and Bloodlines -Traces,
  by McKerley & Schippers
• www.touchnotthecat.com

Family History Guide November 11 2018

Click the link to download for free

Trace the characters from the Scottish American Genealogy Mystery novels, Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat (WYBT Publishing 11.11.11) and Bloodlines-Traces (WYBT Publishing 21.06.16),
in their quest through the labyrinth of family history research

Picture left:   William of Orange, 1650-1702, King Willam the III of England; King William the II of Scotland; nicknamed King Billy in Scotland and Ireland.

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When authors Tom McKerley and Ingrid Schippers met for the very first time some 13 years ago; the writing of Bloodlines -Touch Not the Cat and Bloodlines-Traces was still a long way from happening.

Still, even then one of the very first discussions between Tom and Ingrid, was about a historical fact that led to surprising findings.

It was about a Dutch prince, who had been King of Scotland for a while. He was known in Scotland and Ireland as ‘King Billy’, officially as King William the II; in England as King William the III and in The Netherlands as stadholder of the Dutch republic.

To complicate matters further, King Billy was generally known as ‘William of Orange’, which is very confusing for someone from The Netherlands, as Dutch history books detail another 117-year younger ‘William of Orange’, born in 1533, as ‘father of the fatherland’.

Royal name mix-up however is not uncommon in historical research. The name ‘Edward’  in England, ‘Louis’ in France and ‘William’ in The Netherlands can cause quite lengthly conversations, as well as confusion on who lived where and when. Tom and Ingrid’s first debate on historical facts and figures concerning William of Orange and the part he played in history, more or less went like this:

Tom to Ingrid:
‘When your William of Orange was King of Scotland, he had his summer residence where I live these days; in Troon. Apparently it was one of his favorite summer retreats.’

Ingrid to Tom:
‘You must be joking! William of Orange never had anything to do with ruling Scotland.’

Tom (stubborn, you know what Scots can be like) ‘Yes he had; and so did his friend the Baron of Bentinck. Bentinck even became the first Duke of Portland, as a reward for fighting alongside William of Orange.’

Ingrid (further confused). ‘Bentinck? Nooo! You’re wrong again! He lived on an estate in The Hague; which is about a mile away from where I live these days, in The Netherlands!’

Tom: ‘And I live on ‘Bentinck’ drive in Troon. Now how do you think that came about? And one of the golfcourses Troon is famous for is called ‘The Portland’.’

Intrigued, Ingrid dug herself into the narrative of this Scottish-Dutch connection unknown to her and found she was in for a surprise or two. As it turned out,  ’King Billy’ was the leading character in a few MAJOR Scottish historical events. Perhaps a little preliminary explanation is at place here.

The William of Orange Tom was talking about (for it was indeed another William of Orange than the ‘father of the fatherland’ born in 1533) became related to the Scottish Crown, by marrying Mary, daughter of Scotland’s James VII, who became King in 1685. James was a Catholic; his son in law William a protestant. What happened next is not pretty.

To quote wikipedia:

The son in law supported by a group of influential British political and religious leaders, invaded Britain in what became known as the “Glorious Revolution.

Subsequently William of Orange became William the III of England and William the II of Scotland, ousting the catholic King James the VII of Scotland.

Why William of Orange had so many of Catholic faith in his army to this day remains a mystery and is one of the many historical bits and pieces we will probably never get to hear the truth of.

The second big revelation to disclose itself following the ousting of James VII, was that the Dutch King William the II of Scotland, nicknamed ‘ King Billy’, was directly responsible for what might well be one of the most appalling massacres in Scottish history on February 13, 1692.

Apparently the Chief of the MacDonalds had been overdue pledging his allegiance to King Billy. The weather conditions had prevented him from undertaking the arduous journey to see his new King, or so MacDonald said.
This resulted in a Robert Campbell of Glenlyon being given the order to set an example out of the MacDonald clan and warn the Scots what would happen to people who did not pay the right amount of respect to their King.

After staying the night as guests of the McDonald’s, the Campbells killed 38 of their hosts. Allegedly the MacDonald Chief remarked he’d rather not be killed under his own roof, causing him to be butchered in the open air.

After these killings, many women and children who were left behind, perished in the harsh weather conditions as their houses had been burned down. All this became famously known as the Glencou massacre.

The Dutch Baron of Bentinck indeed played an important role in all this as longtime and most trusted advisor of William of Orange. In fact it was Bentinck who in 1677, procured the marriage between the future King of Scotland and Mary, daughter of James; then Duke of York.
It was also Bentinck who rallied for support for the invasion leading to the Glorious Revolution and arranged all the 17th century marketing for it.

Quoting Wikipedia again:

Bentinck superintended the arrangements for the invasion, including raising money, hiring an enormous transport fleet, organising a propaganda offensive, and preparing the possible landing sites, and also sailed to England with Prince William.

Knowing now what havoc Dutch King Billy caused; one may wonder how a Dutch author from The Hague dared to embark on a historical writing enterprise with a Scottish author from Troon, but as far as is known, no killings have taken place in real life…only in their fiction.

While the genealogy mystery novels, co-authored by McKerley & Schippers, Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat and Bloodlines-Traces do not go as far back as the Kings William and James, mentioned in the article above; they do give a gripping account of what life was like in Victorian times on both sides of the ocean, in Scotland and America, switching back and forth between past and present; with leading character Cathy Macpherson finding out intriguing details about the life of her ancestors.

For more information on the books, their narrative and historical fact incorporated in Bloodlines Touch Not the Cat & Bloodlines- Traces , the website www.touchnotthecat.com, offers a picture gallery, personal research pictures and blogs from the authors and accounts of some interesting historical events.

To buy the books go to: www.touchnotthecat.com/the-books/where-to-buy-the-books/

Order your  Kindle copy of Bloodlines-Traces, sequel to Bloodlines Touch Not the Cat, during the countdown days Saturday July 8 to Tuesday July 11 starting at 80% …..

Here’s the Bloodlines Traces Kindle Countdown Schedule from, 4,99 GBP to: …drumroll…:

• Saturday July 8 2017, Kindle Copy of Bloodlines -Traces for less than a pound: 0.99 GBP
• Sunday July 9 2017, Kindle Copy of Bloodlines -Traces for less than half price: 1.99 GBP
• Monday July 10 2017, Kindle Copy of Bloodlines -Traces for only 2.99 GBP
• Tuesday July 11 2017,  Kindle Copy of Bloodlines -Traces still with 20% discount: 3.99 GP

Cathy’s quest to find out more about her Scottish ancestry, leads her past the battlefields of  WW I Gallipoli and follows the life and times of one of the first fictional woman to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1897.

Historical Fact mixed with fiction as real as life itself

What a great read. Thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Tom and Ingrid have a way with words, made me feel I was right in among the story.

Douglas Black- Sydney, Australia

As a sequel to Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat, here is another well researched Genealogy Mystery novel, Bloodlines – Traces, once again set against the majestic, moody backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.  With a multi –layered, page-turning narrative, it combines an atmospheric Gothic romance with a gripping contemporary  murder mystery – Charlotte Bronte meets Sara Paretsky. !

Vivien Devlin, Arts and Travel Writer.

Click here for More Reviews or Take A Slide Show Tour (keep an eye on the Ballindalloch drawing for about 3 seconds)

Many homicides are never solved in the real world, particularly those involving espionage.

In the 17^th century a ‘tulip-mania’ raged through the provinces of the lowlands, Holland that is. Bulbs were sold and bought at astronomical amounts, which seems odd for something organic that is prone to decay through weather conditions and other outside influences and very likely to eventually die.

Even a, what could be called 19^th century marketing-study (1841), written by Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter Charles Mackay,1814-1898 was dedicated to the phenomenon
In his book ‘Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds’ Mackay describes how people spent and lost fortunes, also involving foul play.

Back in the seventies, Dutch television broadcasted a children’s crime series, titled ‘The Black Tulip’ telling the story of deceit and theft surrounding one single bulb. It seems inevitable a sort of Maffia evolves, when something is much in demand.

Throughout the centuries whisky as well has been the subject of smuggle and illicit trade.
Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat, describes a ‘whisky tunnel’, used as an Aladdin’s cave by smugglers.
While doing the research for Bloodlines –Traces, McKerley & Schippers came across stories of bottles of whisky being sold for over a hundred thousand pounds and more, in circles where presenting a valuable bottle sets the tone of the business meeting. For this reason there is a huge increase in interest from countries like Russia and Ukraine, to make its own way into the industry. Efforts to take over old and famous Scottish distilleries, at times leave few tricks untested to reach the goal.

A whisky-murder, may seem far fetched, but is in fact not at all unlikely. With potential buyers willing to pay extreme amounts of money for the status of a famous brand, bottles of whisky have become like Rembrandts, Icons (the pre-computer ones) or tulips for that matter.

This knowledge triggered author Tom McKerley, to set up the privately owned  whisky distillery ‘GlenFraoch’ for Bloodlines-Traces. The label is shown as part of the photogallery on the home page
Owner Doug Stein gets into trouble when he refuses to sell the family business.
Had it happened in real life the following article could well have shown up in the newspaper:

(slight spoiler warning)

The Scottish Daily Mail
Thursday 13^th October, 2011

Whisky Tycoon Poisoned
Mystery over Glen Fraoch owner Doug Stein baffles Police

Tuesday’s death of the CEO and major shareholder of Glen Fraoch whisky distillery has now been confirmed as a murder investigation. Chief Constable Gardner of the Grampian Police Force issued the following press release;

‘First of all we would like to convey our condolences to family and friends of the deceased, Mr Doug Stein.
We would like to confirm investigations have been under way since last Tuesday when the body was found. We would like to talk with anyone who witnessed a black BMW in the area of Aviemore between the hours of seven and eight am on Tuesday October 11th. The prime suspect goes by the name of Richard Stillwater. His picture has been circulated to all media outlets. Given the possibility this murder could have been committed by individuals outside of this country, the Home Office and Interpol have been informed. I would also like to say our officers who arrived on the scene reacted quickly to the situation, but so far we do not have any leads or possible motive for this crime.

This is Richard Stillwater as pictured in his personnel file. If you see him, do not approach but notify the police immediately at the following number: 013-1313

Are you sharing this blog in the social media?
Send proof of your share to info@touchnotthecat.com.
Every month we draw a winner from among the sent in e-mails, who receives a complimentary copy from either Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat or Bloodlines – Traces.
Read More..

The August Winner of the ‘Share a Post or Send in a Review’ contest is a Macpherson!
Thank you Karen for your lovely words. Your complimentary copy of Bloodlines-Traces is on its way.

Review of Karen Macpherson on Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat.

What a fabulous mystery book! Loved the time-travelling alternate chapters, it kept me page turning to find out what happened in each century and found it fascinating how events were inter-related. Characters are easy to identify with and I warmed to the modern independent yet vulnerable Cathy as the story unfolded, each chapter encouraging me to support her that bit more. Would love to find out more about the historical Katherine as she lives in a time of emerging changes for women and education. The Scottish Macphersons were a joy to read, a perfect mix of warmth and compassion, dry humour and wit with a little eccentricity. The descriptive narrative easily sets the scene in your mind and I found myself longing to visit the places so beautifully described in the book. The plot is pacy and full of just enough turns to keep you interested yet gently unfolds to give you time to get to know Cathy and to empathise with her situation. Loved the ending, it tied up all loose ends with a slightly humorous and “you go girl” attitude!

Looking forward to reading the sequel,

Karen Macpherson

Will you be the September 2016 Winner of the Share a Blog or Send in a Review contest?

Win a copy of Bloodlines-Traces or Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat, to be send to an address of your choice, in Europe, U.S.A or Australia/New Zealand.

Simple send in a review or share one of our website posts and tell us about it in a mail to info@touchnotthecat.com

Every month a lucky winner’s name is drawn from among the e-mails.

Will you be our August 2016 winner of  your very own copy of Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat or Bloodlines – Traces, to be send to an address of your choice in Europe, the U.S.A or Australia?

Send in your Review of Share a Blog and tell us about it by sending a mail to info@touchnotthecat.com.
Closing date: September 1st.

On Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat, our July winner Jorine Janssen wrote:

“Normally I’m not one for different timeframes in fiction, but in Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat, it provided more depth and suspense.
To me the Bloodlines series are tales of courage, following up on chances paved by our ancestors through time, the quest to find what really matters.
The Bloodline characters work around the inevitable obstacles life brings while thinking out of the box”

The pace of the book is one of a steady flow, like the river Spey, with surprising turns. Refreshing and enchanting!!

You can order your paperback copy of Bloodlines Traces here

While our initial intention was to publish in May 16 2016, we are quite surprised to find the learning curves of self publishing brought us to this wonderful date of June 21st 2016;
a day not only of Summer Solstice, but also right after a night of full moon, two indicators of change and renewal.

We’re very ‘date conscious’ from a numeral point of view, where certain numbers or combinations thereof, hold their own specific promise and perspective according to esoteric traditions.
In short: we’re somewhat superstitious.

Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat for this reason was published 11.11.11

Just like some stories seem to find their storyteller however,
(a feeling that overcame us many many times while writing the Bloodlines series)
our chosen publication date of May 16 was overturned when an upload went haywire, leading to having to re-format a 107.000 word file.

Living by the principle of ‘never make the same mistake twice; plenty of new ones are available’  we took extra care and therewith extra time to create a new file.

Then we had to wait for a new proof to arrive, approve that and grant the distributor their time to make it available plus register our newborn with the Nielsen and Ingram databases.

It is for this reason that to our own surprise and delight today has become the official day on which Bloodlines – Traces paperback can be ordered on line with your international internet bookseller worldwide or with your local bookseller.

The Kindle edition of Bloodlines-Traces can be preordered here
and is available as of June 30 2016.

We very much appreciate your thoughts on Bloodlines-Traces.
Please send your reviews to info@touchnotthecat.com.

Yes, yes, yes, it’s here! The long awaited PROOF, Bloodlines Traces really exists has arrived!

After some confusement on both sides, Lightning Source (the book printer) sent us an e-proofcopy of Bloodlines – Traces on the May 16th 2016, the original publication date we had in mind, (as it was such a nicely balanced date numerology-wise.)

It seems though Fate had something in else in store for us.
Like with ancestors, apparently some matters are out of our hands…

All we are waiting for now, is the printed proof, which should arrive soon

To be continued…

The part of editing Tom and I are in now, is the most fun part.
It is the part, where the book is already written and edited;
where all the editor’s feedback has been evaluated and used for improvements;
and where now; it is up to the proofreaders, to show the authors, where their trains of thought took a wrong turn.

Reading one’s own book through the eyes of one’s readers is a very interesting experience. It reveals bloopers, the author(s) never noticed. In most cases these are the smallest of mistakes; the ones overlooked, after numerous re-writes and re-reads have taken out the bigger flaws in the story line.

This one for instance:

Weary Cathy opened an email from Steve Hicks her partner at the Raleigh PD.

Of course we meant to say:

‘Weary, Cathy opened an email from Steve Hicks her partner at the Raleigh PD’;
for our Raleigh PD cop Cathy, is not nicknamed ‘Weary Cathy’.

Yet even the comma isn’t enough we decided, after much linguistic debate.
As an alternative, we put in (not Putin, but put in; this is a definciency one gets while emerged in (at?within?) this level of editing); so…we put in:

Wearily, Cathy opened an email from Steve Hicks, her partner at the Raleigh PD.

Believe it or not, but this is a really very enjoyable part of writing a book.

Ingrid Schippers