J. A. Kay

J.A. KAY was born in 1960 and raised on the west coast of Scotland, where he completed secondary education at Greenwood Academy in Dreghorn. He was fortunate to have the author William MacIlvanney, the Scottish novelist, short story writer and poet, as his English teacher in the 1970s. His success inspired him to put his own stories to paper. Other notable pupils educated at the Academy during this time and thereafter include the actress Julie Graham, singer-songwriter Eddi Reader and a First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.

The author served as a police constable for 30 years in Scotland and decided to write as a hobby on his retirement. His interests include freemasonry, rugby, martial arts, real ale, and spending time with his two adult children and three grandchildren, not necessarily in that order.

His background of dealing with and experiencing emotional and sometimes traumatic, life-changing experiences was highlighted when he was run down by a car while on duty. He was subsequently diagnosed with PTSD, which sparked his stories into life as a mechanism for dealing with this condition. This was balanced by a good sense of humour that all the emergency services develop to deal with the unpredictable, stressful situations presented to them, which is evident in his writing. With these life experiences providing valuable background information, and the ale acting as a catalyst for his imagination, these stories were developed.

The author has travelled extensively in Scotland and abroad and has been aware of the cultural and mythical stories of the creatures from the Highlands of Scotland since childhood. Loch Ness has been visited by him both as a child and adult, where the stories of the Monster and the Wild Haggis were implanted in his mind.

He became aware of the history of the Druids and the power of the ley lines when serving in Kilwinning, where the police office is adjacent to the ancient abbey and ‘Lodge Number 0’, which is reputed to be the first Masonic Lodge of Freemasons in Scotland if not the world.

He learned at this time that all the ley lines passed through both Stonehenge and the Kilwinning Abbey and has witnessed this power seeping out, affecting the local area. He was stationed in Kilwinning when a piece of masonry fell from the abbey through the roof of a colleague’s car. He had researched the ley lines and raised his fist, voicing his disbelief in the magic contained within the ruins of the building. He never recovered from this shock and retired from the police service as a result.

Much of what is written is factually correct, but it is up to you, the reader, to decide what to believe or dismiss. But in either case, enjoy the story.