Excerpt

 What was left of the kitchen was on fire, the flames consuming the lacy curtains at the small window and the crocheted covering that clung to the shattered remains of our table. The explosion came from the stove, triggered by my mother opening the oven door to put the bread in to heat up for breakfast, and boosted by the gas line. There was nothing left of her. I was grabbed, I couldn’t see my attackers. I struggled, but I couldn’t escape. They pulled me out of the rubble, tearing me from my father’s side as he drew his last breath... 

-from Midnight Train (working title)

It's published!

The Art of Love, a modern Highlands romance, is now live on Amazon, in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited. Cover art by Brenda Salamone 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GVGC6GD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XNWuFbZF3ZPQ2

Almost there

Test print for The Art of Love arrived yesterday.  All looks good, so it should be live in the next few days!

The Art of Love cover painting

Cover art for my romance novel is done!

So, what do you think I decided on? Two whisky glasses toasting? Hot Scottish guy in a kilt? Urquhart Castle? A wee coo? Adorable fuzzy sheep?

An artist writing about an artist...

At last!!

Edits are DONE!! It's taken several months of word wrangling, but The Art of Love is now ready to be uploaded. I'm revamping my cover art, so that's still in progress. 

More updates soon as everything is made ready. See you in Scotland!

final stages

An out of town gig has stalled things a bit, but today, I'm creating my cover art for The Art of Love! I'm so excited to see out it turns out!

Fingers crossed

5 rounds of personal edits completed, and now the manuscript is in my capable editor's hands.

It's all Part of the Process

The sky bloomed under her fingers, taking on the appearance of the dazzling sunrise she had enjoyed earlier in the week while walking to Cassie's. She had filed the vision away in a little drawer in her artist’s brain, meaning to use it in one of her paintings. Now it burst forth from its dark confines like Apollo’s chariot, winging the sun across the sky. 

The heliotrope purple and fuchsia vibrated against the orange in the sky. Becca’s eyes were unfocused, choosing her colors by instinct rather than reality. She picked up an intense, electric blue, letting the edge of it wander randomly around the board as she twisted her hand. Putting the blue away, she stopped and looked at her painting. 

She chose her golden orange again, highlighting the leading edges of her stones where they reached into the sky. She left the color unblended and broken and the energy of the stones seemed to pulse right off the rigid board. 

-The Art of Love ©️Irene Doune

A Dream Come True

Everybody has a dream, and those dreams are as varied as humanity. Becca Leoni's dream is to travel to Scotland and attend an art workshop in plein air painting to improve her skills and take her art beyond hobby status. 

The Art of Love is a journey of the heart set in the gorgeous and inspiring Scottish Highlands.  The art center in the story is inspired by a lovely art school/workshop organizer in Perthshire named Shinafoot Studios. 

The Art of Love,  ©️Irene Doune 

Coming soon

Location Location Location

Becca's adventures take her all over the Scottish Highlands. Mealt Falls at Kilt Rock, Isle of Skye. 

Lines

Light fell through the broken walls as he strode forward, revealing filthy jeans, mud-encrusted hiking boots, and a ragged sweatshirt that bore the announcement, “I Escaped Scotland Yard.” The hooded sweatshirt shadowed his face, showing only the dark stubble of a week’s worth of beard…and his eyes. 

- The Art of Love,  chapter one. Copyright©️Irene Doune

Highland Adventures

Castle Urquhart seems to be the perfect place to begin an art adventure! Romantic and picturesque, you can gaze for hours looking for Loch Ness' most famous resident, Nessie!

The Art of Love - coming soon

Becca Leoni leaves behind a brokenhearted past in California for the vacation of a lifetime in Scotland.

Ready to fulfill an artistic dream, she never imagined how compelling her workshop instructor would be.

With her time in the Highlands ending, how can she leave, knowing she's fallen for him, but how can she stay, not knowing if he feels the same?

The Art of Love takes you on a journey of the heart through the incredible beauty of the Scottish Highlands.