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I find it quite amazing how certain divine forces come together to create a project, and the making of Wee Cowrin' Timorous Beastie has been nothing less than magic- an incredibly wonderful gift from the universe... via Stan, my very patient and gracious husband.
On vacation many years ago, Stan and I met John Murray, and his wife, Linda, of Glasgow. Through the years, this eccentric and loveable Scotsman has become my best friend, and although we're on opposite sides of the earth, the technology of the internet has sealed our families with an eternal friendship. One evening, John sent me an e'mail (after enjoying a late night on the town) with the message that he was feeling "a bit wee cowrin' beastie".
That phrase stuck. I knew I knew it, and I started my search for it at the most obvious Scottish origin: the poetry of Robert Burns. Yes, there it was— the first line from Burns' poem "To a Mouse" that goes: "Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie..." That's the seed that started this whole project, one simple phrase from my dear friend (whom I've always considered a pirate at heart). Now, mix that with the gift of a brooch given to me the Christmas before, and an epic story was born.
Not finding a home in this modern day world for this olde-style, rhyming story, I went to a writer's conference in Oregon and was set on the pathway of audio by instructor and author Gerald Hausman, but I was in need of music. For six months, I listened to artist after artist, song after song— searching for the perfect music to tell this 17th century story of pirate John Murray and his betrothed love, Vashti (which, by the way, was my great-grand mother's middle name). The music needed to envelop the story, (which is sprinkled with old Scottish-gaelic words), as well as the beautiful Scottish countryside, which at times is filled with mystic fog. But I had no luck. What was in my head seemed a futile search.
So, on a seeming disasterous family reunion to Florida (due to one tropical storm and one nasty hurricane), the beaches were closed, forcing us indoors. I walked into a little shop, shook off the excess rain, and was held— suspended— by the music over the speakers... this was it! I promptly purchased the CD called Celtic Mystique by Canadian composer Howard Baer, and proceeded to track him down. I sent Mr. Baer a note describing my project and my search for background music that would express the magic and mystery of Scotland. Baer asked to read my story, and almost immediately afterwards, wrote me back asking if he could create an original musical score for the project. Months later, I was in his studio in Canada, bonding a friendship with Howard and his wife, Anne, and having the experience of a lifetime: recording this beautiful mix of poetry, story and music called Wee Cowrin' Timorous Beastie.
 
I firmly believe that there are no coincidences in this life, that fate directs us to meet certain people who change our world, and, in return, the rest of the world is changed. All we can do in our lifetimes is give back to the universe the gifts we have been given... to love with our whole heart. And when this is done, and the beauty of life opens up to us, we can't help but believe in this divine gift of magic. And this magic, my friends, is love— a love born from around the world— from a Texas poet, to a rogue Scotsman, to an incredibly talented Canadian.
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