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The Scottish countryside provides the perfect backdrop for stories of renewal, resilience, and unexpected second chances, and V. E. H. Masters captures all three beautifully in Keeping Distance. Best known for her acclaimed historical fiction series, The Seton Chronicles, Masters turns her attention to a contemporary tale of romance and suspense, drawing on her own farming background to create an authentic and atmospheric setting. In this interview, she discusses the inspiration behind Maddie's journey, the realities of life on a sheep farm, the healing power of place, and the themes of trust, courage, and self-discovery that lie at the heart of the novel.
But first, let's check out V. E. H. Masters' new book:
Publication Date: 6th June 2026
Publisher: Nydie Books
Print Length: 286 Pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Nydie Books
Print Length: 286 Pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
The past has a way of catching up... no matter how far you run.
When Maddie's ex-boyfriend begins turning up where he shouldn't, she knows it's time to leave. Trading London's lockdown streets for a remote sheep farm in the Scottish hills, she hopes the distance will finally give her the fresh start she desperately needs.
Life on the farm is unlike anything she has known. Long days, lambing season, and endless skies leave her little time to dwell on the past. As she settles into the rhythms of rural life, she finds herself drawn to Cal, the quiet farmer whose kindness and steady presence begin to break down the walls she has built around her heart.
For the first time in years, Maddie can imagine a different future.
But distance doesn't always bring safety.
As the life she left behind begins to intrude on the one she is building, Maddie must choose between the safety of keeping her distance and the possibility of a new beginning.
A compelling romantic suspense novel about escaping the past and finding a future, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Scottish countryside, perfect for readers of Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty.
Keeping Distance combines romance and suspense against the backdrop of rural Scotland. What first inspired Maddie's story, and how did the idea for the novel come about?
The initial spark came during the pandemic, when so many people found themselves isolated and cut off from their usual support networks. I became interested in the idea of someone who feels unsafe in their own life and believes that simply putting physical distance between themselves and their problems will be enough. Maddie leaves London hoping that geography alone can protect her, but of course life is never that simple.
At the same time, I wanted to write about the healing power of place. The Scottish countryside, farming life, and the rhythm of the seasons seemed the perfect counterpoint to the anxiety and uncertainty of lockdown. Although I grew up on a farm myself, I also spent a week helping on my sister-in-law’s sheep farm during lambing, which provided many of the details and experiences that found their way into the novel. From those ideas, Maddie’s story gradually emerged.
Maddie leaves London for a remote sheep farm in the hope of escaping her past. What interested you most about exploring the idea of starting over in an entirely different environment?
I think many of us have, at some point, wondered what it would be like to leave everything behind and begin again somewhere completely different. Moving from a city to a remote farm is about as dramatic a change as you can make, and I was fascinated by what that would do to someone.
For Maddie, the farm strips away many of the distractions and certainties of her previous life. She has to learn new skills, adapt to a new community, and discover strengths she didn’t know she possessed. I was interested in the idea that sometimes we need to step outside our familiar world before we can really understand ourselves.
Maddie arrives on the farm carrying emotional baggage and a deep need for a fresh start. How important was it for you to explore themes of healing, resilience, and self-discovery through her journey?
Those themes are at the very heart of the novel. Maddie isn’t simply running from another person; she is also carrying grief, fear, and a lack of confidence in her own judgement. Her journey is about learning to trust herself again.
I wanted the healing to feel gradual and believable. Life rarely changes overnight. It is often small things—a routine, meaningful work, friendship, being needed—that slowly help us rebuild. The farm gives Maddie the space to rediscover who she is and what she wants from life.
Having grown up on a farm yourself, how much of the farming life depicted in the novel draws on your own experiences?
Quite a lot. I grew up on a farm on the east coast of Scotland, and many of the details of rural life come from my own experience. However, because the novel centres on a sheep farm during lambing time, I also wanted to make sure those scenes felt completely authentic. To help with that, I spent time helping on my sister-in-law’s sheep farm – she lambs over twelve hundred ewes. The experience gave me a much deeper understanding of both the physical demands and the emotional highs and lows of the season.
Farmers live very close to the realities of life and death and I wanted to capture both the beauty and the challenges of that way of life. Although Maddie’s story is fictional, I hope the farming aspects feel real to readers.
The Scottish countryside plays an important role in the story. What is it about the landscape and rural way of life that made it the perfect setting for Maddie’s journey?
The landscape becomes almost another character in the novel. Scotland’s wide skies, changing weather, and open spaces create both beauty and isolation. For Maddie, who has been living in London and feeling increasingly trapped, the countryside offers breathing space.
Rural life also has a rhythm that modern life often lacks. Animals still need feeding, fields still need tending, and the seasons continue regardless of our worries, or need for free time!
That sense of continuity and connection to the natural world makes it an ideal setting for a story about healing and renewal.
Cal appears to offer Maddie something she has been missing for a long time: stability and trust. What qualities did you want him to bring to the story?
Cal is quiet, dependable, and deeply rooted in the place where he lives. He isn’t someone who sweeps in dramatically to rescue Maddie. Instead, he offers patience, kindness, and steadiness.
I wanted him to represent trust earned over time rather than instant romance. He understands loss and disappointment himself, which allows him to recognise what Maddie is going through. His strength lies in his reliability and his willingness to let Maddie find her own way.
One of the novel’s central themes is the difficulty of leaving the past behind. Why do you think this theme resonates so strongly with readers?
Most people have something in their past that still influences them—whether it is grief, regret, fear, or a difficult relationship. We all know that changing our circumstances doesn’t automatically change how we feel.
I think readers connect with stories where characters have to confront those hidden burdens. Maddie’s journey reminds us that healing often requires courage and honesty, and that the past only loses its power when we finally face it.
Readers may know you best through your historical fiction, particularly the Seton Chronicles. What was it like moving from sixteenth-century Europe to a contemporary romantic suspense novel?
In some ways it was a huge change. After spending years immersed in the sixteenth century, researching the Reformation, religious conflict, and European history, it was refreshing to write about contemporary life.
Although Keeping Distance is a very different type of story from your historical novels, are there themes or character traits that connect your contemporary and historical writing?
Absolutely. Many of my characters, whether they live in sixteenth-century Europe or modern Scotland, are ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. They often find themselves displaced, uncertain, or caught between competing loyalties.
Themes such as resilience, belonging, family, faith, trust, and the search for home run through all my books. I am also very interested in how places shape people, whether that is Reformation Geneva, Constantinople, or a Scottish sheep farm during lockdown.
For readers picking up Keeping Distance, what do you hope they take away from Maddie’s journey of healing, courage, and learning to trust again?
For readers to finish the book feeling hopeful. Maddie’s story is ultimately about discovering that life can begin again, even after disappointment, loss, or fear.
I would like readers to feel that healing is possible, that courage often comes in small everyday acts, and that trusting other people sometimes begins with learning to trust ourselves.
Above all, I hope they enjoy spending time in the Scottish countryside and come away feeling that, while distance may not solve everything, it can give us the space to find a new way forward.
We'd like to thank V. E. H. Masters for taking the time to share the inspiration behind the novel and for offering readers a glimpse into the people, places, and experiences that brought this story to life. We wish her every success with Keeping Distance and look forward to seeing where her writing journey takes her next.
Pick up your copy of Keeping Distance HERE
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V E H Masters
V.E.H. Masters is the bestselling author of the award-winning Seton Chronicles, which follow one Scottish family through the religious and political upheavals of sixteenth-century Europe. She grew up on a farm near St Andrews in Scotland and drew on her own experience of farming life when writing her most recent, and contemporary, novel Keeping Distance. She lives in the Scottish Borders.
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