As part of Book Week Scotland in November 2019 I gave a talk at Fort William Library and enjoyed some lovely cakes. This was followed by another talk at the Pentlands Book Festival in Edinburgh where I spoke about the influence of myths and legends on my writing. The Waters of Leith made a welcome break from the busy streets. This was followed by an enjoyable session at Dingwall library after driving through beautiful countryside.
It’s always especially enjoyable doing book talks on home territory. This is some of the Sleat Book Group in South Skye. We had a lively discussion with plenty of laughs.
I had a warm welcome from Dingwall Rotary Club. After a hot day we travelled back to Skye through a Wagnerian storm of thunder and lightning.
I’ve now reached the extremities of Britain – Penzance in July 2018 and John O’Groats in April 2019. The dogs are playing on the sands at Dunnett Head, the most northerly promontory of Britain.
I gave a number of talks while I was down in Galloway in March. The first was at Lockerbie Library. The fine sheep sculptures are in the High Street. This was followed by a talk at the Beltie Book Shop and Café in Wigtown and I had to include a picture of the photogenic local cattle and lastly I did a book signing at WHSmith in Dumfries High Street. The antibiotics seem to be working and Steve is feeling more human now. We’ve got a big new screen which I’m enjoying using.
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I had the pleasure of travelling to Stornoway on a very cold but sunny day in February 2019. Once there I was made very welcome by Euan at the museum and Rhoda from the Islands Book Trust.
I spoke about Mary MacPherson, the subject of ‘Love and Music Will Endure’ and the next day I saw the famous Lewis chessmen and the very moving exhibition about the Iolaire disaster of 1919 when two hundred returning sailors were drowned in sight of the shore.
The fern design is Victorian and was found underneath layers of paint when the breakfast room was renovated.
I enjoyed a magical weekend at the very friendly Book Festival at Tarbert, Loch Fynne, one of the less well known haunts of the miniature Asian elephant. I was involved in the ‘Saturday with the Stevensons’ event with Bella Bathurst, the lighthouse expert and Joseph Farrell who has recently written about Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa.
I greatly enjoyed taking part in the celebrations for Robert Louis Stevenson’s birthday in Edinburgh, November 2018. I spoke about how he inspired my writing at the Writers’ Museum. It’s a wonderful old building with narrow spiral staircases. The bottom floor is dedicated to RLS while the other floors are for Sir Walter Scott and Bobbie Burns.
Just to let you know that I’ve recently created a new home for a series of short films I’ll be working on. The first one is already on there. Watch it here.