Category: Scotland

  • Coming soon… #books

    Not quite a new book, but definitely the next best thing – I’m delighted that DP Books, the UK arm of a large German digital publisher, will be re-releasing three of my older suspense novels over the next few weeks. First up is The Attic Room, originally published in 2015. The pre-order is running already,…

  • The Case of the Budgie in the Garden…

    When I was a small child, my parents were enthusiastic potato-growers. At least my father was, I’m not sure Mum was quite as passionate about it but she did her bit bravely. We lived in a cottage flat with a moderate chunk of garden, and the vegetable (ie potato) patch was pretty much in the…

  • Alison Gray and Peony Rose…

    Alison Gray is no stranger to my blog, so I was really pleased last week to hear she had released Peony Rose, the final instalment of her DS Abby Foulkes crime series. Getting this book finished is in itself a huge achievement, and it’s very fitting that it was published in the same week we…

  • Google searches this week…

    The internet is a blessing when you’re writing a book. I often wonder how writers managed before the www was part of daily life. For your main research, it’s usually more helpful to go and look at whatever you need to know more about, or talk to an expert – I’m lucky to have a…

  • Sweet ‘n’ Sour books from…Scotland

    I spent the first twenty-two years of my life in Scotland, so a sweet ‘n’ sour post from north of the border is a must. Mind you, it wasn’t until I came to Switzerland that I met Alison Baillie and Jo Bartlett, the two writers whose books feature today. Both books are really good reads…

  • The Wolf of Dalriada

    A few weeks ago I met Elizabeth Gates on Facebook, and when I heard that her new book The Wolf of Dalriada was set in my old home country, Scotland, I had a closer look. Isn’t it a lovely cover? Here’s Lizzie to tell us more about it: Forty years ago, when the rain stopped…

  • Home is… (complete in your own words…)

    Home is where the heart is, traditionally. Nowadays, opinions differ. Home is where your other half (and presumably also your heart?) is? That’s a bit dangerous, imo. Home is where your favourite armchair is? Nope. My favourite armchair is a sofa, but I’m planning the next one already. Home is where the corkscrew is? Now…

  • Up the Scott Monument…

    Every time the boys and I go to Edinburgh, someone says, ‘Shall we go up the Scott Monument?’ We don’t often – sometimes it’s shut, sometimes the weather isn’t suitable, and then there’s that narrow spiral staircase with 287 steps to the top… You need to be at your best for that. The Scott Monument…

  • Ah yes – I remember it well…

    Or maybe I don’t. It’s half a lifetime ago since I lived in Scotland, but I always love going back for a few days, catching up with friends and family and re-visiting some of my old haunts. I’ve just spent a week in Glasgow – and this time, I came across so many ‘culinary memories’……

  • I don’t believe it!!!

    It was a real Victor Meldrew moment. The first of two, actually. There I was in Switzerland a couple of months ago, rooted to the spot in our nearest big-town washing machine retailer, eyes popping and mouth hanging open… But let’s start at the beginning. Washing machines, as we all know, don’t last forever and…