Just when I thought I had no news to report, I’ve beeen contacted to say that the aforementioned short story (which I felt had had its share of glory) has lived to fight another day and is one of 50 commended entries in the Aesthetica annual competition fiction category. It’s not one of the 96 finalists, but since these … Continue reading Preparing for Winter
There are certain writers with whom I always feel totally at home, and perhaps it’s not surprising that a number of them are Scottish. One of them is Ian Rankin whom I might never have read if I hadn’t had a flat tyre a few years ago on a Saturday. Up until then, although curious … Continue reading Voices of home
I used to be impressed by those colour supplement features called ‘A Room of My Own’ and positively lapped up those pictures of best-selling authors ‘working’ at mahogany desks, wearing checked shirts or velvet pashminas. But since I’ve progressed from someone who’s thinking about writing to someone who actually does it, I’ve lost interest in … Continue reading Trains of thought
Forget bakewells, victorias, roulades and other members of the Great British Bake-Off, if you want to raise a smile, try the humble scone. First of all there was Alexander McCall Smith’s The Unbearable Lightness of Scones . I don’t think I have actually read it, but being familiar with the tenor of the Scotland Street novels, I … Continue reading The Scone Effect
Since the lovely people at Leaf Books have seen fit to commend me for my ‘short travel writing’ piece submitted in August, it seems only fair to celebrate Kilcreggan , the obscure but enchanting place where it began. To go next to the article when it’s published in Issue 3 of their magazine, Leaf would also like me to submit a further … Continue reading Worth celebrating
