Monthly Archives: February 2012

In which the author gives a talk on Mysterious Perthshire in Alyth…

 

On Tuesday 28 February I’ll be giving a talk on ‘Mysterious East Perthshire’, courtesy of the Alyth Literary and Philosophical Society. I’ll be discussing Big Cats, fairies, UFOs, and the bizarre local legends of Guinevere and King Arthur. And there’ll be books for sale as usual.

The event kicks off at 7.30pm and is open to everyone (£2 on the door). Ogilvie Rooms, Commercial Street, Alyth, PH11 8AF (next to Alyth Museum).

 

In which the Author launches another video book trailer…

 

There’s another video book trailer cannonading around cyberspace. The video for Paranormal Cumbria can be found on this website here, on youtube and at bookreel.tv.

 

The trailer was put together by Jamie Cook, webmaster of this parish, and the book itself is due out on March 31st.

 

 
 

In which the author gives a talk on ghosts in St Andrews…

 

On Thursday 23rd February I’ll be in the St Andrews Public Library giving an illustrated talk on ghosts.

 

Entitled ‘Haunted St Andrews and Area,’ and based on the book of the same name, the talk will feature such supernatural denizens as:

The White Lady and The Haunted Tower

 

  • The Poltergeist of Pitmilly House (and other poltergeists)
  • Ghosts of The Pends and St Leonard’s School
  • Ghosts of Town and Gown
  • Death Warnings and a Vortex of Evil

 

The event starts at 7.30pm and tickets (which are selling fast) are £3.50. Call 01334 659378.

Location: St Andrews Library, Church Square (off Church Street, between South Street and Market Street), St Andrews, KY16 9NN. More details and map here.

 
 

In which the Author is interviewed by Scotcampus Magazine…

 

 

The February issue of the free student magazine Scotcampus features a Q & A style interview with the humble author, entitled ‘Spooky Scotland’. I ramble on about loch monsters, vampires, Jacobites and the supernatural, ghosts, and other examples of Scottish paranormalism, with particular reference to Dundee, Glasgow and Iona.

 

Free copies can be picked up from this week (15th February) at student-frequented bars, cafés, record shops and arts venues. The online link is here:

 

http://www.scotcampus.com/2012/01/spooky-scotland-qa-geoff-holder/

In which the author talks to zombies…

Many thanks to all those who turned up on January 30th at the Arches in Glasgow for the Stage to Page workshop of scenes from the play what I wrote.

 

Seeing the script from ‘I Walked With A Zombie’ change from hesitant read-through to actual performance in less than 60 minutes was something of a head-churning experience, not to say a humbling one (rewrite, rewrite…). My thanks to the actors – Lucy, Lindsey, Elle, Mikhail, John and the tall chap whose name I’ve rudely forgotten – for embodying the parts so well, and to director Marcus Roche for making my words work in real time.

 

Further tips of the titfer to Mark MacNicol and the Playwrights’ Studio for setting up the event, and writer Chris Dolan for being an inspiring guest facilitator. It was also splendid to meet the two other writers having scripts workshopped on the night, Stewart Ennis and Cicely Gill. Their plays did have a distressing lack of zombies, I thought, but then you can’t have everything.

 

To view images from the evening, visit the ‘I Walked with a Zombie’ gallery page.