Yearly Archives: 2012

In which the Author writes about sea serpents for the Marine Quarterly…

 

Now, I may not know much about messing about in boats, but sea monsters are definitely within my bailiwick. So it is that the Summer 2012 issue of the esteemed mariners’ journal Marine Quarterly contains a piece written by yours truly, entitled “Skye Sea-Serpents and Other Strange Scottish Aquatic Beasties”. The article revisits a group of well-reported sightings of some kind of unknown large animal in the waters off Skye and Lochalsh in the 1870s. Several well-heeled witnesses described the creature as nothing less than a huge, fast-moving sea serpent.

 

The article also rounds up Hebridean accounts of what may be encounters with relatively exotic animals such as narwhals, walruses, Beluga whales and Loggerhead or Leathery turtles, as well as the possibly-mythical maned monster of Loch na Bèiste (‘Loch of the Monster’). It also tells you where to find the skeleton of a real, honest-to-goodness, totally authentic water-horse, the human-eating aquatic demon of Scottish folklore. The article draws on the research I did for The Guide to Mysterious Skye and Lochlash.

 

Info on Marine Quarterly subscriptions and back issues can be found here.

 
 

In which the Author has a splendid time at the Islay Book Festival…

 

The Islay Book Festival (8th-9th September) was a real pleasure to attend. Housed in Port Ellen Primary School with a parallel twin-track series of talks aimed at children and adults, it featured enthusiastic audiences, efficient but low-key organisation, and scrummy home baking. All this on an island with a population that doesn’t top 4,000. My thanks to Diana Buller and her team for the wonderful hospitality, and to the other authors for the convivial, round-the-table weekend socialising. I don’t attend that many Mass Author Events, so having congenial companions was a boon. And anyone holidaying in the area could do worse than check out the wonderful XXX Croft run by Gill and Rob Thompson (XXXX). I’d also like to thank the island of Islay for providing such an excellent bevy of standing stones to visit.

 
 
 

In which the Author writes several more books…

 

When not sipping champagne cocktails with my showbiz chums and lazing round in a sun-kissed paradise – which, as we all know, is how writers habitually spend their time – the odd bit of work gets done here and there.

 

The Poltergeist Over Scotland book is with the publishers, and will be out before the end of the year. As the first ever history of Scottish poltergeists, featuring 134 cases over 400 years, it was a revelation to write.

 

Meanwhile, Bloody History of Scotland: Edinburgh, a sanguinary voyage through a thousand years of Edinburgh battles, bodysnatching and bloodletting, will be published by The History Press in October. And The Little Book of Edinburgh, a companion to last year’s The Little Book of Glasgow, is underway, for a 2013 publication date. Other 2013 books are in the pipeline, awaiting the official announcement from the various publishers.

 

Also on the blocks is my first work exclusively for the ebook market. What is a Poltergeist? – Understanding Poltergeist Activity will be published by David & Charles/F&W Media International in December 2012. Featuring polt cases from America, Canada, the UK, Europe, Brazil, Asia and Australia, this will set out to challenge many set notions about poltergeists. It’s certainly challenging my ideas on the subject. Watch this space…

 

And now, where’s that pool boy with my Sundowner…?

In which the author gives two talks at the Islay Book Festival…

 

The splendid Islay Book Festival takes place over two days on the 8th and 9th of September, and this humble author will be giving talks on both days. On the Saturday I’m rambling on about “Vampires – From Folklore to Fiction (and Fact…)”, which will range from 18th century Eastern European vampire hunts through Lord Byron, Varney the Vampyre and Dracula, ending up with two recent cases I’ve investigated, “The Vampire of Croglin Grange” (Cumbria) and “The Vampire with Iron Teeth” (Glasgow).

 

 

Then on the Sunday I’ll be picking episodes out of my book “101 Things To Do With A Stone Circle”. I’ll discuss the ways modern and medieval people have used stone circles and other ancient sites for a bizarre range of foibles and practices. They have been seen as sites of earth energies, ley-lines and Druidic mysteries. They have featured in movies, opera and Doctor Who. People have associated them with healing, curses, supernatural beings and visionary experiences. Featuring: the saint who lived in a burial chamber, the only stone circle condemned in Parliament by Margaret Thatcher, and how to use a stone circle to exorcise a Land-Rover.

 

Also on the bill at the venue (Port Ellen Primary School) are cookery writer Sue Lawrence, Catherine Czerkawska on the history of Gigha, yachting explorers Justin and Linda Ruthven-Tyers, and (woo!) Scotland’s Makar, poet and playwright Liz Lochhead – and there’s a full schedule of events for children and teenagers as well.

 

Tickets and info for this unique island festival from http://islaybookfestival.com/.

 
 

In which the Author listens to the Bookshop Band in a yurt…

 

I’m just back from the WOMAD world music festival, and if you were lucky enough to be there you’ll know what a feast it was for head, heart and feet. One of the highlights for me was discovering the Bookshop Band, who write songs inspired by books, and play them in bookshops. Specifically, they read a book that an author will be reading from at an event in a bookshop, write two songs inspired by the book, and play them at the event. The books cover the waterfront from memoirs to steampunk, and from literary novels to folktales, and the music circulates around the genre of hushed spectral folk (cello and harmonium optional). Books, music, music inspired by books… how could it get any better? By spending an evening lying round on comfy cushions in a yurt, obviously. Brilliant.

 
 

In which the author appears on the BBC…

 

On Tuesday 31st July I was interviewed on Radio Scotland’s John Beattie show, talking about Haunted St Andrews, the White Lady, the Haunted Tower, mummies, and the debate over the reality – or otherwise – of ghosts. Because the show deals with “News, comment and discussion on the top stories of the day” it rarely appears on the BBC i-Player for repeat listening, so my pearls of deathless wisdom probably remain lost in the ether, but rest assured I managed to use the word ‘paradigm’ more than once.