In which the Author talks about sex, lies and poltergeists in a stately home…

 

Between 19 and 21 October the ‘Unsolved’ Crime & Mystery Festival is running at Haddo House near Ellon in Aberdeenshire, one of the National Trust for Scotland’s premier stately homes. On the Saturday (20th October) I’ll be lurking in the library and giving a talk by the name of ‘Sex, Lies and Poltergeists’, which will unveil the secrets of poltergeist cases from the seventeenth century to the present day in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The cases are all from my forthcoming book Poltergeist Over Scotland, and feature typical polt activity such as showers of stones, destruction of property, unexplained noises, flying objects, oozings of blood and other noxious substances – not to mention their fair share of sex and lies.

 

The talk starts at 4pm, and tickets are £6 (£4 for concessions). Full booking details can be found at the official website, which also tells you about the other tempting events on offer, from crime-solving tours to talks by writers of both fictional and true crime.

 

May the polt be with you.

 

 

In which the Author gives a talk at Abernethy Museum…

 

 

On Wednesday 3 October I’ll be the guest of the Auld Abernethy Association at the Museum of Abernethy. The talk is entitled  ‘Mysterious Perthshire’ and will concentrate on the historical and contemporary mysteries of south-east Perthshire, with examinations of local witchcraft stories, tales of bodysnatching in the area, and the modern puzzle of big cats in Scotland. For details and directions see http://villagecrier.co.uk/auld_abernethy_association.html and http://museumofabernethy.co.uk. As usual, I’ll have a table groaning with books for sale.

 
 
 

In which the author is interviewed on the Ginger Nuts of Horror…

 

Jim McLeod’s blog The Ginger Nuts of Horror is chock-full of reviews and interviews relating to the horror and dark fiction genres. Jim kindly asked me for an interview, and my inchoate responses can be found at

 

http://thegingernutcase.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/an-interview-with-geoff-holder.html.

 

Warning: the ramblings include a rant about mayonnaise, a Frank Zappa quote, and a truly awful joke about Mars. You have been warned.

 

The rest of Jim’s site [http://thegingernutcase.blogspot.co.uk/] is worth checking out as well.

 
 

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…?