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.

In which the Author gives a last-minute talk on Cryptozoology…

 

“Cryptozoology 101 – Monster hunting in the 21st Century” – that’s the title of a talk that was due to be given at the Aberdour Festival by Fortean-about-town Gordon Rutter. But an indisposition has laid Gordon in his bed, so I’m the last-minute replacement (Gordon has just as much beard as I have, but I’m taller – will the audience spot the substitution?).

 

I’ll be at The Institute on Shore Road, Aberdour, Fife, at 6pm on Tuesday 24th July, discussing Scottish Big Cats, loch monsters, sea serpents and other denizens of the cryptozoological twilight. As usual, there’ll be books for sale and signing by the author’s very own hand.

 

Tickets are £3 on the door and include a glass of wine or a soft drink. Further details of the Aberdour Festival (“10 days of possibly the best small festival in the world”) can be found here.

In which the Author does a book signing for Haunted St Andrews…

 

 

On Saturday 21st July I’ll be at the independent bookshop J & G Innes to sign copies of Haunted St Andrews. Also known as the ‘Citizen’ shop because of its association with the St Andrews Citizen, the half-timbered building on South Street is something of an institution in the town. I’ll be there from 11am until mid-afternoon.

 

If you can’t come along on the day, call the shop on 01334 472174 to reserve a copy, and I’ll sign it for a later pick-up. I’ll also have some strictly limited-edition Haunted St Andrews bookmarks to give away. See http://www.jg-innes.co.uk/ for details on the shop.

 
 
 

In which the Author is interviewed in the Daily Mail…


 

Following on from last weekend’s piece in the Sunday Herald, it’s the turn of the Daily Mail to do a piece on Haunted St Andrews. The two-page article appeared on Saturday 14 July and can be read here, courtesy of the Daily Mail and the journalist, Jim McBeth. I’ll be doing a book signing at J & G Innes in St Andrews on Saturday 21 July.