Rolling in Royalties

Added on 24 September 2016

It’s been more than 10 years since my first book was published and I’m still somewhat mystified by the economics of book publishing. Even though thousands of books with my name on are out there, I’m not getting rich, that much is certain. I am quite frequently asked how lucrative b...

Poems and Persistence

Added on 17 September 2016

After a two year period of focusing almost exclusively on my next novel, I’m back to writing shorter stuff, and in particular taking regular days to pay attention to poetry. During August I looked at all the poems I have finished but have never been published. I chucked all the dead, withered ...

The question of croft houses

Added on 10 September 2016

Assynt Foundation is moving ahead with the plan to create new crofts, and it has been great to see how many expressions of interest have been sent in. When I last blogged about this, one of the comments I received was an encouragement to write more about houses on the crofts. The call for interest t...

New! Podcast!

Added on 03 September 2016

I received lots of comments by email and on Facebook from people who weren't able to come to my reading at the bookshop in Nairn, wishing they had been able to hear me. I guess it has been ages since I did a reading like that. To reach out to these people, I have done a virtual reading of at lea...

Under the Influence

Added on 02 September 2016

I went to an event at the Edinburgh Festival where a novelist was billed to read from a book of poems. As a poet-novelist I was intrigued. I like the novels, but I did not like the poems at all. They sounded old-fashioned in metre and arch in language, and I didn't buy the book (and no, I won...

Events coming up

Added on 20 August 2016

On Thursday 1 September I'll be the 'bard in the bookshop' at 12.30 (lunchtime) in Nairn Bookshop as part of the Nairn Book and Arts Festival. This is one of the loveliest bookshops I know, and I'm really looking forward to being back there. On Saturday 1 October, I'll be leading...