I'm now four months into my PhD at Stirling (you can read more about my research here). It has passed quickly and it has been a challenging and rewarding time. For the first couple of months of my PhD, my mum was seriously ill in hospital. I tried to visit her every weekday - expect… Continue reading PhD life.
Category: Women
The Way My Mother Lived
Carol Ann Duffy wrote a beautiful poem, The Way My Mother Speaks, and the opening is stunning - I say her phrases to myselfin my heador under the shallows of my breath,restful shapes moving. Recently, I've been thinking about the way my mother speaks. Before her words come to me, I experience an odd feeling,… Continue reading The Way My Mother Lived
Tidelines Book Festival event – @JudyMurray
I'm so excited to be in conversation with Judy Murray at a forthcoming Tidelines Book Festival event (Monday, 11th September at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine). I'll be chatting to Judy about her debut novel, The Wild Card. I previously interviewed Judy for my film about her close friend, Elena Baltacha, the Scottish tennis… Continue reading Tidelines Book Festival event – @JudyMurray
Inside the Linen Cupboard event recording.
Writing Character in Fiction
I'm really looking forward to taking part in the latest Linen Press Inside the Linen Cupboard event, "Writing Character in Fiction". Novelist Susan Clegg and I will be discussing how to write character, in particular characters who are dark, difficult and yet utterly credible. If you've read any of my work then you'll know that I… Continue reading Writing Character in Fiction
Football Makes Glasgow
I had a lovely conversation with the fabulous team at the Football Makes Glasgow podcast recently, talking about writing novels, working in football broadcasting and making my documentaries, focusing on those featuring football icons such as Rose Reilly, Tommy Burns, Jock Stein and Jimmy Johnstone. Thanks to Lindsay Hamilton from Glasgow Football Tours for inviting… Continue reading Football Makes Glasgow
Radio and TV
It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to speak about my Cold War Hockey film on Connie McLaughlin's Morning show on BBC Radio Scotland, alongside Scotland player Jenna Park. There's a link to the sequence here. Jenna and I are interviewed from around 2:20:00 to 2:30:00. Cold War Hockey aired on BBC ALBA last… Continue reading Radio and TV
Cold War Hockey documentary film
My latest documentary film for purpleTV will transmit on BBC ALBA on the 5th April at 9pm. It's an utterly incredible story! Here's the billing and a trailer. When the Scotland hockey team was invited to play against West Germany in Berlin in September 1961, it was just weeks after the Berlin Wall had been… Continue reading Cold War Hockey documentary film
Inside the Linen Cupboard
Myself and Ali Bacon are the writers in focus for the latest online literary event from our publisher Linen Press. "Inside the Linen Cupboard" is on the 31st of March and tickets are available via Eventbrite here.
Easter weekend viewing!
Two films that I had the utmost privilege to write, produce and direct were broadcast on BBC ALBA last weekend. It was the culmination of a really invigorating period of work that was as rewarding as it was challenging (filming in a pandemic is not the easiest) but I'm incredibly proud of the outcome and… Continue reading Easter weekend viewing!