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
Category: Writing
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.
Writing stranger.
It's been an incredibly busy year with work and family commitments and consequently it has been forever since I had the opportunity to pick up the first draft of my third novel. 9 months perhaps, maybe more? I'm not sure, I'm writing the novel on Scrivener (I'm in the love it camp) and I'm not… Continue reading Writing stranger.
Not Tartan and Square Sausage – Scottish author event
Please join myself and fellow Linen Press writers Ali Bacon and Charlotte Fairbairn at a literary event, via zoom, on the 17th November at 7pm. Hosted by Lynn Michell we'll be reading from our work and talking about Scottish writing and everything that this can mean around landscape, language and life. Expect a very lively… Continue reading Not Tartan and Square Sausage – Scottish author event
Hope springs eternal in football.
It was lovely to be asked to write a piece for the Sunday Post today. The remit was France 98 and I wrote about my memories of watching my children watch the Scotland men's team play their opening match against Brazil. I had the absolute honour to travel to France to follow Scotland's women's team… Continue reading Hope springs eternal in football.
Spreading the word one listener and reader at a time.
We writers love the opportunity to talk about our books as reaching readers isn't always easy. There are a lot of books in the world and many of these are marketed heavily by publishers with big budgets, contacts and reputations. As such, it is often harder for smaller (but equally valuable) presses to be heard,… Continue reading Spreading the word one listener and reader at a time.
Make mine a double, several times over.
Last weekend, there was an extract from the opening chapter of my novel Almost Then published in the Sunday Post newspaper. Two of the central characters of the novel are twins, sister and brother Rathlin and Breacán. In the article, alongside the book extract, there's an interview with me about the extent to which twins… Continue reading Make mine a double, several times over.
An Easter blessing for the future.
Twins have always fascinated me. For a start, I am one, born twenty minutes earlier than my twin brother in the days when a twin pregnancy could be a surprise to the expectant parents. My mum and dad didn't know the wee bundle of joy they were waiting for was in fact double trouble until… Continue reading An Easter blessing for the future.