To transport you there, here’s a thirty year-old short story of mine. Called The Room with a View, the story introduces a brand new sleuth. She’s young and blonde and blue-eyed. And she’s very clever.
Enjoy!
Forget the snow. Imagine Paris in the springtime – 1980’s style.
To transport you there, here’s a thirty year-old short story of mine. Called The Room with a View, the story introduces a brand new sleuth. She’s young and blonde and blue-eyed. And she’s very clever. Enjoy!
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This week has been a good week for exposure. In fact, I’ve basked for three whole days in the sun of the virtual world. In case you missed it all, here’s what happened. On Wednesday, I was a guest on The Undercover Soundtrack, the fabulous website hosted by acclaimed author Roz Morris. Here’s how Roz introduced my slot: “My guest this week had never realised his fiction was so closely tied to music, nor how much that meant it reflected the landmarks of his own life. Through significant songs he has peeled back the years to channel aspects of his family and upbringing, to flesh out the characters in his short stories and novels. He is McStorytellers founder Brendan Gisby and he will be sharing his Undercover Soundtrack on Wednesday.” And here’s what I had to say in The Soundtrack of My Life: http://mymemoriesofafuturelife.com/2012/11/28/the-undercover-soundtrack-brendan-gisby On Thursday, my long short story, The Hitchhiker, was reviewed by the brilliant author, playwright and book reviewer Cally Phillips. The review was posted on the cutting edge Indie eBook Review (IEBR) website. Here’s an extract from it: “The Hitchhiker ostensibly tells you the story of a young working class Scottish man in the early 1970’s who goes on his own small ‘tour’ – one small step for man, one big adventure for our ‘hero’. But there’s much more to it than this. The opening preamble ‘About the story’ gives a hint when it says ‘Have you ever looked back and wondered if you had achieved anything worthwhile in your life, anything worth remembering?’ Because that is the real journey in this story. While the ‘journey’ to the Highlands is described in close and beautifully astute detail, which will be instantly recognisable to anyone who travelled those parts of Scotland in that era (but especially if they were of the same class and so stayed in the same sort of places, travelled on public transport, etc.), it is the story behind the story that is of just as much interest.” Clearly, Cally’s review is so much more than a straightforward critique of that slim volume of mine. Read it in full here:
http://indieebookreview.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/the-hitchhicker-by-brendan-gisby Then on Friday, St Andrew’s Day, I was one of a host of authors featured in a celebration of Scots indie writing, again on the wonderful Indie eBook Review. Catch up with the site’s St Andrew’s Day Special here: http://indieebookreview.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/st-andrews-day-special I’m now feeling totally invigorated, if not tanned, after my time in the virtual sun. Thanks for that, Roz, Cally and IEBR! The author, playwright and book reviewer Cally Phillips recently tagged me on her blog, encouraging me to take part in something called The Next Big Thing. It’s a promotional device by which an author is invited to answer ten set questions about his or her latest work-in-progress and then to tag three more authors who are also working on a new book. A bit like a chain letter, I suppose, but with the nicest of motives.
So here’s what I have to say about my Next Big Thing – or, as any one of the characters in it might say, “Ma Next Big ’Hing”: What is the working title of your book? It’s a novel called The Burrymen War. Where did the idea come from for the book? The popular myth is that religious bigotry in Scotland only rears its ugly head at football matches in Glasgow. Nothing could be further from the truth. The poison is rife throughout the country, but particularly so along the Central Belt. In cities, towns and villages stretching from the West Coast to the East Coast, it’s as virulent today as it was hundreds of years ago. Through a fictional “war” in one of those towns, the novel sets out to explode the myth, to expose the full scale and ferocity of Scottish sectarianism. It’s set in South Queensferry (the Ferry), my hometown and the backdrop to most of my work. And its events take place around the annual Burryman ceremony, an ancient Ferry tradition that dates back to at least the sixteenth century. What genre does your book fall under? I’d love to class it as Literary Fiction, but apparently no-one will buy it if I do. So I’ll just settle for Contemporary Fiction. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? All the characters are working-class Scots, mostly in their thirties and forties. I couldn’t envisage any of them being played by American actors with fake accents. Ditto English actors. Ditto posh-boy Scottish actors. That kind of narrows the field, I suppose. But gritty, believable actors like Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner, and perhaps younger versions of Peter Mullan and Ken Stott, would certainly do the trick. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A story exposing the violence, bigotry and sectarianism that fester in the underbelly of small-town Scotland. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I do have a publisher, who is doing big things in America at this moment, but I don’t know if he’ll fall over himself to grab the novel. There again, I’ve already self-published a lot of my work, so I may go down that route. I’ll wait and see. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I’m only halfway through the manuscript – and that has taken far too long already! I really need to stop prevaricating by writing all these blog posts... What other books would you compare the story to within your genre? A cross between Trainspotting and The Wicker Man is the best comparison I can offer. Who or what inspired you to write this book? All the characters in the novel, including their speech, their mannerisms, their humour and their actions, are based on real people from the Ferry. They are characters indeed. And they are the real inspiration behind the book. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The novel is very violent, it’s full of swearwords (swearing is de rigueur, ken?) and it’s totally authentic. The story may be fictional; the attitudes and behaviours are not. Oh, yes, and it comes complete with that unique brand of Scottish East Coast humour. Finally, here are my three nominees for the next links in the Next Big Thing chain: Andrew McCallum Crawford grew up in Grangemouth, an industrial town in East Central Scotland. He studied Science and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and went on to take a teaching qualification at Jordanhill College, Glasgow. His work has appeared in more literary journals than one can shake a stick at. His story, A Man's Hands, received an Honourable Mention in the 2012 Spilling Ink Review Flash Fiction Award. His first novel, Drive!, was published in 2010. A collection of short fiction, The Next Stop Is Croy and other stories, was released in October, 2011. He lives in Greece. Steven Porter was born in Inverness, Scotland, in the year man first stepped on the moon. Some say he is also on another planet. He is recognised for his versatile output: fiction, short stories, poetry, memoir, travelogues, reportage and sports writing. He is the author of four published books, including the acclaimed Countries of the World. His work has also appeared in collections and anthologies. Kristen Stone describes herself as a frustrated writer looking to conquer the world. Although born in London, she knows all the words to 500 Miles, has attended several Burns Night Suppers and would love to play the bagpipes. She has even offered to change her name to McStone. Those are all good reasons for McStorytellers to grant her the status of Honorary Scot. Kristen has published four novels to date, including the acclaimed Edge of Extinction. She is also the co-founder of Blue Hour Publishing, which specialises in publishing ebooks. My latest novel in progress is called The Burrymen War. It’s a tale of violence, bigotry and sectarianism in small-town Scotland. I’ve now reached the halfway point in the manuscript, so it may not be too long before the finished product is available.
While you’re waiting, here’s an opportunity to read an excerpt from the novel recently published on McStorytellers, the website dedicated to showcasing the work of Scots-connected short story writers. Click on The Message, if you dare. Meet Bluto. Ask him nicely how he’s hingin’. Then duck! Auld lums reek best. Is that an old Scots saying? Or did I just make it up?
Whatever the case, here I am making my final appearance at the groundbreaking Edinburgh eBook Festival. I’m featured in the Auld Lums event, in which writers are reviewed by writers. And I’m both exhilarated and humbled by these stonking reviews from my peers! The Festival doesn’t close until late on Monday, so there’s still time to catch up with all the exciting events. Another appearance at the highly successful, inaugural Edinburgh eBook Festival, this time with a cheeky wee piece about Scots short story writing and the birth of McStorytellers. Check out Can Scots Writers Ever Forget Short Story Tweeland and Find True Happiness?
The Edinburgh eBook Festival continues apace to celebrate all things indie writing and epublishing. Here it is showcasing my short story, When You Stop Believing. Set in 1966 after that English sporting achievement (you know the one), the story is described by the Festival as “powerful, charged writing”.
Remember – this is just one of many exciting events at the groundbreaking, virtual Festival. My appearances at the virtual phenomenon that is the Edinburgh eBook Festival kicked off today with an airing of The Race, my nippy wee tale about sisterly love.
After you’ve checked out the story, get yourself round the rest of the Festival. You’ll find the very best of writing by the cream of ebook authors. It’s August in Edinburgh, so it must be the Book Festival. No, not that old, staid festival they hold in Charlotte Square every year. But the brand new, cutting edge Edinburgh eBook Festival.
Just like the old-fashioned one, the eFestival runs from 11th to 27th August. It is hosting around 100 events under its virtual roof, including a daily Short Story slot, which showcases stories by a dozen handpicked contributors to McStorytellers, my Scottish-connected short story website. As McStoryteller-in-Residence, I’m delighted to be helping the Festival with the Short Story slot. I’m equally delighted to be appearing in a number of author events. A couple of my own stories will be showcased. I’ll be saying a piece about the phenomenon that is McStorytellers. I’ll be featured in the Auld Lums event: remember that Scots adage about auld lums reeking best, and you’ll get the idea. And I may pop up in the course of other events. Oh, yes, I’ve also been given my very own Festival page, which you’ll find under the Festival’s Who’s Who. I’ll keep you posted on my appearances as I make them, so please watch this space. Meantime, get yourself over to the Festival: http://www.edebookfest.co.uk. Click on the tabs. Browse the pages. You’ll find there’s a lot going on. And a lot still to come. Book festivals will never be the same again! Celebrate Bloomsday by dropping into Blazes Boylan's Book Bazaar. Browse his shelves and perhaps pick up a book or two.
The Bookie's Runner is particularly recommended as the perfect gift for Father's Day. |
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