Scottish Writers’ Conference 2016

March 22, 2016 writeanne10 Comments

I spent last weekend at the Scottish Association of Writers (SAW) annual conference. As with last year’s conference which I wrote about here, it was well worth the long journey to the lovely Westerwood Hotel near Glasgow where the event was held.

Not only did I meet up with fellow members of the Edinburgh Writers’ Club who I see far too rarely, (yes, I stretch the ‘country’ member definition rather far) but I also met and chatted with writers from all over Scotland.

The hotel provided a conducive setting for the weekend. Food, service and accommodation were all first class. The gala dinner on the Saturday night was superb. Not just the delicious food, but also the attention to decorative detail––huge silver candelabras on every table made for a real glamorous feel––and the outstanding young waiters and waitresses for whom nothing was too much trouble.

There were a lot of competitions run in conjunction with the weekend and most of the adjudicators went above and beyond with the quality of their adjudications and the level of written feedback given. And it was nice to win a prize for The Silver Locket.

SAW Prize Winners 2016 – that’s me at the end on the right.

The range of workshops was comprehensive with the only problem being not being able to be in two places at once. I particularly enjoyed the two-parter delivered by crime writer Caro Ramsay on Pen to Publication and Beyond. I certainly came away from her sessions with lots to think about. Agent, Jenny Brown, also gave a realistic and, for me, thought-provoking, talk on the place of the Literary Agent in today’s publishing world.

Caro Ramsay was also the keynote speaker at the gala dinner and her speech was highly entertaining. She certainly lives an interesting life!

What particularly struck me though, was, as with last year’s event, the level of hard work that goes into organising the weekend. The members of the SAW council are all volunteers and put a lot of time and effort into getting the competitions organised, the adjudicators on board and the workshops planned and timetabled.

This conference is always, above all, a friendly event. While the workshops, competition adjudications and the keynote speaker were interesting, inspiring and entertaining, the chance to talk with fellow writers about writing and publishing was just as enjoyable and informative. The chance presented by the conference to share experiences, tips and advice is invaluable.

All in all the SAW conference was pure magic. Thanks to everyone involved in its success.

The Scottish Association of Writers, through the work of its council members, provides year round support to affiliated writing groups from all parts of Scotland. It operates an outreach programme and two annual events in the north and south of Scotland. And this year there is also the Solstice writing competition with several categories of entry invited and it is open to all––you don’t need to be a SAW member to enter. If you’re a member of a writing group in Scotland that’s not yet affiliated to the SAW, it’s definitely something worth considering. Find out more about all of this at the SAW website .

Burns Supper Time

January 21, 2016 writeanne1 Comment

Haggis, Whisky and a Toast Tae the Lassies

(image via shutterstock.com)

Robert Burns (1759- 1796)

Yes, it really is a year since I last wittered on about Burns’ Night. Said night is nothing to do with standing too close to a bonfire and ending up in Accident and Emergency. Rather, it’s the night when Scots and Scotophiles, both in Scotland and around the world, commemorate the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

A Burns’ supper is held annually on the 25th January to commemorate his birth. Haggis is eaten and whisky, along with some of the guests by the end of the evening, is drunk. Speeches are made, Burns’ songs are sung, and his poetry recited.

I’ve blogged about the traditions involved in the supper and given examples of some of the best known of Rabbie’s songs and poems in previous posts. If you’re attending a supper and you aren’t sure what to expect, or have to a speech to make, you might find it helpful to read those earlier posts.

Let’s hear it for women

In my 2014 post there is my own version of a Toast to the Lassies. This is a speech usually made by a man in honour of women. Burns had a romantic view of the world and of women, but he was also an unfaithful husband and womaniser. Of course times have changed since Burns’ day. Women have made progress in terms of equality with men, but even now in 2016 women have a way to go to attain full equality of earnings, opportunity and respect. So if I was proposing a toast to the lassies today it would involve asking for a concerted effort on the part of everyone to improve the lot of women worldwide. Here endeth the politics.

Burns’ poetry and what’s involved in a supper

In 2015’s post I described the format that’s usually followed at a Burns’ supper and I also wrote about the man and his work. He wrote romantic, philosophical and political poems and songs.

He also wrote an epic thriller of a poem, Tam O’Shanter, which is one of favourite pieces of his work. My other favourites are the romantic song Ae Fond Kiss and the political and, satirical poem A Parcel of Rogues about the pre-United Kingdom, Scottish parliament.

A Toast

So, in honour of Scotland’s – so far unsurpassed – national bard, I raise a wee dram of whisky to all of you who drop in here to read my scribblings. Here’s tae ye all Lassies and Laddies. Slainte Mhath, Your Good Health! and Thank You.

Do let me know in the comments if you’re going to a Burns’ Supper this year. Will you be proposing one of the toasts? And do you have any favourites among his poems and songs?

The Silver Locket: – 21st century schoolgirl meets Bonnie Prince Charlie and he needs her help.

May 17, 2015May 17, 2015 writeanne10 Comments

The Silver Locket

Out now paperback and e-book. Online and in bookshops. Published by Rowan Russell Books

The Anne you know from this blog had a previous life. Oh yes, I’ve not always been Anne Stormont, old bat and writer. I had an earlier incarnation, pre-wifehood, as Anne McAlpine.

So it seemed fitting, when I was looking for an author name to go by when writing for children, that I resurrect my younger self. And guess what? She’s only gone and written her first novel for children.

Cue fanfare and skirl of bagpipes-

‘Bagpipes? Why Bagpipes?’ you say. Well that’s because I guess you could describe the novel as a sort of modern day Alice in Outlander Land – only it’s Caitlin not Alice and it’s suitable for children and––oh, anyway you get my drift––or you will if you read on.

Yes, The Silver Locket is published and available for sale in paperback and as an e-Book.

I wrote it mainly for nine to twelve-year-olds, however, I hope anyone who likes a story with a bit of history, danger and time-travel in it will enjoy it.

It’s set in Scotland and tells the story of three twelve-year-old friends from the 21st century who travel back in time to 1746 and the Battle of Culloden.

Blurb alert – try reading it in the voice of that bloke who voices the film trailers––it’ll get you in the mood and you’ll not be able to resist the urge to read the book––

The Battle of Culloden, 1746, and Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite cause are defeated. Can three young friends from the 21st century ensure he escapes and that history stays on track?

It’s the last week of the school holidays and twelve year old Caitlin Cameron is bored. But when her new childminder turns out to be the eccentric Bella Blawearie, otherwise known as Scary Lady, everything changes.

Scary Lady lives up to her name. She seems able to read Caitlin’s mind. She sees visions in a snow globe and tells the time from a patchwork clock.

And things get even weirder when Caitlin and her two best friends, Lynette and Edward, accidentally open a time portal in an old tree and are hurled back through time to the eighteenth century.

They find themselves caught up in the blood-soaked aftermath of the Jacobite defeat at the battle of Culloden, and discover they’re there for a reason. A reason Scary Lady knows all about.

But all the friends have is questions. What is the significance of the silver locket passed to Caitlin by her grandmother? Can the locket help them ensure Bonnie Prince Charlie makes the right decision about his future?

And if they fail, will Scotland’s history books rewrite themselves, meaning Caitlin and her friends will not even be born?

Join them in their 18th century adventure as they make new friends, encounter great danger and strive to carry out their mission.

Now before you dash off to your local bookshop to buy it, or fire up your tablet to get it online, just wait a minute and I’ll give you a bit of the background to how I came to write it.

First of all of course, as for many of my fellow Scots, the chapter of Scottish history headed The Jacobites, sub-heading Bonnie Prince Charlie, is one of my favourites. What’s not to like? A stirring cause, a handsome prince, gruesome and bloody battles, a stunning and dramatic backdrop… Need I go on?

Culloden Visitor Centre, Inverness, Scotland

Then a couple of years ago, when I was still a teacher, I went with a class of Primary 6 children to the amazing Culloden Visitor Centre in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a wonderful museum built at the site of the battle – do visit it if you get the chance. It also has an excellent education unit. There, me and the children got to dress up as Jacobites and Redcoats, and we re-enacted parts of this important battle on the actual battlefield. And inspiration struck. I had one of those ‘what if’ moments and I thought, ‘what if we were all suddenly transported back to the time of the real battle?’ And that was it.

Yes, the rest truly is history.

The Silver Locket by Anne McAlpine is available from your local bookshop – just ask them to order it if it’s not in stock. It’s also available online from Amazon (click on image of book above to be taken to it in the Amazon UK store), both as a paperback and as an e-book. It is published by Rowan Russell Books.