Writing
Elie Next stop after St Monans was Elie. This village curves around a stretch of golden sand and is a very popular destination. One of the highlights is Lady’s Tower, built for Lady Janet Anstruther, the daughter of a Scottish merchant in 1770. This was put in place to provide her with someplace to change … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 136
2024 It’s been an odd year. I worked on a couple of novels and blogged a good deal and by the end of November I took a break from putting words down on the page. The publisher I was with shut up shop and the rights to The Kill Chain reverted back to me so … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 132
St Andrews I decided to take in part of the East Coast of Scotland and opted to begin in St Andrews before heading down the coast and around what is known here as the East Neuk. I visited St Andrews on countless occasions, but always look forward to it. There is nothing to compare with … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 131
500 Subscribers When I logged onto WordPress this morning, a popup appeared alerting me to the fact five hundred people have now subscribed to this blog. I didn’t imagine making that milestone and I’m so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to have these random posts delivered to their in-box. Thank you. This … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 129
Writing Update October 2024 Ove the last couple of months I’ve been catching up on my blogging. There was a bit of a backlog, and given the number of places I visit, it’s been a challenge keeping my blog up to date. This push to document what I’ve been up to has meant that little … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 128
Game On I’ve been waiting a good few years for the Games exhibition to come back to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The wait has been worth it. A playable exhibition – yes, you can play these machines – from over fifty years of gaming history. You can experience for yourself, the games … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 124
Sherlock Holmes I took time out to go and see the statue of Sherlock Holmes in Picardy Place, Edinburgh. This is in tribute to the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born close to this spot on the 22nd May 1859. I think it’s a fitting tribute, as a writer, not to have a … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 122
Threads Social media is a strange thing. Most of the time my posts gain little traction and that’s fine. I deliberately pulled away so I wasn’t having to keep coming up with new content. I tend to recycle my book posts and will do the occasional other photograph. So, in keeping with this I posted … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 119
Edinburgh Fringe That’s my fifth Edinburgh Fringe done and dusted. Despite being described as a veteran now, it’s not got any easier. I chose to do a different show from last year which added to the pressure, but I’m pleased to say it went to plan. The audience were ninety-nine percent members of the public … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 104
Limekilns If you manage to visit Culross – which I blogged about in Part 67 – it’s well worth taking the time to continue along the coast to the small village of Limekilns. It’s not on the Outlander trail as far as I’m aware so doesn’t draw in the number of tourists that Culross does. … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 102
The Fiction Factory 