News and Events
A Fire in Their Hearts cover revealed!
The cover for A Fire in Their Hearts has been revealed today, 4th July, along with a short but moving video about the book’s impending launch. The official publication date is 28th August, when the historical fiction will be available in hardback, ebook and audio.
Cover of Fire In Their Hearts.
Perth Museum
Perth Museum asked me to give a talk about the Scottish witchcraft trials in June, 2025, as part of its extensive Macbeth exhibition, which has attracted people from far and wide. Here I am, speaking to an enthralled audience in front of the entrance to the Stone of Destiny exhibit. Of course, it may be that many folk were simply waiting to see the stone, and I was in the way!
Philip speaking at Perth Museaum.
A Fire in Their Hearts
There is great excitement (well, in our house) that the manuscript for my next novel will be going to the publisher early in 2025 and the book is scheduled to be published in the autumn. It’s set in the 17th century and most of the story takes place in Scotland, although not all …
Signings at Waterstones shops
Because The Last Witch of Scotland has been awarded Waterstones ‘Scottish Book of the Year’ there are a number of book signing events taking place at Waterstones shops during December. These include:
December 2024
Waterstones, Argyle St, Glasgow, 6 pm – 8 pm, Tuesday 3rd.
Waterstones, Market St, St Andrews, 10.45 am – 11.45 am, Friday 6th.
Waterstones, St John’s Shopping Centre, Perth, 2.30 pm – 3.30 pm, Friday 6th.
Waterstones, Eastgate Centre, Inverness, 11 am – noon, Saturday 14th.
At the event in Glasgow I’ll be joining several other authors and we’ll all be available in the shop’s café to chat to and sign copies of our books.
Signing copies at Waterstones, Inverness.
Scottish Book of the Year 2024!
The biggest news in 2024 as regards my books is that Waterstones has announced that The Last Witch of Scotland is its ‘Scottish Book of the Year.’ To have this endorsement for the title from the UK’s biggest bookshop chain is tremendous and a great honour. Black & White Publishing has had a special edition published to celebrate the award.
The redesigned cover of The Last Witch of Scotland.
Book Festivals
The autumn of 2024 has been a busy one, speaking at book festivals as well as putting the finishing touches to the next novel! In September I took part in the St Duthac Book & Arts Festival in Tain and it’s been so encouraging to see this festival flourish over the years. In October I had the delight of being interviewed by author Fiona Valpy at the Birnam Book Festival, which was a fantastic event and the Birnam Arts Centre is a great venue.
During November I spoke at the Auchterarder Book Festival and a few days later went over to give a talk at the Dunoon bookshop Bookpoint. That week ended with me speaking at an event in Blairgowrie, which was organised by Bookmark. The interest there is in the Scottish witchcraft trials resulted in a high attendance at each event plus some very lively debates!
With Fiona Valpy at the Birnam Book Festival.
Waterstones, Inverness, 11 am, Friday 15th March, 2024.
The second of my book signing events for the new paperback version of the historical fiction The Last Witch of Scotland will take place at Waterstones in the Eastgate Centre of Inverness from 11 am until noon.
The Last Witch of Scotland event at Waterstones poster.
Dornoch Bookshop, 11 am, Friday 8th March, 2024.
There’s a lot of excitement in the Paris household this month as the paperback version of The Last Witch of Scotland will be published on 29th February by Black & White Publishing. The first signings of the new version simply have to be at the Dornoch bookshop, which has sold more than 700 copies of the hardback since its publication in April 2023. I’ll be in the bookshop between 11 am and noon on Friday 8th March.
A happy author in the Dornoch bookshop.
RAWS Online Talk, 4 pm, Sunday 25th February, 2024.
I’m delighted to be the first author to take part in what will be a monthly author event hosted online by the charity Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland – RAWS. Tickets for the Zoom event are free and available from Eventbrite. The hour-long talk will be split equally between looking at the main reasons behind the Scottish witchcraft trials and how I went about researching and writing my historical fiction The Last Witch of Scotland. The last 30 minutes will provide time for questions.
“Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland” Poster
Gardners’ Regional Booksellers’ Event.
In February I was delighted to be one of four authors asked to speak at the annual Gardners’ bookseller’s event in Edinburgh, where I met bookshop owners and booksellers from throughout Scotland as well as folk from Gardners and Bonnier Books UK, which sponsored the event. It was a great evening and a pleasure to sit and talk to people who are so passionate about books, many of whom have been successfully selling The Last Witch of Scotland. Gardners is a leading wholesaler of books, eBooks, music and film to retailers around the world.
The paperback version will be out on 29th February, 2024.
Increasing Interest in the Witchcraft Trials.
The interest there is in the Scottish witchcraft trials just seems to grow and grow. The start of 2024 was busy with online and face-to-face talks on the subject. The presentation I gave on 12th January at the Tarbat Discovery Centre in Portmahomack was sold out, with such a demand for tickets that I gave the talk again at the museum on 26th January! This was also sold out and there is a rumour that I might give the talk again in the future …
An area in Dornoch has been named in memory of Janet Horne.
‘Scottish Book of the Year 2023’.
The Edinburgh bookshop of Blackwell’s announced in December 2023 that The Last Witch of Scotland was its ‘Scottish Book of the Year’. This is a tremendous accolade and a great way to finish 2023.
The display at Blackwells bookshop in Edinburgh.
Waterstones, Inverness, 1 – 3 pm, Saturday 18th November, 2023.
During the afternoon of Saturday 18th November I’ll be joining several other authors at Waterstones in the Eastgate Centre, Inverness, where we’ll all be available for a couple of hours to sign books, chat to readers and, no doubt, blether to each other!
Reading by the shore, accompanied by the gentle lapping of waves.
Talk at Clyne Heritage Society, 7 pm, Thursday 16th November, 2023.
On Thursday 16th November I’ll be giving a talk about the Scottish witchcraft trials to the Clyne Heritage Society, which holds its meetings in the Brora Community Centre. The event is open to non-members, is free to attend and does not require booking. The 50-minute talk will be followed by a Q&A session then refreshments and book signing. During the discussion I’ll be looking at why so many people in Scotland were accused of witchcraft, what made them vulnerable and why so many were women. There’ll be plenty of myths and misunderstandings debunked along the way.
Route to Brora Community Centre
Birnam Book Festival, 12.10 pm, Saturday 21st October, 2023.
The Birnam Book Festival is an event I’ve been wanting to attend for a while, so it’s great to be asked to speak at it. The two-day event takes place over the weekend of 21st/22nd October in the impressive Birnam Arts venue on Station Road. I’ll be speaking for an hour on the Saturday at 12.10 when I’ll be ‘in conversation’ with the author Fiona Valpy about The Last Witch of Scotland. Tickets can be purchased in advance and the link to my event is below.
Talk at Mainstreet Trading Co, 6.30 pm, Thursday 19th October, 2023.
We probably all have a favourite bookshop and mine is Mainstreet Trading Company in St Boswells, which also has an excellent café. The bookshop holds regular author events and I was delighted to be invited to speak about The Last Witch of Scotland, the research I carried out and the Scottish witchcraft trials in general. I’ll be doing this on Thursday 19th October at 6.30 pm. Doors open at 6 pm and the shop can be found, perhaps not surprisingly, on Main Street, TD6 OAT. The talk will last about 50 minutes followed by Q&A. Tickets can be purchased online (link below) or by ringing the shop on 01835 824087.
The St Boswells’ bookshop Mainstreet Trading Co will be the venue for my talk on October 19th.
Dornoch bookshop sells its 500th copy of The Last Witch of Scotland.
The Dornoch bookshop achieved an extraordinary milestone during September when it sold its 500th copy of The Last Witch of Scotland, less than five months after the book’s publication. This went to a tourist on holiday from England. The bookshop’s owners, Maggie and Antony Hope, have done a fantastic job in promoting the title, which is attracting interest from local folk and people visiting the town, with the vast majority of customers apparently being women. The book has become the shop’s best-selling title since Antony and Maggie took over seven years ago. At the time of writing this website text (October 2nd), the total number sold by the shop is 561!
In the Dornoch bookshop with owners Antony and Maggie Hope.
The ‘book launch’ summer of 2023.
Following the launch of The Last Witch of Scotland on 13th April 2023 the summer was filled with book launch events, starting with Waterstones, Aberdeen, on the day of publication. In Edinburgh I had the pleasure of being interviewed by author Mairi Kidd for an ‘in conversation’ event at Blackwells bookshop, which made the title its Book of the Month in June.
Publication day at Waterstones in Aberdeen.
While on holiday in Orkney I was involved in a couple of book launch events … when I arrived at the Orcadian bookshop in Kirkwall there was already a line of people wanting the copies they had bought to be signed. It was a busy morning, with many buyers being American tourists from the cruise ship that was moored in the harbour that morning.
The Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall.
Over many weeks I did book launch events throughout the Highlands at a range of venues, including libraires, cafes and the award-winning gift shop The Old School in Beauly. This event turned out to be so popular that not everyone could fit into the room. The morning began with me stepping out of the car upon arrival and immediately being covered head to toe in bird poo! Perhaps it is lucky after all …
Cleaned up and talking to a packed house at The Old School in Beauly.
One of the highlights of the summer was appearing at the Tartan Hearts Festival in Belladrum during July. The interest in the book has resulted in me increasingly being asked by history societies to give talks about the Scottish witchcraft trails and this included one to the Cromarty History Society. I’ll be doing more over the coming months, and I’ll announce details in this ‘News and Events’ section.
Speaking at the Tartan Hearts Festival in Belladrum.
Northern Bibliosphere Podcast – 30th March, 2023.
I recently met up with journalist Federica Stefani in Dornoch so that I could be interviewed for the Northern Bibliosphere podcast in locations that are relevant to the story of Janet Horne. We also wanted to record a reading from The Last Witch of Scotland and ideally needed to do this indoors. Michael, general manager at The Carnegie Whisky Cellars, kindly offered the use of the very impressive tasting room connected to the shop, in Dornoch’s main square. That’s why I ended up passionately recounting the Reverend McNeil’s harrowing sermon about witches, while surrounded by hundreds of very attractive bottles of whisky!
Reading from The Last Witch of Scotland in the tasting room at Carnegie Whisky Cellars, Dornoch.
Very excited at the fantastic news that the audio version of The Last Witch of Scotland will be narrated by the actors Samara MacLaren and Steven Cree. This will be released on 13th April, the publication date of the hardback and ebook.
The Last Witch of Scotland: Amazon.co.uk: Paris, Philip: Audio Book
The Last Witch of Scotland : Audio Book
This long journey of mine to tell the story of Janet Horne is reaching an extremely exciting phase, with the publication date of 13th April being celebrated by a book launch at Waterstones, Aberdeen. This will be followed by book launch events in several different areas, most of those taking place during April and May being shown below (more to be announced). At each of these I’ll give a 45-minute talk about the Scottish witchcraft trials and the story of Janet Horne, plus readings from the new novel, followed by Q&A and book signing. Tickets need to be pre-ordered for the Aberdeen event, but for the others … just turn up!
Aberdeen
Waterstones, Thursday 13th April, 5.30 pm
Inverness
Waterstones, Tuesday 18th April, 3 pm
Dingwall
Dingwall library, Thursday 20th April, 2 pm
Dornoch
Dornoch Social Club, Saturday 22nd April, 10.00 am
Tain
Pipers Coffee House (upstairs), Wednesday 26th April, 10.00 am
Beauly
Old School Beauly, Friday 28th April, 11.00 am
Nairn
Nairn library, Tuesday 2nd May, 10.00 am
Golspie
Golspie library, Friday 12th May, 11.00 am
The Last Witch of Scotland by Philip Paris – Book launch events.
The Last Witch of Scotland – publication date 13th April, 2023.
Following years of research and writing, I’m delighted (not a strong enough word) to announce that my historical fiction The Last Witch of Scotland will be published by Black & White Publishing on 13th April 2023. The novel was inspired by the true story of Janet Horne, the last person in Britain to be executed for witchcraft. In 1727 Janet and her daughter (called Aila in the book) were arrested for witchcraft, convicted at a court in Dornoch, and sentenced to be executed.
The protagonist in the novel is Aila … beautiful, disfigured, disabled, highly intelligent and outspoken … a dangerous combination for a woman in the early 18th century. Of all the characters I have ever written about or created, I am most fond of Aila, who fights fiercely against the injustice handed out to women as justice. I suspect many people today will identify with some of the experiences Aila endured nearly 300 years ago.
The Last Witch of Scotland: Amazon.co.uk: Paris, Philip: 9781785304507: Books
The Last Witch of Scotland by Philip Paris
Scottish Witchcraft Trials talk during Book Week Scotland, 2022.
The huge interest there is in the witchcraft trials was demonstrated by the size of the audiences that turned up at each of the four library venues to hear me speak on this subject during Book Week Scotland, which occurred during the week of 14th November. There was also a lively question and answer session on every occasion. The image opposite was taken at the Dingwall library. The talk I gave at Inverness was recorded by the library and subsequently put onto YouTube. The link is below.
The ‘writers’ surgery’ event held in Tain during Book Week Scotland was an extraordinary success, with some people travelling quite a distance. Everyone had their own unique questions that they wanted answered and there was a great deal of swapping of contact details between folk, as new friendships between writers were formed.
Scottish Witchcraft Trials talk at Dingwall Library
‘Writers’ Surgery’, 10 am – 12 pm, Friday 18th November, 2022.
During Book Week Scotland I’m joining three other Highland-based authors to provide an informal ‘writers’ surgery’ to anyone who wants to learn about the book publishing industry. Between us we have experience in writing contemporary and historical fiction, non-fiction, crime, sci-fi, women’s fiction plus Gaelic and children’s books, as well as having knowledge of self-publishing and traditional publishing, editing, using a literary agent or working directly with a publisher.
People can be at any stage of their writing career and may not even have put pen to paper, but want to gain a better idea of how to begin. There is no charge and no need to book. Writers love to blether with like-minded folk, so we’re looking forward to meeting new faces and hopefully helping others along their own journey. I suspect we may also be enjoying lots of coffee and cake!
The ‘writers’ surgery’ will be held upstairs in the newly opened Pipers Coffee House on Tain High Street.
In the image (l-r) Helen Sedgewick, Liz Treacher, Ceitidh Hutton and me.
Shining a light on the Scottish Witchcraft Trials.
The Scottish witchcraft trials in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were the result of one of the most extraordinary and fascinating eras of social history. I’ve been immersed in researching this subject for years and during Book Week Scotland I’ll be exploring the reasons why around 2,500 people were executed for witchcraft during this time.
Per head of population, you were five times more likely to be accused of this crime here than in England or the rest of Europe. Why this was, why women made up some 85 per cent of those accused and how ordinary people going about their daily lives could find themselves facing a death sentence are just some of the areas to be discussed. The one-hour talks, which are free to attend and do not require booking, will take place at:
Tain library – 3 pm, Monday 14th November, 2022.
Dornoch library – 3 pm, Tuesday 15th November, 2022.
Dingwall library – 2 pm, Wednesday 16th November, 2022.
Inverness library – 2.30 pm, Thursday 17th November, 2022.
This stone in Dornoch marks the site where, in 1727, Janet Horne became the last person in Britain to be executed for witchcraft.
Nigg Book Fair, Saturday 24th September, 2022.
Well, what a tremendous event this year’s Nigg Book Fair was. Now part of the St Duthac Book & Arts Festival, there were seventeen authors at the event, plus a steady stream of visitors keen to meet and chat to local writers … Oh we do like a good blether!
Let’s Talk History, 11.00 am, Saturday 21st May, 2022.
Kilwinning Heritage has named its first ever book festival Let’s Talk History and I will speak for about an hour at 11 am that day. The venue is the Abbey Hall, Vaults Lane, Kilwinning. All of the author events are free to attend and places can be reserved via Eventbrite (search for ‘KH Talks’). My talk will highlight some of the challenges encountered by writers when trying to separate ‘fact’ from ‘fiction’, as well as examining the moral dilemma that can arise when uncovering previously secret, sensitive information from the past.
Tain Library, 10 – 11 am, Monday 9th May, 2022.
I’ve been asked to give a talk about domestic abuse as part of Mental Health Awareness Week (9th – 15th May) because of the research I carried out in order to write Men Cry Alone. The novel follows three separate storylines of domestic abuse where men are the victims of abuse from their wives, including one man whose wife has dementia. Researching for Men Cry Alone, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this summer, was one of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve ever had.
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘loneliness’ and I’ll be exploring the links between the recent lockdowns, domestic abuse, isolation, loneliness and wellbeing. There is no need to book and the event will be quite informal. I’ll speak for about 45 – 50 minutes before taking questions or comments from the audience.
Kilwinning Book Festival, Saturday 21st May, 2022.
It’s always exciting to be invited to speak at a book festival and this is particularly so when this is a new event; you feel you’re at the start of something that will grow as the years go by. Kilwinning Heritage is a thriving local history society and it has decided to hold a mini book festival, taking place over one day with authors talking about books with a historical theme, fiction and non-fiction. I’ll be speaking about the differences in researching and writing The Italian Chapel and Effie’s War – both historical fiction inspired by real events in WW2, but with the former based on real people and the latter on fictitious characters. More information to come on this event, so watch this space!
St Duthac Book & Arts Festival, September 2021.
In September 2021 the Royal Burgh of Tain held its first book festival – St Duthac Book & Arts Festival – and I was delighted to be asked to speak. My talk ‘Where do writers get ideas from?’ took place in a pop-up bookshop in Tain high street, which provided an excellent base for visitors throughout the event. The festival was a great success and will be held again this year from September 22nd – 26th, 2022.
Preparing for my talk at the St Duthac Book & Arts Festival. Despite my many funny stories, the biggest laugh came from a fly which landed (unknown to me) on the brim of my hat and remained, one assumes enthralled, until quite near the end!
Watch Aberdeen Italian Circle Interview
The full interview with the Aberdeen Italian Circle about Orkney’s Italian chapel and the men who built it is available to watch on YouTube.
*Obtaining Copies of Books*
I hold a small stock of all my paperback titles so if anyone has a problem obtaining a copy please get in touch via the form on the website and I should be able to help.
Listen to Italian Chapel Discussion
Following my online discussion about Orkney’s Italian chapel with the president and secretary of the Aberdeen Italian Circle, I have been able to add a sound recording of the debate thanks to Alan Dennis, one of the many folk who logged on to the Zoom event.
Aberdeen Italian Circle
The Italian Chapel – an online discussion
Thursday 24th September, 2020, 7.30 – 8.30 pm
The Aberdeen Italian Circle has invited me to give an online presentation about Orkney’s Italian chapel. The free event is open to everyone. The 45-minute presentation will take the form of a question and answer session between the secretary, president and myself. This will be followed by the opportunity for people to send written questions via the Zoom ‘chat’ facility.
Join Aberdeen Italian Circle Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82180628438?pwd=MnhqS3ZKVmpPRUY3SXhNclRiVzJJZz09
Meeting ID: 821 8062 8438
Passcode: 037696
Access will be available from 19.25 until 19.40. Video cameras will be set to off and microphones to mute by default.
Dornoch Library, Wednesday 20th November, 2 – 3 pm
As part of Book Week Scotland, which this year has a theme of ‘blether’ I will be joining Liz Treacher and Helen Sedgwick to discuss some of the issues and myths surrounding the world of writing and publishing books. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event, regardless of whether they are a writer, and there will be the chance to ask questions during the discussion as well as speaking to us individually afterwards.
The Old School Beauly, Saturday 10th August, 11 am – noon.
I’m joining forces in August with two other Highland-based authors – Helen Sedgwick and Liz Treacher – in a rather unusual book event. We’re going to be offering an insight into the world of books, from writing them to how they get on the shelves of the bookshop. People can simply walk in off the street and speak to one of us, whether they’re a reader with an interest in knowing more about how books are made or they’re writing a book and have specific questions about the writing/publishing process. They may just want some pointers on how to get started!
The idea is to have an extremely relaxed, informal atmosphere, where people can speak to an author without feeling awkward in any way. The ‘meet the author’ event will take place at The Old School Beauly, which is on Beauly high street in Inverness-shire. It’s an award-winning gift shop with an enchanting book department that includes some very comfy chairs – it seems the ideal place to be!
In the image (l-r) Liz Treacher, Helen Sedgwick and me.
Men Cry Alone wins Barbara Hammond Trophy
In March 2019, I had my first ever trip to the Scottish Association of Writers annual weekend in Cumbernauld. Delegates had the option to enter several different writing competitions and I entered my novel about domestic abuse into the self-published book category. Men Cry Alone won first place and I came home with the Barbara Hammond trophy.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings I will be signing copies of Effie’s War, which uses the backdrop of real-life preparations for D-Day, at two venues:
- Brodie Countryfare 12 am – 1 pm
- Waterstones, Inverness 3 pm – 4 pm
Effie’s War out in large print
The paperback version of Effie’s War now has a few new friends following the release of the publication in audio and large print.
One of the delights of spending Christmas in Bergen was walking into a bookshop and finding copies of Perler på en snor displayed prominently on the centre table! A note on the front of one copy by 83-year-old Roald translates as ‘The funniest book I have read in a long time’. A paperback version will be published in the spring of 2019.
The year is drawing to a close with the release of an unabridged audio/CD of Effie’s War by Whole Story Audio Books. There is a tremendous reading by David Monteath and you can hear an extract here – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KRGKRFZ/ref=dp_bookdesc_audio
Effie has kept me busy during the summer and autumn with book launch events, readings and signings and it’s great to finish 2018 with the publication of this audio version.
A hardback copy of Casting Off in Norwegian arrived in the post during the autumn following the publication of the title by Cappelen Damm under the title Perler på en snor, which translates as A String of Pearls. There is also an ebook version. The book has already generated some good reviews in Norway and I particularly like this reader’s analysis:
“I have laughed out loud. I have cried. I have shaken my head. I have pondered and philosophised about life. I have admired the optimism and creativity of the residents. I have simply fallen in love with them. This is a hilarious book with a serious undertone. I recommend it wholeheartedly!”
Below is the link to the book on the publisher’s website.
https://www.cappelendamm.no/_perler-pa-en-snor-pi-paris-9788202558260
In October German publisher Piper Verlag brought out a German edition of Casting Off in paperback and ebook, while an audio/CD version was released on the same day by Audio Media Verlag. The title has been changed to Wer früher geht, verpasst den Schluss, which means ‘Those who leave too soon will miss the ending’. Clever stuff … and I love the cover.
Below is the link to the book on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.de/Wer-fr%C3%BCher-geht-verpasst-Schluss/dp/3963980214
As a writer there’s always a thrill in being asked to take part in an established literary event and I’m really pleased to have been invited to participate in this year’s ‘Word On The Street’. The festival runs over the Thursday, Friday and Saturday and will include a wide range of different events so it’s worth keeping an eye out for the programme.
The Pillar Box used to be the old Post Office, so sounds like an interesting building and I’ll be talking about being a writer, where ideas come from and how both can be affected by time. I’ll also discuss how my various books came into existence, with an emphasis on my new novel, Effie’s War.
It’s really exciting to be involved in the first book fair to be held at Nigg hall. I’m not giving a talk, which may be a relief to those attending, but I will be there with a table where my books will be available to purchase. There’ll be other authors with their own titles, plus stalls selling second-hand books, so a real ‘book’ morning and a great opportunity to chat informally to local writers.
The Tarbat Discovery Centre lies at the edge of the military evacuation zone that was put in place towards the end 1943, a major local event that forms the basis for the WW2 novel Effie’s War. The museum has become a popular place for me to do book signings, and during the autumn these will take place on the following dates:
- Friday 10th August, 10 – 11 am
- Tuesday 14th August, 2 – 3 pm
- Wednesday 15th August, 2 – 3 pm
- Tuesday 4th September, 11 am – noon
A slightly different venue for this talk is the beautiful garden of the cheese shop, which is based in the old police station in Bank Street. Owners Emmy and Jon stock some great cheeses and have kindly offered to host this event, which will move indoors if the weather is not good enough. Tea and cake will be available to purchase, as well as books and cheese. That morning will be the annual Nigg to Cromarty swim, so lots to see and hear that day.
The cheese shop’s beautiful garden in Cromarty.
I’m delighted to have been asked to be the guest speaker at the July meeting of HighlandLIT, a wide ranging group of very friendly folk interested in every aspect of writing who meet once a month in Inverness. This talk will be longer than usual, taking the form of an interview with HighlandLIT chairman Paul Shanks.
I will return to the social club, this time as part of the annual Dornoch Book Fair, which runs over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A large number of second-hand books will be available to purchase in the main hall during the fair. My event will be held in the adjoining Struie room, with copies of all my titles available to buy afterwards.
Although there is no longer a café at the premises, tea and coffee will be available to purchase during the morning. The Old School offers a huge selection of high-quality gifts and craft products, as well as housing a growing book section. The event will be indoors, but if the weather is fine it will be held in the courtyard at the back of the building so that people can enjoy the sunshine, as well as the talk of course!
The Old School gift shop in Beauly.
It was a visit to the Tarbat Discovery Centre in 2017 and hearing again the story about the evacuation in 1943 that set the writing boulder rolling down the hill. The museum, in Portmahomack, will provide the venue for several book related events for Effie’s War. During June, this will include:
Book signings between 10.00 – 11.00 am on Friday 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th.
Speaking at the Tarbat Discovery Centre.
The Nairn bookshop moved to its current premises only a few years ago and is a fantastic place for a book launch. It hosts regular author events and I’m really delighted to be invited to return, this time to speak about Effie’s War.
Nairn Bookshop
The social club in Dornoch is another favourite venue of mine and in the autumn of 2015 was the starting place for the tour of the stage play, Casting Off. My talk about Effie’s War is at 10 am but I will have shut up by 11 (that’s am, not pm!) and people can then enjoy tea/coffee and excellent home baking until around 12.30. All proceeds from the sale of refreshments will go to the charity Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.
Dornoch Cathedral
Residents in the village of Inver gathered in their local hall on 11th November 1943 to hear more about the enforced evacuation. It seemed only right that one of the book launch events for Effie’s War should take place in the current Inver hall. I’ll discuss how I turned these extraordinary events in the Highlands into a full length novel, as well as giving readings from Effie’s War and answering questions. Copies of the new book will be for sale and I’ll be happy to sign them.
Beach near Portmahomack
Waterstones in the Eastgate Centre will be the venue for the worldwide launch of Effie’s War, only one day after the book’s official publication date. The latter was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, 1944. Waterstones has provided the launch venue for several of my books and I’m looking forward to returning there again with Effie!
Inverness