I realise I haven’t done that writerly thing of ‘updating my blog’ since…actually I daren’t look at the date! Suffice to say, things have been very busy in Grandmother’s House over the last few months so I’m just going to leave you with a little pictorial round-up!

Bloody Scotland happened at the beginning of September. What a great weekend…the torchlit procession down from the castle was magical, and all the better for my pal Claire  Macleary having been longlisted for the McIvanney Prize with her debut Cross Purpose.

The coveted prize was carried off by the super-talented Denise Mina, for The Long Drop, so that it was all good!

The very next weekend it was off to Haworth for myself and my buddies- Dawn, Elizabeth and Richard. We share such a passion for all things writerly it was the perfect getaway- we even did some writing! Here we are bonding over the Brontes (over beer), making a mess of a perfectly neat holiday home and viewing the moors from Wuthering Heights (Top Withens, actually, but close enough).

One of the many highlights of this Autumn has been my involvement with the Great Tapestry of Scotland at the Verdant Works. I volunteered to help invigilate (no sticky paws on my watch!) and it was a real honour to be part of something so special.

And at the end of September we held our inaugural Chasing Time Writing Retreat!

A very special visit to Glamis Castle was another highlight. Again, going anywhere with a bunch of writers puts a whole new perspective on things…

And (almost) finally…a trip to NESS BOOK FEST! What a fantastic weekend….so interesting, so friendly…and a really lovely crowd turned up to hear the fabulous Shelley Day and myself muse about all things macabre! One of my favourite photos here, pictured with Moira and Barbara at Inverness Museum. That amazing Barbara Henderson takes a good selfie!

Finding out that Beneath the Skin has been shortlisted for the Saltire First Book of the Year Award was the perfect conclusion to a hectic few months…enough to give me a warm glow all through winter, I reckon!