From Fiction to History

February 12, 2025Leave a comment

As we progress through 2025, it is always worthwhile to reflect on the writing journey so far, and one significant milestone for me in recent months has been the publication of The House on Devil’s Lane. This novel, which guides readers through a suspenseful narrative filled with mysterious and unsettling events on an apparently ordinary street, began as a tentative foray into the world of self-publishing. Certainly, there are things I did wrong, and different decisions I might have taken, but the reception the novel has received has exceeded my expectations in a very good way!

I’m incredibly grateful for all the readers who have taken the time to write a review. Many have praised its intricate plotting, well-developed characters, and the chilling atmosphere that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Indeed, the overwhelming support and enthusiasm from readers have been incredibly humbling and motivating.

This year, I have stepped away from fiction for a while to embark on a new literary venture that delves into the fascinating world of historical non-fiction. I am thrilled to be working with Pen and Sword Books on my upcoming project, The Legend of Lady Godiva. This book aims to shed light on the life and legacy of one of England’s most iconic figures, the legendary Lady Godiva.

Fascinating Facts about Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva was the grandmother of Ealdgyth, queen consort of Welsh King Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and later King Harold of arrow-in-the-eye fame. This connection places her within the intricate web of medieval royalty and politics.
The story of Peeping Tom, who allegedly spied on her legendary naked ride, may have been invented as a joke by Royalist soldiers. This mischievous addition to the tale adds an interesting layer of myth and legend to her story.
Godiva and her husband, Leofric, once occupied a hunting lodge in Kings Bromley. Up until recently, a modest modern bungalow stood in its place, boasting beams made with the timber of that long-lost dwelling!

Of the many artworks that feature Godiva, or Godgifu (Good or God gift), this is one of my favourites. This is a preparatory sketch by illustrator Henry Hugh Armistead.

Why Lady Godiva?

You might wonder, why Lady Godiva? The story of her legendary ride through Coventry is one that has fascinated me since childhood. The blend of historical fact and myth, the themes of bravery, sacrifice, and the fight against oppression, all resonate deeply with me. I am excited to be bringing to life the ‘real’ story of Lady Godiva, a tale that is as compelling and inspiring as any fictional narrative.

Looking Ahead

The journey from fiction to history has been incredibly rewarding, and I am eager to share this new book with you all in due course. Stay tuned for more updates on its progress, and thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for my work.

In the meantime, if you haven’t yet read The House on Devil’s Lane, I encourage you to pick up a copy and join the adventure. Starting on Saturday, Feb 15^th, the ebook will be available FREE for five days only!

Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. Your feedback and reviews mean the world to me and help fuel my passion for storytelling. Here’s to many more stories to come!

And if you would like to write some of your own, please check out my creative writing courses page to find out what’s happening!

How to live in a haunted house. Part I

August 19, 2024Leave a comment

In my last post, I wrote about the setting for my new novel The House on Devil’s Lane, and how I was inspired to cross the border for the location.

The House on Devil’s Lane is available to pre-order HERE. Ebook and paperback will be released on 24/09/24

The main ‘character’ in the novel is, of course, Kat’s strange new home, and people often ask me if I have ever lived in a haunted house. Well, it all depends on what you believe ! I can confirm that I have experienced occurrences that I find hard to explain.

When I lived in Ireland, for example, we renovated a 300-year-old farmhouse in rural Limerick called Victory Hall. If any property was going to have an uncanny presence, it was going to be this one, right?! It certainly had a fascinating tale to tell. According to local legend, it had once been a parochial house, but the incumbent priest had committed a sin so grievous (I never found out what it was) that he was visited in the night by a furious mob, armed with blazing torches and pikes (hayforks). They evicted him from the house and marched him down to the river, presumably with the intent of drowning him. He survived, but lost his parish and was condemned to live out his days in a hut down by the very water that could have ended his life.

The ghost of a black-garbed man was said to pace the grounds of Victory Hall, pleading to be let back in to the house, but I never saw anything. We had to completely gut the place, and many ‘ghost’ artefacts came to light. The leather cover of a Bible, a part of a saddle, and so on, all helping to fire the imagination. On dark nights the blackness was absolute, with only a sole farmyard light flickering across the valley. Standing outside, you could hear all manner of rustlings and scratchings in the hedgerow, and even inside, the old timber would creak as it came to rest in the cool of the night. On the whole, the place had a rather peaceful air about it.

The great open fire in the kitchen was the perfect place around which to spin a yarn on a winter night, and I often wonder how many tales it had witnessed.

However, two strange things did stand out for me during our time there. Scratched into the lintel of the kitchen door were the letters WW, which I later discovered were not the priest’s initials, as I had assumed, but interlocking Vs, referring to the Virgin of Virgins. They were witchmarks, ancient graffiti calling upon the Virgin Mary for protection against evil. Were they there to keep the priest out?

Check out my fourth novel Sight Unseen to see where that idea led me! Honestly, no detail is ever wasted when a writer is around! You can find it HERE

The second thing? My youngest son, then around 3, called me over to the window one day, claiming to have seen ‘a man in a long black cloak’ crossing the yard. The house was accessible only by a driveway- one way in and one way out. No one had knocked on the door and I wasn’t expecting visitors. My scalp prickled. With two under- fours in the house, I was always on high alert. I ran outside, but there wasn’t a soul to be seen…

What had he seen? You tell me!

More tales from my current home next time! If you would like to subscribe to my mailing list please click HERE. It is quite occasional, but you can catch up on all my workshops and book news, and I also do a writing prompt in each edition. The perfect excuse to sit down with a cuppa and a notebook!

Introducing- The House on Devil’s Lane!

August 12, 20241 Comment

At LAST I have some exciting book news!

My fifth psychological thriller The House on Devil’s Lane (S. L. Ireland) will be released on September 24^th as a Kindle ebook and as a paperback. I do believe the ebook is now available to preorder on Amazon and will appear silently and mysteriously on your kindle on publication day if you buy HERE.

Okay, that’s the hard sell out of the way! I just wanted to write a little bit about the process and ideas behind the book. It has been said (and not by me, it was The Sunday Post, actually!) that I write about difficult things with sensitivity and realism, and while novels are essentially a means of entertainment, and an enjoyable diversion, I do like to include some timely and troubling topics. With The Unmaking of Ellie Rook, for example (novel no.3) the underlying theme was one of coercive control and the emotional damage it does.

So, true to form, The House on Devil’s Lane has some very compelling characters with pressing problems and harrowing secrets. How they act when the chips are down…well, that’s where the fiction comes in! Hopefully, you will be with main character Kat every step of the way as she negotiates her new life in a new home while juggling the demands of new motherhood. It’s hard feeling alone and isolated in a new place, but is Kat ever really alone? I’ll let you decide, dear Reader…

Where did the idea come from? I will tell all in a series of blog posts, but first, the setting. As much as a love Scotland, I wanted to step over the border for a wee change, and the idea for this book came to me while I was visiting my brother in County Durham. He lives in a village which consists essentially of a single road with, as fate would have it, an empty house at the end, and behind it, the most amazingly eerie wood….

More next week!

Who said writing was easy?

June 24, 20242 Comments

This blog post is very overdue, but I’m sure I am not alone in feeling quite overwhelmed by the passage of time! Sometimes it feels like life is happening while I’m studying my to-do list. Writing -and I know many of you will be nodding your heads- often has to take a backseat, and that’s not always to do with time. It’s to do with headspace. If you are juggling work and diaries and life, it becomes very difficult to visit your imagination. We’re constantly advised (and I’m guilty of saying this!) to ‘live inside your character’s head’ or ‘see the world through your character’s eyes’ and if we’re not able to give them our full attention- where does that leave us as writers?

Feeling guilty, frustrated and fraudulent, that’s what. Surely writers have an organised routine and devote entire days to their art? Perhaps if you are Jeffrey Archer, with a villa abroad and a publishing contract lined up, but as we know, life isn’t like that!

So, I have to tell you about a wonderful little writing retreat I went on last month. It wasn’t planned as such- it came about as the result of a chance conversation. It wasn’t in Spain, it was just down the road. I didn’t have any plans, no ambitious ‘get that first draft nailed’ goals, but I can thoroughly recommend house-sitting as way to refresh your batteries and give your creative juices a boost.

There are some photos below- I won’t name names or locations for privacy – but it was so refreshing to wake up somewhere else for two weeks and to pretend that real life wasn’t awaiting my return! New walks, new sights and sounds- it’s amazing what effect a change of scene can have on the writing process! While there, I entered a publisher’s competition for a five- book deal (I can dream!) and managed to write a synopsis and first three chapters of a Gothic novel set in Whitby. This is what the cover might look like one day!

It was great fun, a new challenge and took my mind off my climate fiction Waterbound which is still out on submission (come ON, publishers- what’s not to love?!).

So, I would recommend a complete change of scene if you are struggling to write- even if it is only on your doorstep. Sometimes the most creative of places can be just a few steps away!

Greetings from the Borderlands!

February 15, 2024Leave a comment

It’s halfway through February already and I find myself in the beautiful Scottish Borders. I could not believe my luck, last year, when I received an email from Executive Director Lucy Brown, inviting me to spend a whole month at Marchmont Studios to work on my latest project. I am very grateful to all at the Hugo Burge Foundation (learn more about the Foundation’s transformative work HERE) for inviting me to soak up the atmosphere here and become part of the landscape for this precious time!

The beautiful and historic Marchmont House lies a short walk away from the studios

Nothing like writing in a tower!

The novel I’m working on at the moment is a work of folk horror entitled THE BACK OF BEYOND. The title is no reflection on these environs (!) but the place is certainly brimming with qualities and stories that will certainly feed into the narrative. Thanks so much to my fellow resident, artist Anna King, who has loaned me a couple of wonderful old books about the history and stories of the area. Thanks too to Emma, who shared the story of Lady Polwarth, who hid her husband, Sir Patrick, in the crypt of Polwarth Kirk for a month as he was being hunted down by government soldiers after an alleged plot. The couple’s eldest daughter, Grisell, would creep out of Redbraes Castle at night (the ruins can still be seen) armed only with a lantern, and cross the fields with food for her father.

One of many stirring tales connected with the historic Marchmont House and estate.

The remains of Redbraes Castle. Did some Border Reiver take an axe to that door?!

I visited the Kirk on a dreich day and it was easy to imagine how creepy it might have been back then, and what danger might have awaited Lady Grisell, if she had been caught.

I was also fascinated by the story of the Polwarth Thorn, which lies just a mile or two away from the Kirk, in the village of Polwarth. The ‘Thorn’ is actually a pair of very twisted and gnarly trees, said to have sprung from the original, which must have been ancient, as the original Kirk dates from before 1300 (some accounts say there was a church there in the 10^th century). It was the custom for newly weds to dance around the thorn tree for good luck and fertility.

I describe my folk horror book as The Wicker Man With Water, and no spoilers to say there might be a Roman goddess in it and one or two sacrifices… I’m now on the look-out for a holy well and some Roman remains…!

The Polwarth Thorn. Another brilliant local tale tells of two sisters, heiresses, who had their sights set on the handsome Wedderburn brothers. Politics and intrigue meant the girls were stolen away by a third party and confined to barracks. The steadfast brothers turned up at their door with horses and men and won the day! A double wedding was performed at the Kirk, and the couples, as tradition decreed, danced around the thorn tree.

Beyond Christmas!

November 20, 2023Leave a comment

It’s been a busy few months here at Ireland Towers, with lots of courses and workshops on the go. I count my blessings daily, being able to do the work I love, while meeting such talented and engaging writers along the way.

Book Week Scotland was a busy one for me, with events at the Central Library Dundee and Arbroath Library’s Learning Club. I also ran a workshop as part of the University of Dundee’s Archive Service ‘Change Minds’ project, which encourages participants to research the history of mental health care through the old case books and documents of local ‘asylums’. Quite a difficult and emotional task for some, I’d imagine, and certainly the workshop I led threw up some keen insights and questions about healthcare then and now. I’m a huge advocate for participatory arts for those living with long-term conditions – writing really does give people a voice and a means to express challenging things.

Next year (trying not to think about Christmas!) I’ve been given the amazing opportunity to take a whole month off to focus on me and my writing- yay! Sometimes it’s a struggle to stay on track, given the myriad other things we have to do, so I’m really grateful for this invitation from the good people of the Marchmont Makers Foundation to spend a month-long residency at Marchmont House in the Borders. You can find out more about the Foundation here

Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Time’ keeping watch over the Cheviot Hills from the roof of Marchmont House.

I have the distinct feeling I’ll spend a lot of time watching over the landscape and forget that I’m there to write a book. Daydreaming is just creative planning, right?! My artistic mission while there is to research and write (at least partly!) a folk horror novel entitled The Back of Beyond, which is set in the Borders.

THE BACK OF BEYOND

One day, in the dead of winter, a cross-country train makes an emergency stop between stations in a remote rural location. The driver leaps out in panic to scramble up the embankment. As the puzzled passengers disembark to discuss calling the police, one traveller goes in pursuit. Jared Harper, an Australian backpacker, has plans of his own. He is due to take up temporary work on a nearby farm, but never one to shy away from a difficult situation, Jared sets off in pursuit of the train driver.

He witnesses the man throw himself into a deep, icy pool. Jared, a cold water swimmer, dives in after him, but despite his best efforts, no trace of the man can be found.

Deeply shocked, Jared takes up residence on the farm of his new employer, the enigmatic Molly Musgrave. It is a community like no other. An old man knits intricate patterns that only he understands, the villagers are obsessed with an ancient well-decorating ceremony and why is the war memorial dedicated to young men who perished long after two world wars?

When Jared starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together, he becomes desperate to leave. But will he be allowed to?

THE BACK OF BEYOND is a work of folk horror with a contemporary rural setting, a place where the ancient past is very much alive.

Expect Roman history, Celtic water goddesses, sacred wells, cursed artefacts and human sacrifice!

Wish me luck!

Before then, I’ll be taking a couple of weeks in Sri Lanka, where we’ll be having a family reunion with son no. 2. Haven’t seen him for four years because he lives in New Zealand, so it will be an emotional one!!

See you on the other side (unless you fancy my Yuletide Writing Just For You. Details here)

Warm winter wishes,

Sandra x

Thoughts of a Writer in Lockdown

April 8, 20202 Comments

corona I suddenly seem to have a lot of hours to spare, so now seems as good a time as any to update my blog.

But what to write?

We are stuck in a strange limbo. There is an almost palpable feeling of dread in the air, a collective sense of nervous anxiety. None of us are sleeping. We tell ourselves not to watch every news bulletin, while unable to look away. The pandemic is unfolding relentlessly before our eyes and even those of us who have remained relatively untouched (so far) know that, right now, people are saying goodbye to loved ones via Facetime and NHS staff are fighting the sort of battle we have nightmares about.

blog ohoto I have been shopping once a week at my local Co-op, which is doing an excellent job. Today I took delivery of a small Asda order, primarily of staples I can’t get locally. I did have a bit of a giggle upon receiving a single banana! It made me think of that wartime ditty my dad used to sing, “Yes, we have no bananas!” There is something quite comforting about remembering the wartime generation and all that they faced. For anyone my age or younger, this is the first time we have experienced the sort of fear that comes from a universal threat. I hope it will be character building and allow us to address the cracks in our society. I hope everyone I know will get through this unscathed.

For writers, artists and many people working in the creative sector, the rug has truly been pulled. Income streams have vanished overnight and all our much-valued face-to-face events have gone. Add to this, our concerns over the health of loved ones (and ourselves) and it’s clear that we’re in for a bumpy emotional ride in the weeks ahead. Even those of us who are generally happy in our own company are finding this difficult. Fellow writer, Gillian Duff, has an interesting take on this. She suspects that, deep down, we have a primitive fear of being ‘separated from the herd’. This makes perfect sense, and rather ironically many of us have discovered that the lockdown has brought increased and unexpected connectivity with friends and family.

Staying connected- members of Angus Writers’ Circle

So now that we have all the time in the world, it should be easy to finish that work-in-progress, right? One of my favourite Tweets of recent days, was from a writer pointing out that anyone who suggests ‘writing a novel’ as a way of passing some time has ‘clearly never written a novel.’ The reality is indeed different. Any writer I have spoken to is finding it extremely hard to settle their minds long enough to create anything. My own day is a prime example. If words were KitKats, I’d definitely have a book in me…

4am Wake. Listen to radio and fret that it’s only the wee small hours. Turn off radio. Get up and make tea. Wash last night’s dishes while waiting for kettle to boil. Go back to bed, now fully awake. Read book but decide the time would be better employed writing. I could fit in 3 hours of writing before breakfast!

6am Open laptop. The view from the window becomes so interesting. The sunrise is lovely! If I go for my regulation walk now, the place will be deserted, and I won’t get the social distancing anxiety. Around here, the anxiety comes from people being too rule-conscious. On our rather narrow beach path, a Strictly Come Dancing scenario plays out daily as walkers and joggers take avoidance measures. Go for walk.

beach path

7am Still time to write before breakfast, but I’m hungry. I really want my breakfast

8am. Three-course, industrial-strength breakfast consumed. Lockdown lolling around takes energy.

9am Examine Word doc. Write a sentence. Check clock. Feel like I’ve been up for hours but it’s only 9am- not even coffee time. Get up and make another cup of tea.

9.30 Switch on TV ‘for company’. A panel of experts is discussing Corvid facts and I become engrossed. We are becoming a nation of armchair coronavirus experts and scientists have never been so cool.

11am. Coffee time. Plus biscuits, eaten while still watching TV.

12 am It’s noon! How did that happen? Look at Word doc and write a further three guilt-sentences while listening to The Jeremy Vine show. Get caught up in a debate about ‘corvidiots’ sunbathing while people are dying. So incensed I cannot think straight, and anyway, it’s time for lunch.

1pm Lunch, eaten in front of the One O’Clock news. No wonder I have indigestion.

2pm Decide I’d better do a bit of pottering outside while the sun’s out. I need my Vit D and I have potatoes to plant. Pity I can’t grow bananas. I do have a nice line in raspberry canes though.

3pm Coffee time, which is now coffee-and-something-fattening time

4pm The muse has fled. Close laptop. There’s always tomorrow and it must be nearly time for today’s press conference…

Two of the many silly little things I’m missing. Writing on a train going somewhere interesting and meeting friends for coffee. What about you?

The Ticking Crocodile

June 18, 20194 Comments

One evening in 2017, I was sitting around a table with two friends, Dawn Geddes and bronte sisters Elizabeth Frattaroli. Our drinks remained untouched, tension was etched on our faces. We were trying to come up with a name for our new venture, and it was proving trickier than we’d ever imagined. We were on the verge of extending a hand to fellow writers, to offer them a retreat away from everyday life, from the domestic routine which kills creativity. Our vision was that they would be able to write, unhindered, in a glorious setting. We had the idea, the venue, the enthusiasm- but no name.

The name had to be catchy and writing-related. Perhaps even reflecting the rich literary 20170512_164307 heritage of Angus, where the retreats would be held, and celebrating the idea that, for one weekend at least, the clock would be stopped. We even had a tagline, ‘Press pause in the heart of Angus.’!

Our thoughts turned to local authors- Violet Jacob, of course, from the House of Dun -but what about, arguably, the most famous writer in the world, who just happened to have been born in a tiny cottage at the foot of the Angus Glens? J. M. Barrie. Maybe Peter Pan might have a solution to our problem…

Unless you’re some kind of Hemingway figure, locked in your study eight hours a day while your wife micro-manages your life, you, the average writer, are going to be time-poor. Everything will crowd in to take precedence over your work-in-progress: kids, shopping, cleaning, demanding relatives. What is the writer’s greatest enemy? The snap of the clock at their heels. So perhaps this quote might fit?

“I suppose it’s like the ticking crocodile, isn’t it? Time is chasing after all of us.” ~ J .M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Sure, it’s about mortality rather than creative time, but surely the reason why we write is to get those words out while we still can? Perfect.

Chasing Time Writing Retreats finally had a name!

In the last ten days, I’ve been learning a lot more about Barrie the celebrated author, with visits to Moat Brae, Dumfries, and his birthplace in Kirriemuir, preserved and maintained by the National Trust for Scotland. I’ve even had the chance to compare crocodiles!

Books can be dangerous!

Elizabeth and Justin Davies, joint co-ordinators of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in south east Scotland, kindly invited me along on their group visit to the enchanting Moat Brae, the house which is thought to have inspired Peter Pan and was a favourite haunt of J.M.Barrie during his schooldays.

Now a centre for children’s literature and storytelling, the once-derelict property has been extensively and sensitively restored by the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust. Moat Brae was designed by Walter Newall for a local solicitor, Robert Threshie in 1823. The house and garden were in private ownership from 1823 to 1914. The house then became a nursing home which closed in 1997. Thereafter it fell into disrepair and was subsequently purchased by a local housing association. In August 2009, Moat Brae House was due to be demolished to make way for new social housing.At the eleventh hour, it has been saved for the nation and is well worth a visit.

My other jaunt this week was to one of my favourite National Trust for Scotland properties (next to Barry Mill, of course!). Barrie’s Birthplace is a delightful weaver’s cottage tucked away in the centre of Kirriemuir, Angus.

IMG_1277(Edited) E940BFFA-5BFB-4AC8-8547-E7991C81D509 Charmingly preserved, you can see lots of memorabilia connected with the author, and some delightful quotes and photographs. Barrie returned to the cottage before his death in 1937, to have one last look at his old bedroom. The then owner was surprised but delighted to welcome him in to his old home and a poignant photograph commemorates the visit.

The old washhouse and outbuildings where the young Jamie staged plays for his friends still survive, and the garden is undergoing a makeover.

The ‘ticking crocodile’ is not to be missed!

The Calm Before the Storm

May 31, 2019Leave a comment

What to pack for Edinburgh?

I feel I’ve been keeping a low profile lately, but only because I’m conserving energy for what’s to come!

This summer (July) sees the release of my third novel for Polygon THE UNMAKING OF ELLIE ROOK. Ellie had her first outing this week at Noir @The Bar, Edinburgh, before a hugely supportive audience of fellow writers. Thanks to all of them, and especially to Jacky Collins and Kelly Lacey for inviting Ellie and myself to the party!

In other news, BONE DEEP, in its stunning new jacket, will be unleashed on American readers in just two weeks time! Gallery Books are gearing up to run a huge Giveaway on Goodreads and I’ve also contributed an article about the relationship between folklore and psychological crime stories for CrimeReads, a popular US online magazine.

BONE DEEP coming soon from Gallery Books

And speaking of folklore…June also sees the beginning of a series of workshops I’ve planned at the Two Sisters Cafe, Carnoustie. Entitled FINDING INSPIRATION THROUGH FOLKLORE, this course, being run as part of my Creative Scotland award, will bring together writers, poets, musicians and artists as we scour our rich storytelling heritage for inspiration. The workshops are full subscribed, but look out for the other courses I’ll be running for Lifelong Learning Dundee in October.

A corn dolly from Something Corny, Inverurie- a prop for my Folklore Workshops!

Over the last few months I’ve had the great pleasure of taking part in the Love Stories Panel, with authors Noelle Harrison, Laura Lam, and Ella Hayes, ably chaired by Dawn Geddes. Sponsored by House of Elrick Gin, we visited Waterstones Edinburgh, Waterstones St Andrews and Blackwells Edinburgh to discuss how we approach love, sex and romance in our books and the relevance of the ‘romance novel’ today. Obviously I was representing the black cloud of toxic relationships everywhere! We enjoyed some lively discussions and brilliant audience participation, all washed down with a delicious honeyed gin cocktail (Monarchy of Bees) mixed by the talented Talia!

The Janus Effect

January 8, 20191 Comment

Wishing you love, luck, health, happiness and the determination to reach your goals in 2019!

fullsizerender (edited)

I’m definitely in two minds about January. I seem to be spending quite a lot of time with a nostalgic eye on what’s gone before, rather than looking forward to the twelve months ahead. I suppose that Roman god Janus had the right idea- my thoughts are wrapped up in beginnings and endings, gates, doorways and passages of time.

Personally, 2018 was a difficult year for me, with the death of my dear dad in March, and all it entails; not just the grief but the dismantling of a life. With both parents now gone, it’s been a time for me to reflect on my own place within the family. Whatever age you are, being an orphan is always going to be tough. My mother used to say that life was a ladder, and with each year, we climb another rung. With the death of her own mother, Mum declared that she herself had now moved up to the top of the ladder. A lonely place, perhaps, but surely a good opportunity to pause and admire the view across the years? 20180408_130344

These inter-generational themes are explored in the novel I’ve just completed, Sight Unseen, which will hopefully hit the shelves in 2020. It has been a joy to write, as I remember my father’s little quirks and funny sayings, but also an emotional task. It’s a story close to my heart and my own experience.

Whatever your place on the ladder of life, age is no barrier to success and, professionally, 2018 was an amazing year for me, with the UK publication of Bone Deep, a mini-book tour with Sarah Maine, lots of exciting events and to round it all off, Iceland Noir and a week’s residency at Cove Park.

‘Mystery Tour’ Iceland Noir

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Hallgrimskirkja

Iceland is the most dramatic, beautiful and friendly country. Not as icy as I’d packed for, but just like Scotland in winter- dark and damp! I loved the compact nature of Reykjavik, the considerate drivers, the cosy cafes and the food (I didn’t try fermented shark. Next time!). Iceland Noir is a crime festival, with an intimate, inclusive vibe. Think Bloody Scotland with more fairy lights! Thoughtful, humorous panels and the perfect chance to mix with some top writers. I was permanently star-struck! Delighted to be on a panel with Louise Mangos, Sarah Ward and Mary Torjussen, moderated by none other than the British Ambassador, Michael Nevin. Other people have recorded the entire festival much better than I am attempting to do; the lovely Mary Picken, for instance. Read all about it here!

Cove Park was another first for me in 2018. I booked a self-funded winter residency in December, and succeeded in finishing novel 4, Sight Unseen. Cove Park is the most remarkable place, with dramatic scenery, weather extremes and a warm welcome! Another chance to meet some amazing fellow artists, but mainly I kept my head down and wrote. No distractions, a lovely cosy room- the perfect place to be creative.

This seems to have turned into a ‘looking back’ post, rather than a ‘looking forward’ one. However, we’re still in the Janus month, so I think I’ll get away with it. Next time, a sneaky peak at what’s in store this year, and a wee mention for The Unmaking of Ellie Rook, my suspenseful and timely novel of 2019!

Sandra Ireland

Author. Tutor. Mentor

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