I am so excited to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Scottish by Inclination. I absolutely adore Barbara’s books that are mainly steeped in Scottish historical life and are aimed at young folk. But this is something different. This is a book that is charming, funny, informative but overall, downright important. Barbara […]
Scottish by Inclination by Barbara Henderson — Unicorns and Kelpies
I’m delighted to be joined by Barbara Henderson today. I know Barbara primarily as an author of exciting children’s fiction but her new non-fiction book, Scottish by Inclination, is something rather different. The book is published by Luath Press and available now in paperback and ebook. My thoughts I thoroughly enjoyed reading Barbara Henderson’s account […]
#TenThings about Barbara Henderson #author of Scottish by Inclination and #bookreview @scattyscribbler @luathpress — Portobello Book Blog
There seems to be a lot to do all of a sudden. It crept up on me, the way major life events like the publication of a second book can do. September and October have been busy, even new day job aside.
First, I was lucky to be asked to appear at four schools as part of Nairn Book and Arts Festival. Pretty much straight after, less than two weeks ago, I was at Islay Book Festival, doing school and puppetry events. Just a few days later, our own NessBookFest was in full swing, and as committee chairperson, I wasn’t going to be taking a back seat. 35 events after that, I emerged, crawling, on the other side, mopping up, tidying up, and realising:
Oh help! Guest blog posts need to be written, press contacts need to be made, events need to be planned. I made a list of all upcoming events:
• 26th Oct: School Launch, Crown School, Inverness
• 26th Oct: Launch at Waterstones Inverness (6pm)
• 3rd Nov: Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre Launch Event
• 4th Nov: Waterstones Edinburgh West End (2pm)
• 25th Nov: Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Mass
Book Launch, Winchester
• 29th Nov: Schools Event, Culloden Library for Book Week Scotland
• 30th Nov: ‘Nourishing Local Writers’ Showcase, Waterstones Inverness, Book Week Scotland
• 2nd Dec: Fir Trees in Folklore & Fiction: Barbara Henderson reads
from her children’s novels Fir for Luck and Punch (which both
feature trees) and explores the stories and legends around our
beloved Christmas trees. Simpson’s Garden Centre, Inverness. Book Week Scotland
At least there are a few, not too bad. Although I need to decide what I am actually going to do in them. Realising that all this is really quite soon, I ran down to the train station and booked my transport to the Central Belt, begged friends for accommodation and started purchasing odd things like Punch hats and inflatable whacking sticks, stripy clothes and red shoes. Yes, I am going the whole hog – I’ll pretty much be wearing a Punch and Judy fit-up!
Getting press coverage might be a hard one though – I have literally been all over the local papers with NessBookfest recently, and they might be reluctant to take on anything else with my mug on it. Sad but true.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I am not going to try! However, my first follow up call to a public broadcaster who shall remain nameless went a bit like this:
Me: Hello, is that the producer for the super-iconic programme for all things cultural?
Her: Yes.
Me: You emailed me on such and such a date, expressing interest in Punch and asking if a copy could be sent to you? I trust you got it? Great. Now, are you still interested in doing something on the Victorian/puppetry angle in… all right… Really, 500 hundred new titles published every week?
Her: Too competitive/too much out there/won’t be able to, as much as we’d like to/snowed under (basically *NO*)
Me: (*profuse thanks, not sure why*)
http://www.chimneyrabbit.com/?p=937
And the first step on my blog tour is a stumble! A post about the often random way we discover stories. Thanks, Janet Emson!
Today I’m pleased to welcome Barbara Henderson to the blog. Barbara is the author of Fir for Luck, which is published by Pokey Hat on 21 September 2016
Here Barbara talks about stumbling onto stories.
Stumbling onto stories
I don’t know about you, but I stumble a lot.
Being one of nature’s natural clumsy people, I hope I never have to navigate a stair during an awards ceremony or a red carpet in a long dress. I trod on my own wedding dress even though it was only just floor length. I’m a drama teacher, and my dramatic stumbles over the light stands in my studio are legend among my pupils, I’m sure.
But as a writer, stumbling onto stories in one of the greatest pleasures – there you are, making your way through your day in as smooth a way as you can manage, and suddenly…
Suddenly you come across…
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