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Forth Bridge Writer in Residence Diary Part 9
Last Friday.
It’s 4.52am and my alarm sounds. Reluctantly, I scrape myself out of bed and stumble to the door for an early train. Once we are on the move from the Highlands to the central belt, I check my phone. To my astonishment, there is a message from a parent: ‘Hi Barbara, I hope you don’t mind me reaching out- my son, Eildon, absolutely loved your book ‘Rivet Boy’ and chose to dress up as John Nicol for world book day today at his school in Australia. We are originally from Scotland and my mum sends him Scottish books- this is his favourite! He won first prize!’
A Forth Bridge Victorian rivet boy in a book day parade in Australia! I was gobsmacked. Whenever it crosses my mind again, I can’t help smiling: my book cover on his rivet boy bucket, his adjustable rivet, designed to change colour from grey to red-hot, the wool jacket and the cap – he looked perfect, just as I imagined the real John Nichol in my book. Unexpected lovely feedback like this is not an everyday occurrence in my writer’s life. It means I appreciate all the more when it comes my way, and of course it extends to all the others who had a hand in bringing Rivet Boy into the world – the researchers who helped me, the publishers and the illustrator… you get the idea. It’s my book baby, and I was proud of it. Well done, little one. You’ve done what your came into the world to do.
Speaking of book babies…
It is summer, or so people tell me. Apart from a brief gorgeous spell in June, let’s say the weather has been a bit of a let-down. In every other way, however, this summer has delivered: a wonderful family wedding, a restful week in Moray and much Forth-Bridge related writing. Once I had met the deadline (take note: I actually met a deadline!), the photographer Alan McCredie set to work.
The result will be out in October: isn’t she a beauty? It’s called Made from Girders, published by Luath Press.
The idea is to take you behind the scenes on and all around the Forth Bridge – meet the people who make up the communities and hear their unique perspectives on what goes on. For extra fun, I attempted to find someone for every letter of the alphabet: artist, blue badge tour guide, construction superintendent, digital communicator… – you get the idea.
They are those who repair and maintain the bridge, drive trains over it, protect its heritage, promote it to tourists, sail, swim or save lives beneath it, research its past, safeguard its future, protect the wildlife around it and a million things more. Like the #ForthBridge‘s famous red girders, they criss-cross each other, pass each other by, touch on each other’s lives and support each other, often without knowing it. They too, in a fascinating way, form a bridge.
I loved finding out more about them all! You do need to hear about the unassuming gentleman in the chapter on the letter X though, take it from me (it took a day or so for my heart rate to return to normal after interviewing him)!
I plan to attend the Your View event in September – a year ago, this very event began my official residency at the Forth Bridge. This one will end it, although I imagine I will not cease speaking or writing about the Forth Bridge for some time to come. To start with, there will be a launch event for the book on 6th October at Ecclemachan village hall, organised by Livingston-based Glowworm Books.
As I write this, I have just arrived in Edinburgh. Yes, I took another train south, at a more reasonable hour, thankfully. I am here for the Edinburgh International Book Festival where tomorrow I’ll be doing an event for schools. I cannot wait – it will be my first in-person event at the book festival which I have attended as a punter for more than twenty years. It had always been my dream to be there as an author – and the very first time that happened a pandemic got in the way, so that the only people there were the panellists and the camera guys. This time, I hope, I will be able to feed on the energy in the room. I am reliably informed that it is sold out, with over 200 kids attending.
Forth Bridge fun? Dressing youngsters up as Victorian rivet boys, with flat caps and woollen jackets?
Well, surely what’s good enough for Australia is good enough for Edinburgh, right?
I’ll let you all know how it goes!
Forth Bridge Writer-in-Residence Diary – Part 4
‘Tis the season to be busy, it seems. As the December snow gives way to muddy grey puddles just ahead of the big day, I am trying to gather my thoughts one last time before hibernating for a week or so with my nearest and dearest. Leading up to this December update for my Writer-in-Residence post, I have also seen two kinds of weather: the crisp sparkle of a successful funding application (there will be Forth Bridge inspired school literacy workshops in spring. Oh yes there will!), but also the depressing drizzle of a funding knockback – doubly frustrating because it was a really time consuming application, involving a number of people.
As I sit typing this, it is the Winter Solstice. Christmas is nearly upon us. Best of all, my Forth Bridge book, Rivet Boy, is now being printed, and I cannot wait for early January when we can expect to get our hands on some early review copies. Most of this year has been given over to this book, in some way or another, and as I reflect, I thought I’d give you all an insight into how my Forth Bridge children’s book, and with it my Writer-in-Residence position, actually came about.
It starts with an idea. As a writer, I am always looking for the next thing to capture my interest. However, I routinely find myself captivated by many MANY possible subjects – I am definitely the sort of writer who does depend on constant dialogue with my publishers: ‘I was thinking about writing about (insert latest wild idea). Is there a market for that sort of story? Would you be interested in publishing such a book?’
In the unlikely event of a Venn diagram crossover between my latest interest and a gap in the market or publisher interest, I can set to work.
In the case of Rivet Boy, I was simply leafing through a photography book on Victorian Scotland. I was intrigued by the many photographs of the growing Forth Bridge – I had visited the structure as a child in the early eighties (I grew up in Germany).
When I moved to Edinburgh for university, the Forth Bridge would appear in the plane window to signal that I had arrived. Over the years, Scotland felt more and more like my home – the red criss-cross appearing through the clouds meant I was back where I was supposed to be. From central Edinburgh, South Queensferry became the go-to day trip destination for my then boyfriend and I, and we proceeded to celebrate our wedding in the Rosebery Hall, so that guests could pop out of the venue for a view of ‘our’ bridge. Fast forward another year and I rattled across the Forth Bridge to a teaching job interview in Dunfermline. I would spend the next three years travelling across the Forth, by car or by train, to Woodmill High School.
Seeing the old pictures was a lightbulb moment. ‘Could I write a book about the building of the Forth Bridge?’ I asked my publishers. ‘There are a good few Victorian stories for kids out there, but not many stories that focus on engineering.’ Hooray: they liked the idea. That in itself is by no means a guarantee that they would like and publish the finished book, but I resolved to have a go. My research began. Had anyone written about the people who built the Forth Bridge? The ordinary folk, as opposed to the eminent Victorians who were already famous?
I found a book called The Briggers by Elspeth Wills. Bingo – this was exactly what I needed! I set to work, highlighter in hand. Gold dust (in story terms) was sprinkled all around. Wow, there was a twelve-year-old boy who fell from the bridge and survived with ‘no more than a wetting’ – I would make him my main character. Elsewhere, there was mention of a squirrel on the bridge. I added a squirrel into my story-mix, too. If only I could ask a few more detailed questions…
But wait, there was an email address for the Briggers, the local research group who had compiled the material for Wills’ book. I made contact. Frank Hay got back to me almost immediately.
‘I would like to write about John Nicol, the boy mentioned in the book. What else do you know about him?’ I asked. Frank replied with a promise to look into it. Days later, I received an email with a 12-page attachment, containing birth certificate, parents’ marriage certificate, census entries, addresses, press extracts from Scotland and Australia – the man was a machine! We stayed in contact via email and on Zoom. It was during these meetings, that the idea of a Writer-in-Residence for the Forth Bridge was first mentioned.
Now I am three months into the post (although there are no hard-and-fast rules about what being a Writer-in-Residence should practically involve – it is entirely up to the individual and the organisation). For me it has meant writing this blog, planning and delivering a Forth Bridge themed Book Week Scotland event and interviewing visitors to the bridge at the Barnardo’s YourView in September. Alongside this, I completed and edited the manuscript for Rivet Boy which will be launched on 16th February. Going forward, I will write articles and interviews for a range of outlets and meet hundreds of school children on both sides of the Forth to bring the story of the Forth Bridge to life in their imaginations.
Like the briggers of old, I am building a bridge – not from steel, but from story, spanning the Firth of time and connecting today’s young minds with the distant shore of the past.
I cannot think of a more worthwhile thing to do.
Merry Christmas to you all, and thanks for you company this year.
Coming soon: Scottish children’s books 2023 (Middle Grade)
The start of 2023 promises to be a bumper season for children’s books. After a quieter 2022, many of our favourite authors and publishers are back with a bang – and we can’t wait to get reading.
Here is the first instalment of our list of tips for 2023. Look out for our recommendations for younger readers next week.
Rivet Boy, by Barbara Henderson (publisher: Cranachan)
Out February
Blending fact and fiction to tell the story of one boy’s role in the building of the iconic Forth Rail Bridge, this promises to be a brilliant insight into the origins of a world-famous feat of engineering. Barbara has a talent for transporting us to the past and, as Writer in Residence for the Forth Bridge, we know that she’s done some serious first-hand research for this one. We can’t wait to meet young John and Rusty, his red squirrel sidekick!
Haarville…
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The Outlander Effect
Another blog tour stop – and . Well worth a follow!this time it’s the legendary Bookwitch who has posted a review and featured my guest post on the Outlander effect.
It’s Jacobite blog tour time! Here’s Barbara Henderson with some Outlanderish thoughts:
‘The Americans are back’, my husband remarked drily on his return from Inverness High Street, ten minutes away from our home. Don’t get the wrong impression – this was no disapproving comment. It was dry humour, tinged with relief. He might as well have said ‘Things are finally getting back to normal’.
The devastating effect of the pandemic on international tourism in our area had been acutely felt, particularly as a certain franchise had previously supercharged the tourist economy in these parts. A book, film and fandom feat like no other (perhaps Harry Potter aside).
Can you hear it? The distant and mournful version of the Skye Boat Song, now a major theme tune? I am (of course!) talking about Outlander, Diana Gabaldon’s epic time travel romance which features the Highlands during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.
Why…
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The Reluctant Rebel by Barbara Henderson
Thank you so much, Kirsty Crommie, for this lovely review! The first one is always a bit of a white knuckle ride…
The Reluctant Rebel by Barbara Henderson, published by Luath Press
I am absolutely honoured to be kicking of the blog tour for The Reluctant Rebel today. First and foremost Barbara Henderson is one of my favourite authors who writes the most magnificent historical adventures set against a variety of Scottish backdrops. As you can imagine, therefore, I was beyond excited to get my hands on a copy of The Reluctant Rebel, a ‘Jacobite Adventure’. This is a time period where events are often studied in primary school but little MG fiction has been written in this era.
Read on to hear from Barbara about teaching the Jacobites in the classroom . Thank you Barbara for the guest post.
‘Jacobitesin the Classroom
The targes and broadswords clash, thankfully in a controlled manner. The faces of my pupils, contorted in fear and rage, belie what is really going on – nothing…
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#WorldBookDay Cover Reveal: The Reluctant Rebel
I am absolutely over the moon that Luath Press are going to be publishing my Jacobite adventure (8-12) #TheReluctantRebel in May!
Scotland, April 1746. Having witnessed their clan’s terrible defeat at Culloden, twelve-year-old Archie and his feisty cousin Meg flee back to Lochaber to lie low.
Or so they think.
Until the fugitive Prince’s life depends on them.
Meticulously researched and based on the well-documented 18th-century Jacobite Rebellion known as ‘the ’45’, this new novel by Young Quills winner Barbara Henderson tells the story of a young stable boy. Archie feels ambivalent about the Jacobite rebellion – unlike his feisty cousin Meg. Can he overcome his grief and bitterness? The truth is, Prince Charles Edward Stuart is just another man on the run, and it is in the children’s power to help.
The Reluctant Rebel is a tale of bravery amid historical storms which toss both rich and poor into turmoil. Will the children succeed in their deadly game of Hide and Seek?
I am currently working on teaching resources and can’t wait to see this book out there on the shelves!
Punch by Barbara Henderson
So excited to see this – I hadn’t come across this blog before, but will follow now! 🙂 Thank you so much for giving one of my quiet books such a boost! I secretly really like this one 🙂
This is not a new book, it was published in 2017. I discovered it by chance, having seen a different book on Twitter and following a link to the publisher’s website (@cranachanbooks https://www.cranachanpublishing.co.uk/ ). Being Scottish, with a fascination for Victorian times and also Punch and Judy, I obviously ordered it. I also ordered some other books, but that is for another blog.
Punch tells the story of Phineas, an orphan living in 1889 Inverness under the volatile guardianship of his “Uncle” Ewan. He is sent on a nighttime errand, which ends with the town market halls being set on fire. Falsely accused and justifiably scared of the reaction of his guardian and the police, Phineas goes on the run.
He forms unlikely alliances with an escaped prisoner and a family of travelling entertainers on his journey, which includes encounters with a dancing bear and Queen Victoria. He learns new…
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2021- A Gratitude Dump
The year that promised nothing, but somehow delivered!
My expectations for 2021 were well managed. We’re in a pandemic – you can beaver away at your writing, Barbara, but don’t expect much. Live events probably won’t happen. Book releases aren’t guaranteed. Festivals may be off. My Scottish Book Trust residency at Findochty Primary had been largely virtual.
Well, here is how it all panned out.
January: A snowy and slow start to the year. I was writing a Victorian book that is now scheduled for 2023, but I was also editing, because – miracle of miracles – 2021 was going to be the first year when I was going to see TWO titles released!
February: Movements were still pretty restricted, so I kept myself busy advance signing the gorgeous book plates Cranachan Publishing had sent me. My daily walk took me to Inverness Castle where I became firm friends with one Flora MacDonald – the statue version, as we weren’t supposed to socialise. She briefly features in a Jacobite book I wrote but hadn’t found a home for yet. Meanwhile, I was beginning to get the hang of online events, so February saw a fair few virtual school visits!
March: I spent the month signing book plates for The Chessmen Thief and editing Scottish by Inclination, interspersed with writing the Victorian book – three manuscripts in my head at once! The Chessmen Thief was being printed and for the first time, I was working with a publicist, the lovely Antonia. Soon I was busily fielding interviews and writing features for the Big Issue, The Scotsman and a host of others.
April: Launch month for The Chessmen Thief. I was so, so lucky that Museum nan Eiliean on the Isle of Lewis had agreed to take part in the virtual launch – crowds weren’t allowed yet! I travelled to the Isle of Lewis. I had found a dress that matched the book cover almost perfectly – it was like putting on a uniform. We had teamed up with the wonderful Western Isles libraries and E-Sgoil, a platform which normally delivers Gaelic content directly into schools, so hundreds of classrooms joined us for the launch event which featured an interview recorded beside the iconic Lewis Chessmen in the museum. Mind blown. Huge thanks to Anne and Iain Glennie for publishing me, hosting me and chumming me all over the island! April also saw me do a couple of virtual events for John O’Groats Book Festival – and my first meeting with Kate Scarborough who is now my agent.
May: We travelled down to Glasgow for our eldest’s 21st, with snow (yes, snow in May!) piled high by the A9. Covid rules seemed to change almost daily and life felt unpredictable, but I had signed with Kate and the Tyild’s agency – after all those years, I had an agent! The final sessions with Findochty Primary were able to be in-person visits and there were a clutch of others, notably Balivanich Primary who had won the Chessmen Challenge competition by creating a really memorable freeze frame. But I was also knee deep in writing the Victorian book and May was a research month, travelling to the Forth Bridge and Dunfermline’s Carnegie Library, as well as scouring some atmospheric graveyards for character names. And, wahey, I became a dual German-British citizen!
June: Launch month for Scottish by Inclination. I must thank Creative Scotland for part-funding me to write this book, published by Luath Press. As an EU immigrant myself, it is a book close to my heart. For much of this year, I have waited for the outcome of my citizenship application, and the launch gave me a chance to try some of the questions in my Life on the UK test on an unsuspecting audience.
By now I was also working on another adult non-fiction title provisionally entitled Labour of Love and began interviewing some interesting people for it. The usual end of term craziness in the school where I teach meant that writing slid down the priority pile at times.
July: A time to rest up, apart from some workshops for Highland Council’s school holiday programme. A family visit to London was thankfully possible too, all interspersed with bits of writing. There I got to see the rest of the Lewis Chess pieces again which was wonderful!
August: A couple more short family trips before a real career first as a writer: appearing at Edinburgh International Book Festival. To say that was special would be an utter understatement – I was BESIDE MYSELF with excitement.
In addition, the Time Tunnellers launched in August, a regular blog and YouTube channel by five historical fiction writers for young people, including me. And on top of that, The Siege of Caerlaverock was shortlisted for the Young Quills Award by the Historical Association, which was pretty exciting!
September: I was so fortunate to appear in person at four Nairn primary schools and provide virtual content for Nairn Academy, all as part of Nairn Book and Arts Festival, and to participate in St Duthac’s Festival in Tain and the Nigg Book Fair too. We also had a blast during the European Day of Languages with Scottish by Inclination.
October: It was grateful to be on the programme at NessBookFest, a festival I used to be involved in as an organiser, with a lovely, lively discussion about Scottish by Inclination. For Bookshop Day, I managed to visit a good handful of semi-local bookshops – have a look if you like:
The interviews for the new adult book were coming in thick and fast now, and I was barely keeping up between school events and the day job.
November: The dreaded virus threw a spanner in the works once more, meaning that one of my Book Week Scotland events had to be postponed. I was delighted that Dingwall Library and Culloden Library events went ahead in person though, and I loved speaking to teachers on an in-service course organised by Falkirk Libraries. I was also doing an online event for the Society of Authors on how to be a proactive writer – not any great wisdom – just my tuppence worth. Finally, I was delighted to see a Writers’ Hub start in my local church.
December: Made it! December was memorable for so many things! I turned 50, treated myself to a research visit to Edinburgh for a new book I started, finally met some of the gang at Luath Press in person, was given a contract for the Jacobite book (hooray!), and the icing on the cake – I won the Young Quills Award for which I had been shortlisted in August.
For me, 2021 has been emphatically a GOOD YEAR and I am grateful for each and every one of you – readers, friends, writers, social media pals, sparring partners, inspirers. Thank you for your company.
I hope the holiday period has been one of rest and renewed inspiration for you all.
My First Edinburgh International Book Festival
Pinch me!
The day was finally here – seven books after the very first meeting with my publishers, Cranachan.
They asked me: ‘What’s the dream?’
‘Edinburgh International Book Festival is the dream.’ I didn’t even hesitate. As an annual visitor to the festival for nigh-on two decades, it seemed the height of author-dom to me. And this year, 2021, I had an invite and my very own event.
The best part was that I was going to speak about my latest children’s book, The Chessmen Thief, and share the stage with Dr Alice Blackwell of the National Museums of Scotland who looks after the actual Lewis Chessmen which inspired my book. Chaired by palaeontologist and author of dinosaur books Steve Brusatte, we were going to discuss Artifacts and Fiction, the title of our session.
I woke up in the budget hotel along the road, hurriedly washed and flung some make-up on. I had been told that for filmed events, a bit of eyeliner was helpful, and who was I to argue? A quick breakfast and I donned my bookshelf-patterned dress and sped off. On the way I remembered that I should probably do something on social media (helpful to publishers, especially small indie ones like mine!), so I recorded a wee video as I sprinted up the road. Once arrived the gates of the festival were still closed to the public, but I could already make out my fellow panel member, Alice, in the distance. We opted to sit at the picnic table just in front of the Edinburgh College of Art. The more concealed table along from us was already occupied by I’m-so-cool-look-at-me-smoking teens from a nearby secondary school.
As soon as the gates opened, we entered the grounds and made for the yurt (now only big enough to house the admin staff, but there are great benches and tables for writers, and there was free coffee and food too). I might have reached for my author lanyard a little too enthusiastically. Soon the Children’s and Schools Programme Director Rachel appeared with a ridiculously huge and much appreciated piece of Cranachan-flavoured cake (I was so impressed that she had noted the name of my publishers) – and it was time.
‘Let me show you to the recording studio,’ she smiled and marched ahead. I hobbled in her wake courtesy of a broken toe – don’t ask! If I had been a little sad that there wasn’t going to be a young live audience for my event, all misgivings were quickly dispelled. What a view! A huge picture window behind us revealed the iconic Edinburgh Castle. Altogether less welcome was the view of the monitor in front of us, with a pretty unflattering perspective of ourselves. ‘Is my face really this shiny?’ Alice whispered across the stage. She looked great to me, but the monitor view made me a little insecure too. My legs looked the size of Belgium.
‘Don’t worry, you’ll all look great out there,’ reassured one of the camera operators. I moved a small table of props in front of my legs anyway. And breathe! The countdown began. As soon as it ended, Steve launched into his enthusiastic introduction, only to be interrupted by the cameraman: ‘Not yet! It’s just the intro video now. I’ll give you a wave.’
We all laughed a little too loudly, but dispelling the pent-up tension in this way probably made for a more relaxed conversation in the forty-five minutes that followed. There were almost no awkward moments. I say ‘almost’ because I got my timing wrong and began subtly motioning to Alice to wrap up her presentation, when there were in fact 20 minutes to go. In my defence, any concept of time sort of evaporates in this sort of situation – or perhaps that’s just me. Thankfully, she was very forgiving and the lot of us grabbed lunch at the cafe afterwards.
The best part of the new venue at Edinburgh College of Art is the chilled-out courtyard where I wound down properly by watching another two festival events on the big screen. The staff could not have been friendlier or more accommodating, the sun shone – and my dream, first half-jokingly and self-consciously whispered in February 2016, had just come true.
You can watch the event on catch-up HERE , for free or by paying what you can.
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