Authors Electric

The Scattered Authors Society is a fine, upstanding body of writers scribbling away all over Britain. I'm a member -- one of the founder members, in fact, along with Authors Electric's own Katherine Roberts. But I'm also a member of a smaller group (and very exclusive group, I'm telling you) within the SAS.  This very exclusive writing group of ours had a problem. None of us were doing much writing. Which, I understand, is not all that unusual with writing groups. Personally, I was bereft of all ideas. Just flat out. But the problem most of the others had was that they had deadlines and  ought to be writing, and wanted to write-- but somehow, the writing just wasn't getting done. We meet up reguarly on Zoom, it being a bit difficult to meet up in person, scattered as we are from the West Country to Scotland. The meetings were full of complaints about the failure to actually get any writing done, beset as we were by distractions. Now there are a few tricks to con you...

 A Scottish hero is celebrating his 20th anniversary of appearing in print this year. He has hunted for lost princes, skirmished at Stirling, and joined a clan gathering, driving himself there in his Whirry-Bang. He doesn't travel alone. He has his English friend, Rupert...     His rather posh looking lady friend, Jeannie...          And his young friend, Angus...     Off they go to Skye, and the Falkirk Wheel. They visit the great Scottish capital, Edinburgh, of course, and also the second city, Glasgow. At Glamis they meet a ghost, or think they do -- and what Scottish hero could fail to hunt for the Loch Ness Monster?  Hamish is, in fact, a haggis, his full name being Hamish McHaggis. We all know that haggisses really roam wild and free throughout the Highlands, only caught by the most  skilled of Highland trackers. I confess to a shameless plug here, because Hamish was created by my good friend, Linda Strachan, working in ...