"With a psychedelic Robert Louis Stevenson emblazoned on the front cover, 'Cool Scots' provides a refreshingly contemporary reinvention of the various personalities behind Scottish culture." Get a copy here: gregmoodie.com/product/cool...

With @qmuniversity.bsky.social at the Edinburgh universities' Remembrance Day service in Old College.

Marvellous workshop with Tessa Asquith-Lamb at Lauriston Castle on making Christmas decorations. Almost happy with mine. The Japanese Garden looking gorgeous.

Auld Reekie Scrievers, an Edinburgh group of short story writers, today launched our anthology "Pulling At Threads." Published by Dean Park Press, all profits to the homeless charity Streetwork for its library and creative writing group. Available from local bookshops and online.

Fantastic pop-up display today of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" at the @natlibscot.bsky.social, marking the release of Guillermo del Toro's film. Includes Muriel Spark's Bram Stoker award for her biography of Mary Shelley, and Mary Shelley telling Sir Walter Scott he's an idiot.

Anyway, we need some joy, so here's the Egyptian foreign minister being given a Lego Pyramid by the Danish foreign minister.

What better Christmas present than a book? One signed for the recipient! 📖🖋

Wan o the 1%: Ian Hamilton Finlay FOX see me wan time ah wis a fox an wis ah sleekit! ah gaed slinkin heh an snappin yeh the blokes aa sayed ah wis a GREAT fox aw nae kiddin ah wis pretty good had a whole damn wood in them days hen

Andy Goldsworthy Fifty Years at the @nationalgalleries.bsky.social

Fascinating talk by Professor Dan Gunn of the American University of Paris to the Muriel Spark Society and the Morningside Heritage Association, chaired by Alan Taylor. Dan is the brilliant editor of Muriel Spark's letters, volume 1 now available from Virago Press.

Congratulations to @munozpoems.bsky.social fir her poem of the week in today's @scotsman.com

You may not be excited, but I am - never seen inside a hedge before!

From the wonderful BookmarkBlair, @billykayscot.bsky.social; @hugorifkind.bsky.social; catching up with @linanderson.bsky.social and @suzyaspleybooks.bsky.social; and star of the weekend, Mabel, who brought along @mrandrewcotter.bsky.social.

I'm sure they used to be bigger...

Had a fabulous time at the Wigtown Book Festival being chaired by the lovely @writerkcampbell.bsky.social who unlike Eric Morecambe asked all the right questions and in the right order.

Delighted to be back to the @edbookfest.bsky.social - please do come along if you're free! www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...

Fascinating talk at the Muriel Spark Society by psychiatrist Allan Beveridge who talked about the presentation of madness and mental illness in her work. She wrote in The Comforters, "We are all a little mad in one or other particular." Then to Le Bistrot which has an interesting take on literature.

This is an incredible book - @gillianshirreffs.bsky.social exploring her diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer through the writing she did over 800 days. There are longer pieces and short bursts of words in emails, texts and tweets. Beautifully presented and produced by @intocreative.bsky.social

Thank you so much, @portybelle.bsky.social!

Edward Hopper in Edinburgh

The fabulous @liammcilvanney.bsky.social hits town! (He's from the west, but if you concentrate, you can understand him.)

If you don't already have this fabulous book, get a move on!

The fabulous @elspethwrites.bsky.social featured me on their Neurodivergent Notes On Writing substack where I talk about my experience as an autistic author and gush about one of my favourite autistic writers @chrisgpackham.bsky.social ✨ neurodivergentnotesonwriting.substack.com/p/dont-try-t...

Roses are redde Noble are the manatees Yf we wante a bettir future Teach artes & humanityes

The new @privateeyenews.bsky.social

OMG OMGGGGG www.vulture.com/article/new-...

Met a galaxy of crime writing superstars at CrimeFest including @vaseemkhanuk.bsky.social, Nick Harkaway, Fiona Veitch Smith and @byclairewilson.bsky.social who was shortlisted for the @specsaversuk.bsky.social debut crime novel for "Five by Five."

Highlight of CrimeFest - sharing a joke with Simon Brett. Check out this fab Festschrift for his forthcoming 80th birthday.

Congrats to the subs at @thetimes.com - ace caption!

You can now pre-order signed first edition hardbacks of my new historical thriller CARNIVAL OF LIES from the lovely people at Goldsboro Books! @goldsborobooks.bsky.social goldsborobooks.com/products/car... @panmacmillan.bsky.social @jennybrownagency.bsky.social

Fantastic concert hosted by the @friendsofstcecilia.bsky.social with Huw Daniel and Jan Waterfield playing a range of violins and keyboards, including an early 19th century square piano by Edinburgh's Andrew Rochead or Roughead.

Great BookmarkBlair event with authors @vickymackenzie.bsky.social and @seanluskauthor.bsky.social discussing their protagonists Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. And thanks to Chair Gail Wylie for giving a namecheck to "Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Uncharted Island."

Sensational Costume Showcase by the talented @qmuniversity.bsky.social BA (Hons) Costume Design and Construction students in the @traversetheatre.bsky.social. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production.

Delighted to be featured in the @scotsman.com's Scotland on Sunday's The Write Stuff.

Great performance tonight by the @rsno.bsky.social and @rsnochorus.bsky.social. Beethoven's Elegischer Gesang; Carolin Widmann playing Berg's Violin Concerto; and Mozart's Requiem with Mhairi Lawson, Hanna Hipp, Jamie MacDougall and Laurent Naouri, under the baton of conductor Patrick Hahn.

Can't praise this enough! Amazing trip!

Happy Easter! Made the annual visit to the gorgeous Tai Haku tree.

Beyond thrilled with this lovely review from Allan Massie in today's @scotsman.com - "charming, eccentric and very funny." (No, not me, just the writing in "Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Uncharted Island," published by @saraband-books.bsky.social.)

📚 Final weeks to see "Tusitala: Pacific perspectives on Robert Louis Stevenson" This exhibition explores Robert Louis Stevenson’s life as a writer, traveller, and storyteller from Edinburgh to Samoa. 🎟️ Free entry 📆 Closes 10 May 📍 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

99p?? Don't miss this offer!

Just re-reading Scott's "The Heart of Midlothian," which includes a spooky crucial scene right here.

Thank you so much to the @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social for hosting the launch of "Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Uncharted Island," published by @saraband-books.bsky.social, to E S Thomson for asking brilliant question, and to all the brave souls who turned out on a freezing cold night!

Edinburgh O'Clock - 3 minutes to every hour. - we run fast so you don't miss your train. A new hourly image to brighten your day taken in #Scotland very often #Edinburgh and shared with love by Tom Duffin @tomduffinphotos.bsky.social. Please repost with your own caption.

This sounds fab!

Thanks to @benmacpherson.bsky.social for sponsoring the @scotparl.bsky.social presentation of the "Icons on Ammo Boxes: Transforming Death into Life" project by Ukrainian artists Sofia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko. The last image is Scotland's Saint Margaret, granddaughter of Yaroslav the Wise.

Publication Day for Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Uncharted Island - thank you, @saraband-books.bsky.social and Snag Tights!

Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Uncharted Island by our dear chum @olgawojtas.bsky.social just arrived from @saraband-books.bsky.social Olga will be here on Wednesday 16th to celebrate the launch of her latest book www.edinburghbookshop.com/events-1/olg... #books #livres #Edinburgh #Edimbourg

Edinburgh folk, do come along if you're free!

Excellent advice from @joannechocolat.bsky.social

Millions of people and so many amazing signs. #Handsoff2025