Scots Whay Hae!

For the first of our Bloody Scotland podcasts - Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival - Ali spoke to the five shortlisted authors for this year's Scottish Crime Debut of the Year. They include David Goodman - A Reluctant Spy , Natalie Jayne Clark - The Malt Whisky Murders , Foday Mannah - The Search for Othella Savage , Claire Wilson - Five By Five , and Richard Strachan - The Un...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer and academic Liam McIlvanney to talk about his superb new novel The Good Father , which is published with Zaffre (and which is rightly longlisted for this year's Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize). It's a novel which is difficult to discuss without offering spoilers, but they just about manage it. After giving a brief descript...

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is the first of our Edinburgh Fringe Festival Previews, where Ali talks to a few of the artists who will be appearing at the festival this year. The three shows discussed this time around are all part of the Made In Scotland Showcase, which has come to be a reliable mark of quality. First of all, Christine Thynne and Robbie Synge talk about These Mechanisms , &qu...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to writer Andrew Meehan to hear all about his latest novel Best Friends , which is published by Muswell Press. Andrew gave a brief synopsis before talking about where the initial idea came from, creating relatable and believable central characters in June Wylie and Ray Draper, the importance of coming to care for them and their relationship, why he wanted to avoid...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman who write together as Ambrose Parry to hear all about The Death of Shame - the fifth novel in the Raven and Fisher series - and much more. They talk about how they initially came to collaborate, something which brought together two distinct parts of their life; namely Chris's crime writing and Marisa's...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Natalie Jayne Clark to hear all about her debut novel, The Malt Whisky Murders which is published on the Polygon imprint of Birlinn. Natalie gives a reading from the book, before talking about the initial idea behind the novel, pitching that idea at Bloody Scotland, getting published, developing the central characters, creating a supporting cast,...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to poet Gordon Meade to hear all about this new collection of selected poems Beyond The Ninth Wave , which is published with the Into Poetry imprint of Into Books. Gordon gives a career overview, going back to his early interactions with poetry, his first experience of being published, and the extraordinary story which lead to his writing seriously...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to comic book artist and writer Emily Brooks Millar to hear all about her new illustrated book Birddad. which is being funded through a Kickstarter campaign. The first comic book artist to appear on the SWH! podcast (we think!), Emily talks about how she came to work in the medium, the importance of the support and encouragement from those around he...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer and poet Michael Pedersen, in the splendid surroundings of Glasgow's Mitchell Library, to talk about his debut novel Muckle Flugga , which is published with Faber & Faber. Michael describes the place and people of Muckle Flugga before talking about why this is the story he has told for his debut, explaining that the time was just r...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to filmmaker Ciaran Lyons to hear all about his debut feature Tummy Monster , which is playing across UK cinemas in May. Ciaran talks about the audience reaction to the recent screening at the Glasgow Film Theatre, before describing the film, detailing why this story became his debut, the practicalities faced, expanding on the themes and ideas which...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer Callum McSorley to talk about his new novel Paperboy , which is the sequel to his McIlvanney Prize winning debut Squeaky Clean , both published with Pushkin Vertigo. Callum explains the premise of Squeaky Clean to give listeners an idea of his original vision, before explaining the ways Paperboy builds on that celebrated novel and hi...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to double bassist and returning guest Roberto Cassani to hear all about the album Pictish Spaghetti which he has made with guitarist Graeme Stephen, and which is out now on Brooklyn label 577 Records. Roberto talks about collaborating with Graeme and how that came about, the dynamic of the double bass and guitar, their recording process, the joys of...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to writer and musician Carrie Marshall to talk about her latest book Small Town Joy, which is published by 404 Ink. A widely-published writer, including the critically-acclaimed memoir Carrie Kills A Man, Carrie is also a musician with indie rock band Unquiet Mind, and Small Town Joy is an inquiry into the ways LGBTQ+ artists have shaped Scotland’s musical soundtra...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Fraser Scott who is the director of The Gray Plays, a concert reading of four short plays by Alasdair Gray, which will be at Oran Mor on the 4th May. Fraser talks about the project, the book that inspired it, who is involved (including some well-kent names), and breaks down each of the four plays and why they were chosen. He also explains how he...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Craig A. Smith to hear all about his new novel The River, which is out now with Into Books. Craig explains the full title of The River: A Path Of Least Resistance, why this was a story he wanted to tell, having a picture of the story in his head and the way it developed, the central character of Lachlan McCormack and what he represents, wr...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to Ann Campbell who is the Festival Director of the Dunoon Film Festival which moves to Spring this year, and runs between 24th - 27th April. Ann talks about the history of the festival and the importance of the local community. She also explains her own role before breaking down this year's programme and what people can expect, emphasising that...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke once again to Jess Orr, the Associate Programmer for the Paisley Book Festival , to learn all about this year's programme - and what a programme it is . Jess explains this year's theme 'The Lives We Live' as well as breaking down the various strands of the festival which include 'Life's Fundamentals' , 'The Writer’s P...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to musician and writer Katy Lironi to talk all about her memoir Matilda In The Middle, which is available now, published with Into Books. Katy gives an overview of the book, talks about the title, breaks down the subtitle of 'family, music and mayhem' and how those three aspects work together to tell the full story. She also makes it clear t...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer Ewan Morrison to talk about his latest novel For Emma, which is published on the 25th March with Leamington Books. Ewan gives an overview of the novel before talking about Robert Louis Stevenson, his choice of quotations which are the book's epigraph, the structure of the novel, the central characters, and the sense of paranoia w...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer Karen Campbell to talk about her latest novel This Bright Life , which will be published later this month with Canongate Books . Karen gives a synopsis of the novel before breaking down the three central characters of Gerard, Margaret and Claire and their role in events, why it had to be set in Glasgow, and, more widely, the importan...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Show Ali spoke to writer and academic Esa Aldegheri to talk about There She Goes: New Travel Writing by Women, an anthology of travel tales which celebrates the stories of women for which Esa is the editor, and which will be published by Saraband Books on 6th March. Esa explains how this anthology came about, including the origins of the title, and how the impressive...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer Chris McQueer who was last a guest back in 2018. Since then Chris has been working on his debut novel which is now with us in the form of Hermit, published with Wildfire Books on the 27th February. Chris gives a synopsis of Hermit before explaining how the novel has changed in terms of style and story over the years while the central...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali caught up with previous guest, Saltire Prize shortlisted author David F. Ross to hear all about his new novel The Weekenders which is published on the 27th February with Orenda Books. David gave a brief synopsis before talking about why this was a book he wanted write, the structure of the novel, the various strands and how they work together, and creatin...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! popdcast Ali spoke to writer Allan Gaw to talk about his debut novel The Silent House Of Sleep, which is the first in the Dr Jack Cuthbert series, all to be published with Polygon Books. The Silent House Of Sleep won the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut Prize last year, and Allan talks about first being on the shortlist, his surprise at winning, and the novel bei...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up once again with Dawn Taylor, the Artistic Director & CEO at MANIPULATE Arts, to learn all about this year's MANIPULATE Festival which runs from 12th - 15th February. Now in its 18th year the festival promises something for everyone, and Dawn gives us an overview of the programme, a bit of history, the significance in supporting non-text...