Welcome to my site!

I write books for all ages, for young children to teenage and adults. I have also written a book on writing - Writing for Children - for both aspiring and newly published authors.

While I spend quite a lot of time visiting libraries, schools and festivals talking about my books and running creative writing workshops, I do manage to find time to write, too!

Latest News:

***Short listed for the 2009 RED book award***

SPIDER has reached the shortlist for Falkirk Council’s RED (Read, Enjoy, Debate) Book Award which is judged by young people in each secondary school in the area.

June 2009

p4280169 I am just back from a lovely week in sunny Trieste in Italy, where I was able to spend some time writing as well as recovering after a very hectic spring. I am now looking forward to getting much more writing time over the summer.

Last week I had a lovely time visiting GOREBRIDGE Primary School in Midlothian who were enjoying a Scottish week. Primary 1 and 2 classes had been reading the Hamish stories and doing all sorts of Hamish related activities so they were quite excited about meeting Hamish himself!

Hamish is appearing at the THREE HARBOURS FESTIVAL in East Lothian. I am going to be speaking to an invited class at Port Seton Library on Wednesday 10th June.

Sally J Collins is exhibiting some of the original Hamish artwork at Prestonpans Library during the festival and she will also be in the library, doing an illustration workshop with an invited class on Tuesday 9th June. Sally will be appearing at the PORTSOY BOAT FESTIVAL doing her illustration workshops, at the beginning of July, see http://stbf.bizland.com/2009/mchaggis.htm for more information.

Later in June I am looking forward to visiting Sunderland and the HYLTON RED HOUSE SCHOOL for a few days to lead a series of creative writing fun events with the young pupils who are moving up to the high school after the summer. I will also be talking to them about the research involved when I was writing SPIDER and how I create my characters.

A bit of a tour, and a visit to the Aberdeen WORD festival

Mid May was a busy time with school visits to Alva Primary school in Clackmannanshire and schools in the Turriff area where they were having a book fortnight organised by the local librarians. I visited schools in Fyvie, and Fintry. I had Hamish with me much to the delight of the children who visited Turriff library.

Hamish also made an appearance at the WORD festival in Aberdeen.

And at the end of the tour, on a sunny Sunday in May, Hamish and the Whirry Bang came with me to Inverary Jail and Inverary Castle where we met old and new Hamish fans for storytelling sessions.