Wonderland

Spring is here, new life begins, and the latest releases from Scotland's writers and publishers are full of exciting stories, characters and ideas. Treat yourself in this issue with fiction that is fabulous, fast-paced, feelgood; with non-fiction that enlightens and celebrates; with children's books that tell of worlds beyond our ken, and of poetry that offers moments of reflection. What a glorious abundance!

The Show Woman

A Q & A with Emma Cowing

Emma Cowing’s debut novel The Show Woman is an beautifully-told, action-packed tale of the first all-female circus in Edwardian Britain. BooksfromScotland chatted to her about how the hidden stories from history should be brought out into the open.

The Show Woman By Emma Cowing Published by Hodder & Stoughton

Well done on publishing your debut novel, The Show Woman! How have you enjoyed your journey into publication so far?

Thank you so much! It has been a rollercoaster so far, but very much of the fun kind. I think what has surprised me most is how much of a team effort it is to publish a book. From cover designs to marketing plans, working with my brilliant editor Jo Dickinson at Hodder and the creative input that stretches across the publishing house, there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to get every book you see in a bookshop on to the shelf. It’s been exciting, and very humbling!

What can readers expect from your novel?

Thrills, spills and all the fun of the fair as four young women come together in Edwardian Scotland to create the first all-female circus act. You’ll meet strong female characters striving to make their way in a man’s world, lions, elephants, and an adorable horse named Tommy Pony. At the heart of the story is a long-buried family secret that threatens to tear apart the Ladies Circus for good. You’ll also see quite a bit of Scotland along the way, as the circus travels from Glasgow’s Vinegarhill showground up to Aberdeen during the 1910 summer fair season.

The inspiration for The Show Woman came from a family member. Can you tell us more about that?

My great aunt Violet was a trapeze artist and bareback horse rider, and her parents were showpeople who traversed the fairg...

Murray Hall by Milo Allan

Inspired by a true story of one Scot’s rise to prominence, Murray Hall is a historical fiction novel that takes the reader to a dazzling turn-of-the-century New York, where the eponymous Hall has a secret that is only revealed after death. In this extract, a journalist determined to discover the truth speaks to one of Murray’s gambling buddies.

Murray Hall By Milo Allan Published by Black and White

Joe Young’s eyes gleamed green in the electric light of the card room. I had remembered them grey, like Hall’s, from our first meeting, but I now saw the depths of them like a briny sea.

‘Ah take it you know how to play the Widow. Thirty-one? It’s a simple game but it was one of Murray’s favourites. Better to play with three or four, but we can play it fine e...

Muckle Flugga: A Q & A with Michael Pedersen

‘My Muckle Flugga, though based on the real life Muckle Flugga we swooned over, has perhaps grown to ten times its size. And beyond that my island is known to shape shift, never fully settling. It car …

The Book . . . According to Nina Allan

‘More than anything though, I wanted to foreground the lives of ordinary working people in what could be a harsh urban environment. Families living in Aberdeen tenements were crammed close together wi …

My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle

‘We leaned on each other for warmth and comfort, and, eventually, the waves lulled us to sleep.’

Esperance: A Q & A with Adam Oyebanji

‘If you think about it, a thriller is almost always dark. People are murdered, planes crash, buildings explode, submarines get crushed like cans as they sink to the bottom of the sea. None of this is …

Small Town Joy by Carrie Marshall

‘Like so many queer musicians, Somerville discovered a safe space in music – “I found a freedom on the dancefloor and also found a place to be on my own. I was in my own little world and I didn’t need …

David Robinson Reviews: Storms Edge by Peter Marshall

‘And the way Marshall writes history, putting the spotlight on Orkney and its people and showing how their history is anything but peripheral, finally does them justice. ‘

Dark Crescent by Lyndsey Croal

‘She knew of the seasons and the way of the waves. It wasn’t the knowledge of the land-walkers. The ones that had ruined all that is sacred and beautiful.’

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani

‘I also wanted to focus less on the traditional serial killer story and instead look at the legacy that a killer leaves behind.’

The Devil’s Draper by Donna Moore

‘Pretending to inspect a Liberty blotting pad and calendar, Johnnie glanced at the display of items to its right: a solid silver etui case, a diamond and sapphire pendant and earrings, a pair of match …

Walk Like a Girl by Claudia Esnouf

‘Suddenly there was a huge bang. The driver yelled. The car screeched to a stop. We all gasped, lurching into focus.’

Nate Yu’s Blast From the Past: A Q & A with Maisie Chan

‘It’s a book about identity, untold histories and it has ant facts, karaoke and more surprises.’

The Witch, the Seed and the Scalpel

‘Witchcraft,’ said Father. ‘It is said that should any person catch the falling chestnut before it touches the ground, the ghost of Margaret McKay will appear and bestow the catcher with abnormal stre …

The Malt Whisky Murders by Natalie Jayne Clark

‘It had been up to me, alone, to cram these bodies back into their cask coffins, replace the fetid liquid and roll the barrels away.’

Beyond the Ninth Wave: A Poetry Collection from Gordon Meade

‘What a life, and what / a death – all taste and savour – until the end.’

A Summer Like No Other by Martin McIntyre

‘My late dream that night contained the image of a young footballer in a blue top, ceaselessly scoring the same goal, but on turning to receive adulation from his fellow players is reminded that he is …

Food, Whisky, Life by Ghillie BaŞan

‘Pastries filled with ground nuts, baked fruit or creamy, semolina mixtures, and bathed in honey or …
A Chaos of Light: New Writing Scotland

‘The attic lowed like a crystal haal, last I saa her – / dark-eyed and ready tae furgit me.’
The Fathers by John Niven

‘The pleasures of the unexamined life and all that. Dan had read somewhere that the lower classes – …
Mrs Burke & Mrs Hare by Michelle Sloan

‘If you rip these bodies from the place that’s been blessed as their final place of peace, where fam …
It’s Hotting Up! Summer Reading Suggestions

‘Carso sits on the very north edge of Britain, higher than the Highlands, where the swirling waters …
David Robinson Reviews: To See Ourselves by Alistair Moffat

‘This confluence of styles – analytical yet elegiac, objective yet personal – makes To See Ourselves …