Bog Myrtle & Peat

Having danced around the subject for more than a year, I can quietly announce that I signed a book deal yesterday with Birlinn, Scottish publishers based in Edinburgh. It has been an extremely long road to this point, and I would not be in this position without the help of loyal friends, supportive family and an excellent agent. I now have just over three weeks to finish the manuscript which has preoccupied me for so long – it sounds like a sudden rush, but I think this is within reach.

Needless to say, the book draws an enormous amount of inspiration from this blog, and the tale touches many of the issues I am so devoted to, from curlews and hill cattle to farming and the steady ebb of an ancient heritage. My only fear is that I should fail to do this broad and cinematic subject matter justice. Readers will know how much I depend upon this landscape, so now the pressure is on to celebrate a way of life that is rapidly fading into silence.

More on this to come, of course…