Author’s debut work is a love letter to Scotland

An appreciation of Scotland has led a first-time writer to send a love letter to the country in his first novel.

The Boy and the Eagle is the moving debut novel by Charles Williams, a former soldier and IT worker who now lives in London.

It tells how a teenage boy copes – and fails to cope – with the death of his mother from cancer, and his relationship with his father. Nature, the glorious Highlands in Scotland, fishing and the family dog, Sam, are Luke’s consolations.

Sadly, Charlie is bravely battling against a brain tumour at the moment, with his book being a meditation on love and loss.

However, Charlie was upbeat when he told Scottish Field: ‘I love Scotland – I’ve got some great friends who live on the east and west coasts, and I enjoy visiting Morayshire, especially around Findhorn. I also like Kinlochmoidart.

‘Once, years ago, I found myself in the middle of nowhere, on New Year’s Eve. I’d got myself lost outside somehow, and really, I should have died. But I’m ex-army, so I used my survival skills and managed to hold on until the found me.

‘It must have been at great expense to the tax payer – having to come out to find this southern idiot coming up for New Year and getting himself lost!

‘I’ve been fishing in North Uist, on the Tweed and the West Coast. I have to admit, my favourite part of Scotland is the West Coast.

‘When you are down south, I don’t think many people realise just what Scotland has to offer. It’s like another planet. You go there, and it’s timeless – you really can imagine it would have looked like, pre-history.

Charlie’s old family terrier Sam in the Highlands, which inspired his writing

‘It’s beautiful, there’s nothing like the population density we have in the south – it’s just extraordinary. Oh, and the midges are wonderful! I learned to ignore them the last time I was fishing – although at the end of the day I was bright red!’

A book from his own childhood was a huge inspiration to Charlie, The Little Grey Men, a children’s fantasy novel, written by Denys Watkins-Pitchford under the name BB, published in 1942.

He revealed: ‘I’ve always liked literature and enjoyed books by people like Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Strayer.

‘I had always wanted to writing something. When I was young, I always love The Little Grey Men, so wanted to write my own version of that.

‘I wanted to take things I had experienced and to put it on to the page. I wanted to put my love of Scotland into it.

‘I’m dumbstruck about the lack of awareness of Scotland that there is down here – it’s arguably the most beautiful country in the world.

‘I’ve lived in the Andes in Peru for a few years, but Scotland is so unique, because you can have nature’s softness and harshness side by side, if you know what I mean. You can have these sharp, austere mountainsides, next to beautiful fields of heather. You can come out of a seemingly remote gorge, and find yourself next to ploughed fields.’

Charlie started writing his novel several years ago, long before his medical diagnosis.

He explained: ‘Something like 20 years ago, I suddenly realised that we’re all going to die. I know it sounds silly, but it’s true. We can’t do anything about it. I became really interested in that, but not in a morbid way.

‘I don’t actually fear death – although if robbers broke in and threatened me with a gun, I probably would! But of death as a concept, I’m really not scared. What is there to be scared of?

‘So I sat down, and just started writing, without any plans. I wrote things that I remembered from my childhood, being inspired after my parents bought a cottage in Suffolk in the 70s, so I spent a lot of time outside. So, I put that into it – being outdoors with no hiding place, in East Anglia.

‘So many things came back to me, as I recalled things I’d not thought about in years, and I was making it up as I went along.’

The cover to The Boy and the Eagle

Charlie used his more recent experiences in context with his childhood memories, to work on his Scottish setting.

He continued: ‘I’ve always quite enjoyed peace and quiet, but I can never be bored. Put me in an empty room and I’ll find something to amuse myself!

‘I think part of the reason for that is my parents got rid of their TV when I was a little boy. I learned how to be contemplative at an early age.

‘I’ve always felt that it’s better to be doing nothing than watching rubbish on TV! You are developing your brain and reading is a great way to do it.

‘My interest in nature is from the fact I was only good at biology at school.

‘I would spend a lot of time outside, either fishing or trying to shoot things. My mum would drop me off, and I would spend the whole day, from 11am to 6pm, sitting there, fishing, trying to catch pike and loving it. So, when I became a soldier and spent time outdoors, I never felt like a fish out of water.’

One of book’s main features is its beautiful description of landscapes in Scotland, in a style which is both attractive and original. Bereavement is another major theme. Detailed descriptions of fishing in Scotland and the country’s eagles play also an important role in The Boy and the Eagle.

The book is published next week, and Charlie was delighted when his author’s copies arrived.

Copies of The Boy and the Eagle

He said: ‘It’s terrific to have it. It’s quite hard to believe I’ve done it, but I’m very proud of it. In terms of linear time, it probably took between three and five years to write it all, but I did have some breaks, and then I would devote two weekends a month to it near the end, to get it done.

‘For me, it’s been a massive privilege – if I can draw anyone’s attention to what’s going on in Scotland, on our very doorstep, that’s terrific.

‘You might hear of people going to Edinburgh for the New Year, or visiting Glasgow, but there’s so much more to see and do. There’s those beautiful mountains, so many walks – it’s got to be seen.

‘I’m extremely grateful to my friends who have made me welcome when I’ve gone to stay with them.’

The Boy and the Eagle, published by Psychology News Press, will be available from July 17.

The book is available from Amazon in hard copy to pre-order HERE and on Kindle HERE. Find out more and follow @BoyandTheEagle on Twitter.