Novel on missing Highland girls on awards longlist

A lawyer turned island crime author could see her new Skye-based thriller short-listed for the Highland Book Prize on Wednesday. Anna Mazzola, whose passion for justice propels her writing, has spent her career as a human rights lawyer representing marginalised individuals, including those who fall through gaps in the criminal justice system. She only started…

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Outlander writer event tickets gone in three hours

Fans of Outlander took less than three hours to snap up tickets for an event with the author of the time-travelling adventure series. Diana Gabaldon will be at an exclusive event held at Hopetoun House next Friday, 15 March, one of the hit TV series’ iconic filming locations. Organised by national tourism body, VisitScotland and…

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How the Jacobites were sent to war after Culloden

The Jacobite defeat at the battle on Culloden Moor in 1746, ended the rebellion in Great Britain. A rebellion that was not a war for Scottish independence, but rather to see which royal house would rule Great Britain. In 1714, the ruling Stuart family had been deposed by the House of Hanover and the Stuarts,…

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New exhibits come to Abbotsford for March opening

A wooden Jacobite quaich, a rare pack of 17th century playing cards, a slop bowl and a Persian charm are among a range of items added to the Sir Walter Scott exhibition. Being held at his famous home Abbotsford, in the Scottish Borders, the new attractions are all ready for the opening of the new…

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StAnza poetry festival will enchant all

Young poetry fans are in for a treat with enchanted rhyme and nonsense verse at this year’s StAnza Festival. StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival is serving up a treat to young poetry fans with this year’s dedicated children’s programme. StAnza has always featured events for younger audiences from readings by children’s authors to staged performances…

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Granite Noir’s biggest crime writing festival to date

Aberdeen’s crime writing festival Granite Noir was held at the weekend – with organisers hailing it the biggest and best since its launch in 2017. Highlights of the weekend included an evening with Aberdeen’s own Stuart MacBride and his biggest fan comedian Susan Calman in the newly renovated Music Hall, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon…

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Sir Walter Scott’s lasting legacy for the whole nation

No author has ever had as much influence and impact as Sir Walter Scott. With his narrative poems and his series of stories, latterly called the Waverley Novels, he did not just change what the world thought of Scotland, he radically transformed literary culture. When I wrote about his long shadow in my book Scott-Land,…

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Rapper turned writer set for book festival event

Organisers of the Edinburgh International Book Festival have announced a special event next month. On Saturday 9 March, American author Angie Thomas presenting her much-anticipated follow-up to her bestselling novel The Hate U Give. The rapper-turned-writer’s incendiary novel about state violence against African Americans, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, sold millions worldwide and…

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Ten famous places from books set in Scotland

Scotland has inspired countless authors from JK Rowling to Arthur Conan Doyle. With our fantastic architecture and natural wonders, it’s no wonder it has been so inspiring to the literary greats. Here are just a few places recounted in our favourite Scottish novels. 1. The Oxford Bar, Edinburgh Famous for its literary connections, The Oxford…

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Isle of Arran announce official poem of new Lagg Distillery

The official poem for the Lagg Distillery on the Isle of Arran, which will be displayed at the new site, has been announced. Following over 80 entries from budding writers across the world, who were tasked with capturing Arran’s history, landscape or spirit, the winning entry is a piece written by David Cover entitled From…

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