Vikki Reilly

2 weeks ago | booksfromscotland.com | Vikki Reilly

A Q & A with Emma Cowing ‘Part of what drew me to writing about the world of Scottish showpeople is that it is hidden history, and as we know, women’s history itself is often hidden history.’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.

2 weeks ago | booksfromscotland.com | Vikki Reilly

‘Ah’d say Murray was one who lost a few lives along the way. So be it. Lives are made to be lost.’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.

2 weeks ago | booksfromscotland.com | Vikki Reilly

‘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 carries something occult in its soil.’Muckle Flugga is the debut novel by Edinburgh Makar, Michael Pedersen. We chatted to him about his writing life so far. Muckle FluggaBy Michael PedersenPublished by FaberHello Michael, it’s lovely to have you back here on BfS.

2 weeks ago | booksfromscotland.com | Vikki Reilly

‘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 with minimal facilities – tensions could run high, even between those who were normally on friendly terms.’Nina Allan has written a fantastic new novel, A Granite Silence, that explores a murder of a child in Aberdeen in 1934.

2 weeks ago | booksfromscotland.com | Vikki Reilly

‘We leaned on each other for warmth and comfort, and, eventually, the waves lulled us to sleep.’Thirteen-year-old Samim is a loyal friend, a gifted chess player — and a refugee. After his family is killed in a bombing, Samim makes a long, dangerous journey from Afghanistan to the UK. But even then his safety isn’t guaranteed: Samim must tell his story to convince the authorities to let him stay for good. Here is an extract describing a moment in his escape.