A Mini Book Tour

I am returned from a five event whistlestop 'book tour' of the Western Isles. Because my children's book, 'The Chess Piece Magician', is set in a place called Uig on Lewis, the nice people organising the Faclan (Hebrides Book Festival) thought it would be good to get me to visit. I began in Stornoway with an event for four schools at An Lanntair (the Arts Centre in Stornoway). I had the whole beautiful stage to myself and a tiny lapel microphone so that even my smallest whisper could be heard at the very back of the auditorium. It was brilliant and just the kind of venue I can really perform in. I did story-telling and a magic trick (my only one) and talked history and writing and the book. I also got to meet a family on holiday and the two children, Kissy and Noah, had just finished reading my book (which they had loved) and they had asked specially if they could sit in on the event... of course I signed their copy of the book, but I also got to put my name on their keepsake holiday stone on which they had painted a Lewis chessman.

My second event was at the small primary school in Uig itself. I had never been to Uig before so it was a thrill to be somewhere that in my book I had 'invented'. It was a much more majestic landscape than I had imagined and I apologised to the staff and children there for making it a smaller place than it was. The children in the school were lovely and chatty and we had some fun together.

On my second day, after a ferry trip, I was further south in Benbecula and the Uists. I did two school events there, one at a place called Lionacleit and one at a place called Daliburgh.

Everyone was so welcoming and so warm and the children in each place got to help me on stage and were stars themselves. I also got to see some of the breathtaking scenery as we drove long distances between the events and the weather was kind and everything sunstroked and the water everywhere so beautifully blue.

My final day was on Barra. I had visited Barra before, when I was a younger man. My wife and I spent four holidays there before our children were born. It was, therefore, a huge thrill for me to be back there and this time as a writer and performer. The place was unchanged and so so beautiful. My plane landed on the beach (with the tide out) and would take off again from the same beach the next morning. Once again I was most warmly appreciated by all the staff and the pupils at Castlebay School had a great time as I entertained them for an hour.

Copies of my book and study resources designed by library staff in Stornoway will be sent out to all schools over the next couple of weeks. The resources look very exciting. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who worked so tirelessly in making this trip so enjoyable and so easy for me. Thanks especially to Kathleen Milne and Felicity Bramwell who looked after me so well and to The Scottish Book Trust for funding such events. I just hope that the book festival staff like my next book and invite me back sometime.