Scots Whay Hae!

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to filmmaker and writer Grant McPhee to talk about his book Postcards from Scotland: Scottish Independent Music 1983-1995 which is published by Omnibus Press.

Grant talks about how the book came about and why these are the years he wanted to cover, his film Teenage Superstars which inspired it, how the structure is shaped by the interviews, his previous book Hungry Beat (written with Douglas Macintyre) which set the template, the importance of the legendary, and often misunderstood, C86 cassette, and how many of the musicians in the book changed, and continue to change, Scotland's cultural landscape.

The two also discuss the importance of place in the story, particularly outside of the cities, as well as talking about some of the lesser known bands who appear on these pages.

It's a comprehensive conversation as befits such a book which covers its subject so thoroughly, and it makes for the perfect accompaniment to the text and the music it celebrates.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, head to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is another collaboration with Bloody Scotland - Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival - where Ali spoke to the five shortlisted authors for this year's McIlvanney Prize which is awarded for the best Scottish crime book of the year.

They include D.V. Bishop (A Divine Fury), Chris Brookmyre (The Cracked Mirror), Val McDermid (Past Lying), Abir Mukherjee (Hunted) and Kim Sherwood (A Spy Like Me).

All the writers give a brief synopsis of their shortlisted novels before explaining a bit more about why they chose to wrote them, and agree that they once again prove the variety of crime writing at the moment.

They also discuss the importance of literary prizes, and the impact not only of winning, but simply being long and/or shortlisted can have in terms of publicising and selling a novel, before setting out just why the crime-writing community is such a supportive and welcoming one.

The McIlvanney Prize is one of the most significant literary prizes around, and a great guide as to the best crime fiction on offer, so it was such a pleasure, and a privilege, to be able to talk to these great authors. This is a podcast which will be of interest to readers, writers, and book lovers of all kinds, but especially if crime is your thing.

And Bloody Scotland is on between 13th - 15th September. Tickets are on sale now.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, head to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Jenny Lecoat about her new novel Beyond Summerland, which is published on the Polygon Books imprint of Birlinn Ltd.

After offering a carefully considered description of the book - which is set on Jersey just after the Second World War - Jenny explained why she wanted to write about this time and place, her personal connections, and how occupation shaped the island and those who live there, something which continues to the modern day.

The two also discuss what's interesting when writing about small communities, the joy of research, how the best historical novels speak to the present day, and if there are any comparisons between writing fiction and Jenny's other work, which includes film, TV, radio, and more.

It was so interesting to be able to talk to Jenny about Beyond Summerland, a novel which can be read on a number of levels, and hear about her approach to writing. One for book lovers and writers alike.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, head over to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to the Founding Artistic Director of Cryptic Cathie Boyd to hear all about this year's Sonica Festival, which runs at 16 venues across Glasgow between 19th-29th September.

Cathie talks about the history of both Cryptic and the Sonica Festival before taking us through just some of the extensive programme, the wide variety of what's on offer, the multiple venues where events will take place, before Ali offers his picks of the festival which prompts more detailed discussion.

The two also talk about the importance of funding to festivals such as Sonica, and in the Arts and culture more generally, taking into consideration the recent news of the severe cuts to arts funding from the Scottish government leading Creative Scotland to close its Open Fund for Individuals arts grant.

It was great to be able to talk to Cathie and get an insight into what is one of the highlights of the cultural year. And watch out for the p.s. at the end of the interview to find out about another festival highlight.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, head to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to creator and performer Claire Love Wilson and director and performance-maker Peter Lorenz to hear all about Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid which has just completed a full run at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, and is about to tour Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Claire and Peter explain the inspiration behind the show, how the two met and then came to work together, the music and the influence of Scottish ballads, having to adapt for different venues, the collaborative nature of the piece, and working with An Tobar & Mull Theatre & The frank theatre.

It was also fascinating to talk to people at the end of an Edinburgh Fringe run rather than about to begin to hear the reality rather than the expectation, the practicalities involved, and challenges faced.

For full details, and all the ways to listen, head to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the latest podcast Ali caught up with writer and academic Dr Rodge Glass to learn about his extraordinary new book, Joshua In The Sky: A Blood Memoir.

It's a slightly different interview as Ali picks certain texts which are referenced throughout, allowing Rodge to talk about the book in a different way. Before that he explains who Joshua is and the reasons for writing Joshua In The Sky, and talks about HHT (Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia) the rare genetic disorder they share.

The two then go on to talk about the work of Caroline Bird, Jenny Offill, Tom Leonard, Hassan Blasim, and Grace Paley, among others. They also discuss the life and work of Alasdair Gray and Michel Faber, both of whom Rodge has written biographies of, which raises the subject of memoir, the differing ways to approach the form, and how both these writers, and writing about them, feed into this one.

Fittingly for a book which defies easy explanation, this is an insightful and honest conversation which touches upon just some of the themes in Joshua In The Sky and which will hopefully lead to you wanting to know more.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, head to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

Photos of Rodge Glass - credit Alan Dimmick

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Jenny Colgan to hear all about her latest novel Close Knit, published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Jenny talks about the personal inspirations behind Close Knit, how and why knitting is integral to the plot, the reasons behind the setting of Carso, and the north of Scotland more generally, why she made the novel contemporary, her approach to writing characters, and she felt it was vital to but community at the centre of events.

She also stresses the importance of the romance in romantic comedy, sets out the challenges and rewards of writing dramatic scenes, and explains why she included instructions for knitting a bobble hat (and/or headband), with the hope that readers may find a new favourite hobby.

Jenny also talks about her life as a writer, how it began, and how it's changed over the years. One of the most widely read authors to ever guest on the SWH! podcast, it was such a pleasure to be able to talk to Jenny Colgan about this new publication, and so much more.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, head to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to crime writer Christopher Brookmyre to hear all about his intriguing new novel The Cracked Mirror, published on the Abacus imprint of Little, Brown Book Group.

In an attempt to avoid all spoilers, Ali asks Chris to take the responsibility of describing the book, before talking about how he approached writing it, the specific inspirations behind it, the importance of respecting genres, creating his central characters, having a quote from Afghan Whig's song 'Debonair' as the epigraph (and the one that got away), the importance of place, and the inspirational tweet that began it all.

He also tells us how collaborating with his wife Marisa Haetzman for the Ambrose Parry books changed his approach to writing more generally, the importance of planning, the challenges presented by historical fiction, and writing as a partnership.

The two also discuss the impact of his debut novel Quite Ugly One Morning, and how its influence has endured, as well as the changes in the world of Scottish crime writing since its publication and the impact of the Bloody Scotland Festival and the crime community more generally.

It's a podcast not only for fans of Chris Brookmyre (or Ambrose Parry), or even crime aficionados, but anyone interested in all things bookish as one of Scotland's most celebrated writers talks at length about his work and much more.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, go to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali catches up with previous guest, the writer and poet Andrés N. Ordorica to hear all about his debut novel How We Named The Stars, which is published with Saraband Books.

Andrés talks about why this was a story he wanted to tell, creating the central characters of Daniel and Sam, writing in the second person, bringing the reader into the book, writing about love and loss and how that can change both reader and writer, the structure of the novel, and his approach to populating it with a supporting cast.

The two also discuss how Andrés engages readers' senses in both How We Named The Stars and with his poetry, the differences between the two forms, and what's coming next. They also look forward to this year's Edinburgh Book Festival where Andrés will be appearing, and chat about the wider affects of Festival season on the city itself.

Andrés is one of our favourite writers, and How We Named The Stars is not only a stunning debut, it's one of the most moving and emotional reads of this year, or any year, and it was a pleasure to get such a personal and thoughtful insight.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, go to https://www.scotswhayhae.com

For the first of our Bloody Scotland podcasts - Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival - Ali spoke to the five shortlisted authors for this year's Scottish Crime Debut of the Year. They include Suzy Aspley (Crow Moon), Daniel Aubrey (Dark Island), Allan Gaw (The Silent House of Sleep), Doug Sinclair (Blood Runs Deep) and Martin Stewart (Double Proof).

They each give a brief summary of their shortlisted novels before the chat turns to the diversity in the list, approaching a debut, why they chose the genre of crime, or, in some cases, why crime chose them, the crime fiction community, and the importance of festivals such as Bloody Scotland.

There is also a fascinating chat about getting published, learning from rejections, the importance of finding your tribe (and killing the parrot!) and many more tips on, and tales about, becoming a published writer.

It's a podcast which will be of interest to readers, writers, and book lovers of all kinds, but especially if crime is your thing. And Bloody Scotland is on between 13th - 15th September. Tickets are on sale now.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, and all the relevant links, head so https://www.scotswhayhae.com