Welcome to my site!

I write books for all ages, for young children to teenage and adults. I have also written a book on writing - Writing for Children - for both aspiring and newly published authors.

While I spend quite a lot of time visiting libraries, schools and festivals talking about my books and running creative writing workshops, I do manage to find time to write, too!

Latest News:

The Whirry Bang is in the Illuminated Art Car Parade!

On Saturday (28th November) The Homecoming 2009 Art Car Parade will be part of the official opening of Edinburgh’s Christmas and a celebration weekend around St Andrew’s day, there is to be a parade of illuminated fantastical cars including our own favourite vehicle, Hamish McHaggis’s Whirry Bang, complete with lights! whirry Bang car front view

The Whirry Bang is seen here at the Clan Gathering in July this year- where Hamish was the children’s mascot.

Come along and join in the fun! The cars will all be on display from 3pm in Edinburgh’s Parliament Square (High Street) and I will be there with Sally and Hamish himself, so come and say hello! and get some stickers for the children. The parade starts a 5pm and will finish in St Andrew’s Square Gardens. see Edinburgh’s Christmas for more details

November 2009

Another busy month started off with a fun afternoon at the East of Scotland heats for the KIDS LIT QUIZ at Stewart’s Melville in Edinburgh. The Kids’ Lit Quiz is an annual event for 11 – 13 yr olds. Teams answer 100 questions on children’s literature in 10 categories, provided by New Zealand Quizmaster Wayne Mills. There are 15 regional heats in the UK. The winning team from each region competes in the National Final, which in 2009 will be held in Oxford. The overall UK winning team will be invited to compete in the World final in 2010. It is a great event and a lot of fun see the website for more info. www.kidslitquiz.com.

I have been telling Hamish McHaggis stories all over the country visiting Christ The King and Mossend Primary Schools in North Lanarkshire– and as part of Imprint, the East Ayrshire festival I was at the Burns Memorial Centre speaking to local primary schools. I met children in St Joseph’s Primary in Whitburn and I was in Largs speaking to the nursery and P1 classes in Brisbane Primary.

October 2009

I have just returned from visits to S1 classes in Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill and S3 in St Maurice’s HS in Cumbernauld and also to WHEC (Westerhailes) in Edinburgh where we discussed Spider, and some of the classes got a preview of my next novel, which is due out in late spring 2010.

My visit to the SALT Festival (Song, Art, Literature and Theatre) based in Portlethen, Aberdeenshire was over three days at the beginning of October. I visited Fishermoss Primary, Newtonhill Primary and Banchory-Devenick, and Portlethen Primary. Hamish McHaggis came to visit the children with his Whirry Bang which had made the trip north for the occasion. The following week I visited Fisherford Primary and Aberchirder Primary both in Aberdeenshire, to tell Hamish McHaggis stories.