Hello, lovely supporters!
Be guid tae yer mammy is very much a Scottish novel in every sense of the word, and one of the reasons I am so glad to be publishing with Unbound is because it is paving the way for new Scottish literature.
After the success of Natalie Fergie's The Sewing Machine, which is partially set in the same town as my debut, good ol' Clydebank, they have selected not only my novel but that of Alan Gillespie, a Scottish English teacher and writer, to publish. His book, The Mash House, is also his first novel and is a story about secrets, death, and malt whiskey!
We decided to interview each other to give you all an idea of how Scotland and Scottishness are influencing literature in 2019.
As a fellow Scottish writer, location aside, how has Scotland influenced your writing? Has it always been a lingering presence since you first put pen to paper?
The first Scottish writer I sunk into was Iain Banks. A lot of people talk about Irvine Welsh’s ‘Trainspotting’ being a milestone but it wasn’t for me. I was in S3 when my mum got me Banks’s ‘Wasp Factory’ for Christmas. I don’t think she appreciated quite how obscene parts of the book were for a teenage boy. But I loved it. It’s disgusting and brilliant and the prose is so lean. Banks was from Fife, like me. He wrote in my accent and he captured this story full of darkness and humour. It was perfect for me. I got to meet him, years later, in Ardnamurchan. He came up in this little vintage red convertible and he was so kind. A huge loss. But I get inspiration from other places too. There’s an American writer called Kent Haruf who I am in love with. His novels are set in Colorado and it’s beautiful how he chronicles the landscape. I want to do something similar with the West Highlands in my book. I’ve lived in Fife, Stirling, Fort William and Glasgow, so I have a good grasp of Scottish communities. They’re unique and they all inform my writing differently. When I was at university in Stirling I took some units on Gothic fiction. Dracula, Frankenstein, and the rest. I love how the landscape in the old classics becomes a presence in the story. The weather in Scotland is so changeable too, particularly in rural places. It can switch from sunshine to thunder within the hour. I like my characters to have the same complexity. There’s a rich tradition of tartan noir writing in Scotland and I suppose I’m following in those footsteps – The Mash House is not a police procedural but it does have its share of crime and cruelty.
The Mash House was inspired by the time you spent working in the Highlands as a probationer, prior to this, did you have any other novel ideas, or were you simply waiting for the right inspiration to strike?
I have struggled with finding time to write, but never with ideas. I’m lucky in that. I must have started or planned a dozen novels before now. Most never made it past the first page but the ideas were sound. For a long time I found short stories much easier to write. They require less time and investment. I did an MLitt years ago and I wrote a lot of short stories. Most got published here and there. My collected short stories probably run to about 45,000 words so it’s not far off enough for a book. The furthest I ever got with a proper novel was with a story about a Glasgow band called The Blues Council. There’s a family connection there and the writing was going well. It was set in the 1960s so needed research and this was time-consuming. I applied for a funded residency at Cove Park to work on this, and I was their ‘Emerging Writer’ in 2011. I’m still emerging I guess. I stayed there for 2 weeks and wrote and it was bliss. The manuscript got to about 40,000 words and then I had a crisis of confidence. It wasn’t turning into the book I’d wanted to write. My narrative perspective was all wrong. It wasn’t striking the right notes in my head. So I packed it in. I’ve probably still got it on a USB stick somewhere. Earlier this year I did manage to do something with the story – The Glasgow Herald published a feature about The Blues Council. I was really happy to get it out there eventually, even if it was in a different form. I look back at that novel now and I think I was too young to write it. I was about 25 and just couldn’t get my head around the story. It was too big and too important. It’s one I think I might go back to some day.
Why did you decide to publish with Unbound instead of opting for another route?
I only half-heartedly looked into getting an agent or a publisher before. My problem was that I never had a completed manuscript, and that was a requirement. When I submitted The Mash House to Unbound I really wasn’t writing fiction. I’d placed a few pieces about education and culture in the Times Educational Supplement, The New York Times and The Scottish Catholic Observer. But I’d stopped writing stories. I’m a teacher and was finding it too hard to balance both. So I submitted to Unbound on an impulse one day. Three chapters, a synopsis, a wee bio. I didn’t expect to hear anything back. And I didn’t, for about nine months. When I got the email offering to take the book on, I was stunned. I hadn’t worked on the thing for about a year. So to get this was a great validation. I hadn’t finished the manuscript by then. I could have used that as an excuse and turned it down. But the timing was right. I felt I had to do it. It was now or never. In a way Unbound saved me as a writer. I was low on motivation and this changed everything. I had support, I had purpose, and the story began to burn really strong in my mind. I like their innovative approach as well. It allows them to take a risk on new writers with fresh stories. I felt like it was a good fit for me.
One of Unbound's biggest advantages is the relationships it allows authors to build with each other and readers. How have you found this relationship-building part of the process?
I’m quite comfortable using social media so I could see how that would help. I’ve been lucky to get a lot of support from contacts on facebook and twitter. It can be hard work. Constantly posting and messaging people. But that’s the crowdfunding game so I don’t mind. I just hope I’m not too irritating. Doing this has also given me motivation to reach out to old friends. I’m not good at keeping in touch much. It’s been a blessing in that sense. Messaging and meeting up with old pals. People have been so kind. My family have also been really supportive. My mum has got a few people from her work to pre-order. My dad is emailing all his pals about it. It’s nice to be doing something to make them proud. The other boost comes from the Unbound authors. There is a great network of good and kind people. I’ve barged into their DMs for advice and never been turned down. Everyone knows this is hard. It’s good to share the pain and the success. It’s also gratifying to know who my readers are. That they are partners in this journey. I can’t wait until the books are with them and I can thank them properly. There’s going to be a big party. Everyone’s invited.
What's next for your literary career once you've finished crowdfunding?
It’s hard to see that far ahead. I’ve got a wonderful job as Head of English at Fernhill School in Glasgow and that keeps me busy. My colleagues and students have been encouraging. They know how much this book means to me. It must be every English teacher’s secret desire to publish a novel. School holidays are the best time for my writing. Once the crowdfunding’s complete, I’m looking forward to working with my Unbound editor. I’m not naïve or arrogant to think my manuscript will be perfect first time. There’s a lot of work to be done there. It’ll make the story better so it’s worth it. I’d like to try to get into some of Scotland’s book festivals to promote the novel as well. I’m doing a short reading at Ness Book Fest next month. Hopefully more will follow. I don’t have any plans yet for another novel. I’m too invested in The Mash House just now. But I think it’ll be something urban. I live in Glasgow and there are a hell of a lot of stories in this city waiting to be told.
If Alan's book sounds up your street, it too is available to support here.
As ever, thank you all so much for believing in my story. I am incredibly excited to be moving ever closer to the finish line, and I hope to finally give you all an idea of be guid tae yer mammy's release date in November!
Emma