Bloody Scotland – Authors on location…

Well the day is upon us and the festival that is Bloody  Scotland is well and truly underway. So, there’s been a chat or two with a few authors as they get off their train and head to the festival. It’s amazing what you can find out when you catch them off guard!

A Bake off Question if I may – In a Scottish version of the programme….what would you bring to the table so to speak…(baked or otherwise)

Douglas – A roll and square sausage and potato scone. With tomato sauce. Or brown if that’s all there is.

Russel McLean- I do like a good haggis. And a proper fish supper. No other country in the world does fish suppers like we do up here.

Craig Russel has just walked into the #GBBO tent and look what he’s brought!

From Hamburg and the North, all things herring—Bismarckhering, Matjes and Rollmop (most people don’t know ‘Rollmop’ is a North German word).

From the South: Maultaschen (an oversized, herby ravioli) and Spätzle.  And of course there is a whole range of wines.

And yes, I do eat sauerkraut—it’s one of the most powerful antioxidant and probiotic foods you can eat!

All the other authors have crowded round these three now – so whilst distracted I sneak in a few sneaky questions….

Russel, talking of sneaky…I hear you’re a bit sneaky with the words you use in your novels…

(Looks sheepish for five milliseconds and then explodes in a fit of laughter ) “I love Scottish sayings and slang expressions.  I’m naturally fond of “bawbag”, which I used to sneak into the stories I’d write for Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine. The magazine had a reputation for editing out sweary bits, so I used to sneak as many Scottish swearies as I could and that one seemed to be a particular hit. “Numpty”, too. Basically all the insults. You can tell a lot about a country by the ways in which they insult each other, and there’s something almost friendly about the way we use insults which speaks to the country in a way.

Douglas: Ha! I love Yer arse! It’s suitable for so many occasions.

I leave Russel and Douglas guffawing like two little schoolboys about all the naughty words they know….the iron brew I’ve been drinking is starting to come out of my nose so that’s a sign to move on right?

Alex Gray hello! I’ve just left the naughty boys talking about naughty words. What are you and Lin Anderson talking about?

Cluedo! and not just about the game but about who from the Bloody Scotland criminal line up would make good characters….(Now this sounds interesting…)

Christopher Brookmyre would make a lovely (ir) Reverend Green; Stuart MacBride could do a nice turn as Colonel Mustard; Doug Johnstone has to be Professor Plum (genuine Egghead and former nuclear physicist) then we would have Val McDermid as Mrs White; Martina Cole as Miss Scarlet and Mrs Peacock would be my pal, Ann Cleeves.  Shall we set this up for a future Bloody Scotland perhaps?

So Bloody Scotland next year could well include a GGBO event and a Cluedo game?  Bring it on..