My reading pledge for Book Week Scotland 2014

Book Week Scotland begins on 24th November, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I'm delighted to be one of the Author Ambassadors for 2014.

As part of my ambassadorial role, I had to make a reading pledge, which you can do too, here: Make a reading pledge.

My pledge was to read a short story, poem or novel extract by a Scottish author to my family every day during Book Week Scotland (whether they like it or not). My daughter, who is a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories, has been trying to persuade me to read The Horror of the Heights every single day...

Anyway, as well as reading to my family, I thought it would be great to make a second reading pledge, and make it a bit more personal: something that would challenge me and expand my knowledge of Scottish fiction.

Several weeks ago, I passed through Waverley station in Edinburgh and saw a display of free paperbacks about the classic Scottish author Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832, as I can now quote with confidence, having read this small volume). The books were issued as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Scott's novel Waverley. 

I decided that in honour of this anniversary, I would pledge to read one of Scott's novels for Book Week Scotland. I suppose perhaps I should have gone for Waverley itself, but it is set during the Jacobite uprising of 1745, a period of Scottish history I am pretty hazy about, because I did my long-ago History O'level down in England. I was afraid that without a grip on the history behind the book, I might not fully appreciate it. So instead I thought I would tackle Ivanhoe, which is set in 12th century England.

I have to put my hand up here and admit that I tried to read Ivanhoe once before, so long ago that when I found my battered Penguin Classics copy of the book, I discovered my maiden name was written inside it! I seem to recall that I got as far as the joust at Ashby-la-Zouche before running aground. I felt, though, that now was the time for another go, and I monitored my reading progress publicly on Goodreads to prevent myself from wimping out again.

So, how did I get on? Well, perhaps time has worked some miracle on me, because I didn't have any trouble finishing the book this time! I would freely admit that this isn't a book for everyone, though I wouldn't be as harsh as the person on Twitter who told me "life's too short" to read it! It does require an investment of time and concentration. It was published in 1819, after all, and it's a historical novel, so as well as 19th century literary flourishes there is some obscure vocabulary to contend with ("alembic", anyone?!). It is also a fabulously exciting, swashbuckling and romantic story, with some moments of high drama and deep pathos, and peppered with flashes of Scott's dry wit. It's hard not to love a book that encompasses an evil, passionate Knight Templar, a handsome young hero travelling incognito, not one but two beautiful heroines, and cameo appearances from Robin Hood and Friar Tuck. Antique humour does not always stand the test of years, but I thought the scenes with Friar Tuck were really hilarious. I also loved the archaic language, which was very elegantly done (I shall probably be addressing members of my family as "thou" for weeks after reading this book). Ivanhoe has definitely whetted my appetite for more of Scott's works.

I started reading the book on 3rd November, because I thought (rightly, as it turns out) that it would be no good trying to read the entire thing in the space of Book Week Scotland. I've finished it a few days short of the beginning of Book Week, and I'll be choosing an excerpt from it as one of the pieces I read to my family next week.

Do make a reading pledge of your own! I'm thrilled that Book Week Scotland has encouraged me to discover something I might otherwise not have read.

Metropolis - what I thought, where and when to see!

As I think I've said before, I'm not really a reviewer but I like to let people know about things I've enjoyed, so here is one of them: Fritz Lang's stunning Metropolis with live musical score by Dmytro Morykit, which I saw (and heard) yesterday evening at Strathearn Artspace in Crieff.

I've been having a personal "mini season" of very old films just recently - my daughter and I went to see The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at the Glasgow Film Theatre and followed it up with Fritz Lang's M at Dundee Contemporary Arts. So when I found out that Metropolis was actually being screened in my home town, I was naturally very keen to go!

This was the second time that Dmytro Morykit has performed his live piano score to Metropolis here in Crieff, but unfortunately I was unable to attend the first time because I was away in Belgium. Dmytro has since taken his performance to various other venues including Wilton's Music Hall in London, but I had been hoping that he would return to Crieff. When I heard that a repeat performance was in fact planned, I was absolutely thrilled, and having attended I can say that I was definitely not disappointed. It was a superb evening. Such was my enthusiasm for the whole idea that I bought tickets for my husband and teenage son as well as for myself and my film fan daughter, and it is a testament to the power of the performance that they were both enthralled. I accept that classic silent films are not everyone's cup of tea, but this one is a masterpiece, and the live music absolutely completed the experience. At the end of the evening, having played for over two hours and entirely from memory, Dmytro Morykit got a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience.

I think the thing that particularly impressed me about Dmytro's Metropolis score is that it is very sensitive to the style and age of the film, whilst being contemporary enough to engage a modern audience. It is dramatic, and conveys the mood of the different scenes very well, and yet it would also stand alone as a gorgeous piece of music. I thoroughly recommend this performance - do go, if you have a chance to experience it.

Dmytro Morykit is planning a tour in Northern Ireland in early 2015, and as he has already taken Metropolis to various locations around the UK, I am hopeful that further performances will be planned in due course. You can find details on his website, here: http://www.dmytromorykit.co.uk

Fangirly: me with Dmytro Morykit at Strathearn Artspace!

A grisly gift for Hallowe'en!

Last year, I made an audio version of one of my ghost stories (Lilith's Story) available free on Soundcloud.

I wrote that particular story in the place where it is set, Innerpeffray Library here in Perthshire, Scotland. It was actually written on Hallowe'en itself, as I was "writer in residence" at the library that day. That experience led to an unexpected Hallowe'en adventure, as I have described in a previous blog post!

As last year's story seemed to be quite well received, I thought I'd make another one available for Hallowe'en 2014. You can find it on Soundcloud, here: Grauer Hans  - it can be listened to, shared or downloaded for a limited period (probably until November 7th, one week after Hallowe'en, unless there is a lot of demand for it!).

Grauer Hans ("Grey Hans" - and don't worry, although the title is German, the story is in English!) first appeared in Shades of Darkness, an Ash Tree Press anthology edited by Barbara and Christopher Roden. It has since been reprinted in The Sea Change & Other Stories, a collection of my stories published by Swan River Press in Dublin. The collection contains seven stories together with story notes, and if you are interested in reading all of them, copies are available to buy from Swan River's website.

This is what I said about the story in the story notes:

'The setting of Grauer Hans is never explicitly identified, but I had Bad Münstereifel in mind. I lived in the town, which is not far from Cologne, for seven years, and it inspired my first novel, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, as well as providing the location. Bad Münstereifel is a place with a long and colourful history (plague, floods, war, witch trials) and a great many local legends. The figure of Grauer Hans himself was inspired by a tradition that a friend in Münstereifel related to me. In Germany, as well as other European countries such as Holland and Belgium, Saint Nicholas brings presents to good little children on the eve of 6th December. He is sometimes accompanied by a less amiable figure, personified as Knecht Ruprecht or Krampus, who punishes badly-behaved children. Allegedly this character was known locally as Hans and was supposed to abduct naughty children; the friend told me that in the past when someone dressed as Saint Nicholas visited the children of the town, he would be accompanied by someone called Hans who would put the naughty ones in a sack and shake them around to give them a fright. I have not been able to verify this story but over the border in Alsace, Saint Nicholas' companion is known as Hans Trapp, so who knows? At any rate, this folk tale made an evil impression on me and largely inspired my own "Grey Hans".'

Book Week Scotland packs a punch!

I'm absolutely thrilled to say (for the benefit of those who haven't already heard my outpourings on Twitter) that I am one of the four Author Ambassadors for Book Week Scotland 2014! The other three are Paul Cuddihy, Shari Low and Ross King. We will be doing our very best to spread the word about Book Week Scotland and how brilliant books and reading are!

The 2014 programme was officially launched this week at a boxing gym in Edinburgh - a strange place for a literary event, you might think, but all became clear when some of Scotland's best-known book characters slugged it out for the title of "Favourite"! The question won't be settled, however, until the readers have voted too!

You can read all about the programme on the Scottish Book Trust's website here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-week-scotland/about

and you can vote for your favourite character here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-week-scotland/vote-for-your-favourite-character-from-a-scottish-book

One of the fabulous activities taking place this year is the distribution of free books to every P1 schoolchild in Scotland. I'm very proud to be an advocate for this brilliant initiative, which will bring these books into thousands of homes.

You can hear me talking about my favourite library on the SBT's Audioboom page here:
http://audioboom.com/boos/2526078-helen-grant-my-favourite-library

If you're on Twitter, you can follow Book Week Scotland @BookWeekScot or me @helengrantsays for updates on activities and events.

Do think about making your own reading pledge for Book Week Scotland, which is 24-30 November 2014. Even if you don't actually live in Scotland, there's no reason you can't make one!
You could read one to your kids - the Scottish Book Trust website has some great lists of books including this one for 3-7 year olds: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-lists/best-scottish-books-for-bookbug-readers-3-7
Or, why not make this the week you finally get around to reading a book by Robert Louis Stevenson, Iain Banks or Christopher Brookmyre? As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, what could be nicer than to settle down with a wee dram (or an Irn Bru!) and plunge into a book? Go on, you know you want to...



(Photo of Hit Girl and Hermione Granger by Rob McDougall)

Finding the Demons of Ghent

This weekend, I dragged my passport out of its seclusion in a lonely corner, blew off the dust and cobwebs and set off for Brussels for the Belgian launch of my latest book, Demons of Ghent. 

Demons of Ghent was published in June and I had a UK launch event at Blackwell's Bookshop in Edinburgh, but I really wanted to do something in Belgium too, because the book is set there. July and August were not the best time to do this because many of the expat population are away on holiday, so I decided to go in September instead. I managed to set up some bookstore events and a radio interview but I'm very pleased to say that I also had time to visit Ghent to see some of my very favourite book locations, and to do a bit of exploring in some new places too.

The interview (on Friday) was with Brussels-based Radio X, and I'll post details of how to listen to that once it has been aired. After that, I headed off to Ghent for the afternoon. I'd been debating with myself whether I should go and see my old favourite places in Ghent, or see something completely new; in the end it was no contest and the old favourites won out. I can never resist paying a visit to this place:

Sint-Baafs Cathedral! That's a photo from a previous trip, by the way. The church is currently covered in scaffolding whilst renovation is carried out, so you can't see much of the glorious gothic architecture. The photo was taken from the Belfort tower on the other side of the square. If you have already read Demons of Ghent you will know that both buildings feature in the opening scene. 

The cathedral is home to the glorious fifteenth century artwork that is the Ghent Altarpiece, sometimes known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. The altarpiece also features in my novel, so I  went to have another look at it. I can't post any photographs I'm afraid. Although photography is forbidden in Sint-Baafs, it is possible to take discreet photos of the interior if you are not abashed by the numerous signs telling you not to, however, it would be much more difficult to get any of the altarpiece, and considering its rarity and beauty I think it makes sense not to drench it in the light of a thousand flash bulbs. You can see it online here: http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be

I did however get a photograph of this painted panel, which was at one time considered a seemly subsitute for the original one of an entirely naked Eve! This hangs in the nave of the church and not in the small secure room which houses the altarpiece itself. 

Again, if you have read Demons of Ghent, this painting will ring a few bells! 

After visiting the cathedral, I went up the Belfort tower, which I found (having a complete terror of heights) quite as horrifically vertiginous as last time. It was fabulous when I was researching the rooftops of Ghent, because it was a superb view over them, but this time I really couldn't face doing the entire circuit of the outer arcade! It makes me feel weak at the knees. I identify very strongly with my heroine, Veerle, but I certainly don't have her amazing head for heights. 

Anyway, I did get a photograph of myself (and the book!) next to the great bell Roland, that is mentioned in chapter 1 of Demons of Ghent. 

A big thank you to the British tourist who kindly took this photograph for me - I don't think I could have taken a selfie here as I would have needed arms six feet long to get the bell into the picture!

Next, I walked to the Gravensteen castle, which also features in the book. The Gravensteen is also covered fairly liberally with scaffolding right now, so I didn't take many new photos of the exterior. I did however get one of me standing inside the fireplace that features prominently in chapter 27:

Again, I had to impose on the kindness of another tourist to get the photo. Ironically, since I can make myself understood in French, German and Dutch, I managed to pick someone who spoke Spanish!! Sadly she managed to cut my feet off in this photo but I didn't have the heart (or the linguistic skills) to ask her to take another one. You'll have to imagine my feet. 

Whilst I was in Ghent I also tried some cuberdons, the locally-made conical sweets; in fact, I saved them and ate them at the top of the Gravensteen. I reckon you can't do much that's more typically "Ghent" than that!

I also had some double-fried frietjes (a.k.a. chips) with a dollop of mayonnaise. Very tasty! The only thing I didn't manage to do this time was to drink a glass of bessenjenever in one of the bars overlooking the canal - I've promised myself that for another day.

On Saturday I went out with Flemish friends to see Beersel castle. I'd never visited it before so it isn't featured in any of my books, but I'm sure Veerle would have enjoyed poking about in it. I certainly did. The castle is ruinous in places and it is not furnished but personally I actually prefer that to visiting somewhere that has been assiduously restored. I like to furnish and people the place with my own imagination! You can certainly do that at Beersel. There are all sorts of spiral staircases, vertiginous walkways and dark little rooms to explore. 

(Staircase photo by Marc Vastesaeger)

On Saturday evening I had the first of my launch events, at Waterstone's on Adolphe Maxlaan in Brussels. I talked about the reasons why I found Ghent so inspirational, and read from the book. I also answered a lot of questions - it was a very busy event! It was brilliant to have such a good audience and I was especially touched to see two friends who had travelled all the way from Ghent for the evening to be there. They showed me around the city when I was researching the book, and the one small example of Ghent dialect (in chapter 36) was given to me by them. 

On Sunday I had a second event at Treasure Trove Books in Tervuren. When we lived in Belgium, we were thrilled to have an English-language bookshop practically on our doorstep, and Treasure Trove have hosted several other books event for me, so it was great to launch the book in the shop. 

The Treasure Trove team had created a really fantastic display to tempt readers (above). Judging by some of the questions I got at this event, it's interesting for readers who live locally to pick out the real life locations in the books in this trilogy. Demons of Ghent is, naturally, mostly set in Ghent, but there are references to other places such as Overijse, where Kris lives, and Veerle's unnamed village near Tervuren. I have never named the village in the books because I thought that the residents of a small Flemish village might not appreciate having it reinvented as the scene of a horrible killing! But anyone who knows the area can make some fairly accurate conjectures about the various locations. 

After the event I spent a bit of time in Tervuren enjoying the atmosphere of the festival that took place this weekend, but all too soon it was time to pack and get back to the airport. I'm pleased to say that I shall be back in Belgium next month for the British School of Brussels' Book Week, so I'll have another chance to stock up on cuberdons and perhaps a bottle of bessenjenever! 

Meanwhile, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who made this such a great weekend! Big thanks to Genevieve and the team at Waterstone's Brussels, and to Jane, Jennifer and the team at Treasure Trove in Tervuren. Thanks to Noreen Donovan of Radio X for interviewing me. Thanks to Marc Vastesaeger for showing me the beautiful castle at Beersel! And the biggest thanks of all go to my stalwart friend Gaby who not only offered me her guest room for the duration of the trip but also drove me around all over the place. She even drove me through the honking and swerving chaos that is driving in Brussels and managed to find a parking space not 100 metres from Waterstones, which is an almost unbelievable feat! 

Finally, thanks to everyone who came to the events! 

Above: Gravensteen selfie!