Caribbean Island Update – another month in paradise…

August was our second month spent here on Utila, a tiny Caribbean island off mainland Honduras. It has been a much quieter and more laid back month than July – when there was the island carnival and music festival. It also feels much hotter, not so much because the temperature has risen but because the wind has dropped. We no longer get that wonderful easterly breeze rushing through our Little Yellow House cooling us down, and there have been nights when we have succumbed to the high price of the electricity and used the air-conditioning for an hour or two - when the island’s electric power supply is on that is – and it’s off far more than it’s on!

August on Utila - everything is calm and the sea is like a translucent blue mirror.

In August and in September all the divers on the island get excited because the increased temperatures and the calm waters brings the whale sharks close to the reef and to the island. Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the sea and my lovely husband Trav was at last able to achieve his dream of swimming with a magnificent whale shark this week!

Trav is happiest under the sea.   Trav with a lionfish

 Top News: Trav has now completed his Dive Master Internship

Now, it doesn’t look like it from all the fun photos I have to show you this month, but I promise you that I have been working very hard too - writing and researching my new novel ‘Castaway in the Caribbean’. So far I'm on target and I'm on schedule!

Despite what it looks like - I have been working hard too - honestly!

                                                                               

So as we go into September I’m very aware of how fast our time here is flying by - and I still have so much I want to do - both on the novel and also on the island. So when I'm not actually sat down writing, you'll find me out and about researching. As boats feature heavily in my story, I've been particularly interested in looking at boats and going out in them, all in the name of research!

Research!

We still take a Thursday off work to have some fun together and we usually go to our favourite beach. Sometimes we have the whole place to ourselves to sunbathe and snorkel on the reef and other times we meet up with lovely friends for lunch and drinks - and deck jumping!

Jumping off the deck at Coral Beach!

This month we had another fabulous day out on the boat with the lovely peeps at Ecomarine Dive Center. Last month we were diving and snorkeling and we stopped for lunch at an island called Pigeon Cay. This time we took a Sunday picnic to an island called Water Cay. The Cays are a string of tiny, mostly uninhabited, tropical islands off the coast of Utila. It was wonderful to spend a whole day relaxing on the white sand under the shade of the palm trees or laying in the shallow and incredibly warm water sipping rum!

At Water Cay, Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras. Top group photo copyright: David Thatcher

Then after all the highs there was a bit of a low point to the month when Trav and I both came down with a horrible tropical head cold. I got cold sores on my mouth and Trav had to stop diving for a couple of days as his ears wouldn't equalise. But the worst thing was that I then had a nasty re-occurrence of the tooth abscess that I first got during our trip to South Korea a few months ago (see my previous post on South Korea). You see, I just didn’t have time between that trip and this one to have the tooth properly crowned, so the flare up wasn’t totally unexpected, but it was very unwelcome non-the-less. I took a course of the antibiotics that I brought with me in our medicine kit, and I hope that will keep the problem in check, until we get home on the 1^st October and I can get a proper dental check up.

The big highlight of the month came right at the end – with Trav’s graduation party and snorkel test. He graduated as a Dive Master as the same time as a lovely lady called Cat, who is also from the UK. It’s tradition for the graduating Dive Masters to put on entertainment – which usually involves them getting their own back on their Instructors!

Trav and Cat put on a fun version of the UK TV show ‘I’m a celebrity – get me out of here!’ except theirs was ‘I’m a PADI Pro – get me out of here!’ The PADI Pro’s had to answer crazy questions and were rewarded with shots of rum if they got them right. Particular fun was had at the ‘Reef Tucker Trials’ when Fish Lips, Moray Eyes, Fire Worms and Squid Balls had to be eaten!

The final part of the night involved the graduates having to earn their Dive Master T-shirts by doing the famous ‘Snorkel Test’. This involves rum being poured into a mask and snorkel and it being drunk through the nose and mouth. Trav has been saying for weeks that he wasn’t going to do the test but in the end he was persuaded otherwise. But to make Trav’s test more embarrassing for him, his instructor made him wear a far-too-small wet suit throughout. The whole night was great fun and I’m so proud of my Dive Master husband!

Dive Master Graduation Party and Snorkel Test!

 

September is going to be a very busy time for us here on Utila. I still have to work hard on finishing ‘Castaway in the Caribbean’ and Trav will be working at the dive center as a fully qualified Dive Master. On top of that there will be the island's Independence Day celebrations mid-month. During the next few weeks, Trav and I will have to make even more time for having fun together, in order to fully appreciate the time we have left on Utila before we suddenly find ourselves back in Scotland; at the start of what will be wintertime.

I’ll try to post some writing updates during September and maybe some sneak snippets from the chapters I have written, albeit unedited, until my lovely editor gets her hands on the manuscript. I’ll also do another monthly round up at the end of September before we travel home. In the meantime don’t forget that you can find me on Facebook and on Twitter.

Do please feel free to leave a comment - I so love to hear from you - and do come back soon!

Love, Janice xx

Running along...

As a writer, I’m often sat at my desk for most of the day and I find that long periods of time spent at my computer causes me lots of problems. I get sore eyes (I have to wear reading glasses at the computer) and I get a stiff neck (I find myself hunching over the keyboard sometimes) and I have had a few painful bouts of repetitive strain syndrome in my shoulders and wrists. And all that’s before we go anywhere near the expanding waistline and bottom syndrome!

I've always enjoyed taking a brisk mid-morning walk on most days, but now I’ve stepped things up a bit and I go for a run. Running loosens up my muscles, fills me with oxygen, and helps me to either think or to empty my mind – whichever is needed the most. I run for three miles in a circuit around the cottage and, now that I’ve being doing this for a few months, I sometimes manage five miles!

This morning’s run was particularly enjoyable. Autumn has arrived here in my part of Scotland. It was dry and mild and the leaves on the trees are just starting to turn golden. Mushrooms and toadstools lined the verges of the lanes along my route and the brambles are ripe and asking to be be picked and made into jam.

I had my phone camera to hand today and took these photos. I thought you might enjoy them too.



My running route away from the cottage

 

Woodland Toadstools

 

Love these colourful ones - so pretty - but probably highly poisonous!



The high stretch of land between the Nith Valley and the Lowther Hills

 



A rewarding view from the top of the tough uphill stretch!
 





Looking over Durisdeer and the Lowther Hills
 

Brambles in the hedgerow - but no time to stop and pick them!

 

The home straight!

I have a busy week ahead filled with writer’s meetings and speaking events. Why not check out my Author Facebook Page which I update several times a week with all my writer news, authorly views and book reviews!

Haste ye back here next Friday!







Kicking back….

This week I’ve been kicking back and relaxing after the launch of How Do You Voodoo?

Mr JH and I took ourselves off to the cinema in Glasgow to see Skyfall and both of us remarked how the scene with Bond and M standing beside the Aston Martin in the remote Scottish countryside - looked as though it had been filmed at the Dalveen Pass – an area very close to our cottage. I got quite excited at the thought that Daniel Craig might have popped in for a cup of tea!

 

I also caught the BBC Scotland programme ‘Imagine’ featuring Edinburgh author Ian Rankin. It’s up on the iPlayer just now here and is really worth watching. It follows Ian over the course of writing his new novel ‘Standing in Another Man’s Grave’ and it was fascinating to see how he worked. I also found it reassuring that he gets stuck (in his case usually at page 68) and that he doesn’t plot his stories beforehand. Indeed, with this particular novel, he got almost to the end without knowing himself who the killer was!  The interviews with his editor and his wife were also illuminating from a writerly perspective and I enjoyed seeing how he researched the details in his stories.

This weekend is Mr JH’s birthday and we are having our friends over to celebrate with us. So, this afternoon, I’m not writing or going anywhere near my laptop - I'm making birthday cake!

 

Happy Birthday to my real life hero - Mr JH!

 

So until next week (when I’ll be back to work on my WIP) I’m wondering if you like to take a break and kick back a little after completing a writing project - or are you a writer that gets straight into the next book without a single pause?

Love, Janice xx

 

Exciting Times...!

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks - with so many fabulous author friends launching books and hosting parties - some with debut novels and others adding to their repertoire!

I’ve been busy preparing for The Spellbindingly Fun Blog Party which is taking place here in two weeks’ time – it’s not too early for you to sign up – in fact, it will give you time to collect your spellbinding ingredients and think up that spell you want to cast. No curses though – only spellbinding fun allowed!

To find out more CLICK HERE

 

While preparing for the launch of How Do You Voodoo? I’ve been sending out ARC’s (advance reading copies) to those who expressed an interest in reading and reviewing before launch day. I must admit to feeling a wee bit nervous as those copies went out to readers and book bloggers. Novella length fiction is new for me and writing in only one viewpoint (the heroine’s) is new too, as I usually use several viewpoints in my longer length fiction to tell the story. So you can imagine my delight when reviews popped up on book blogs and on Amazon this week. You can find out more about How Do You Voodoo? and read some of those reviews here:

 

Lovereadinglovebooks

Morethanareview.com

Jontybabe Book Reviews

Amazon.co.uk

I’ve also been writing up lots of launch week guest posts and answering lots of questions about being an author, about research and about the writing, and what I love about being an Indie – the pros and the cons. Well, I’ve answered that particular question more fully on Victoria Connelly’s blog, where next Thursday 18th October, I’m a guest as part of her fabulous ‘Indie Month’ feature. There are some cons of course but there are mostly pros – and especially over these past couple of weeks - being an Indie author is proving to be a very exciting career indeed. Please check out and 'like' my Author Facebook Page for midweek news features and links.

So what are your plans over the next couple of weeks?

Will you be atending the Spellbindingly Fun Blog Party perhaps and casting your own spell…?

Love, Janice x

 

The Perfect Book Title...

Last week’s post  ‘Arresting the Reader’– a masterclass in opening lines - resulted in a variety of wonderful responses and examples here on the blog and prompted an interesting discussion on Twitter. One tweep (twitter user for those who are not familiar with Twitter jargon) quipped that he thought all his readers should be arrested - and I had a giggle at that one - so thank you to @himupnorth!

Another writer tweep said that after reading the post, she had ‘revisited her opener’ and having taken on board the advice to get a sense of mood, tone, content and place in those first few sentences, now felt ‘really proud’ of her opening lines. Fantastic!

This week, I have been asked as a result of a writer’s title crisis to do a post on book titles. This is a subject I also need to explore for my current unnamed WIP (work in progress) and one I covered early last year when I first started blogging and writing ‘Reaching for the Stars’. As many of you may not have read this post before and others may appreciate the refresher - I am therefore reposting it below.

Do you decide upon the title of your novel first and write the story to suit or do you finish the manuscript and choose a title afterwards?

 

With me, the title usually 'pops' into my head while I'm pondering the theme, the premise and the characters, then it is fixed. I just can't help myself. Of course, it might not be a good idea to get too attached to it if you have a publisher, as I know lots of writers who thought they had the perfect title, only for it to be changed later. Famously, Jilly Cooper's latest blockbuster 'Jump' had a working title of 'Village Horse' during the four years she was writing it.

So what makes a good title? Well, surely it has to be the minimum number of words that sum up the feel of the book. If you can relate genre, setting, time period and premise, as well as attracting attention to the cover, then you have to be backing a winner.

I had an interesting time on Better Book Titles today - it's a website that features recognisable book covers of bestsellers and classics and updates them with a twist - giving a much more descriptive title. You can also now follow this site on Twitter at @betterbooktitle. The site is run by Dan Wilbur and he aims to give you the meat of the story in one condensed image. Great fun!

My advice if you are struggling to name your magnum opus would be to think about what you want the title to convey and to make notes, jotting adjectives, verbs and nouns, which can be associated with the story. Use a thesaurus and refer to a reverse dictionary - a reverse dictionary allows you describe a concept and get a backlist of words which have definitions conceptually similar to the words you search with - a good place to find a reverse dictionary is www.onelook.com

Next I would suggest giving yourself some time and space to process your ideas and to allow your subconscious to work. Then, when you have a title or a selection of title ideas to work with, go to Amazon and look up other books with titles that are similar or the same - noting in particular the ones in the same genre as your work. Originality is always best but remember that there are no laws of copyright on titles.

If you are deliberately trying to be controversial with your choice - or simply like to be a little different - then don't be surprised if you find yourself shortlisted for next year's Oddest Book Title Of The Year Award. This year's worthy winner, as announced recently by the Bookseller magazine, was an inspirational guide: Managing a Dental Practice:The Genghis Khan Way

  
Writers - do tell us how you came up with the title of your book and at what stage in the writing process you did it...?

Readers - what makes it a perfect book title for you...?

All comments and tweets appreciated.

Love, Janice xx

@JaniceHorton

What’s in a Name…?

I often start a new book with a fully formed character in my mind - who comes with a name – a name that suits him or her so well that they couldn’t possibly be called anything else. Finn McDuff of Reaching for the Stars arrived in such a way and so did Orley MacKenna of Bagpipes & Bullshot - even my own three children arrived into this world with their names already decided upon - but this time I’m not entirely sure I have exactly the right names for my hero and heroine..!

How important is a name?

Well, I think names are very important because they immediately conjure up images and character traits and so I believe it’s worth spending some time and research to get them right. Especially for your main characters. I mean, how many actors and musicians have changed their given names to something more in keeping with a strong image? Famously, there is Elton John, who might not have made it with the name Reginald Dwight. Then there is current pop siren Katy Perry – who is actually Kathryn Hudson in real life – but then there is already a famous actress called Kate Hudson, isn’t there?

Surnames are as equally important. They should be strong and not silly. They have to resonate rather than clash with the first name and, personally, I would avoid names so unusual in either pronunciation or spelling that they run the risk of taking the reader out of the story. Surnames can state nationality. They can even suggest if a character belongs to the upper, middle, or lower classes – before they open their mouths.

How do we find the right name?

Twitter: I threw out this question last week here on this blog and on Twitter in preparation for writing this post and received some great suggestions. @MrsPogleswood – Luke or Luker and Alex (female). @BookstoRemember – Andrew and Tayra. @SallyHepworth – Patrick and Eloise.

Here on the blog: Louise Graham suggest Cheryl and Richard. Old Kitty favours Angelina and Aiden. Cassam likes Abi for a heroine and Ross or Garth for a hero. Valentina (whose name I love!) offered Olivia and Matt.

So do keep the name suggestions coming in - either in the comment box below or on Twitter (I'm @JaniceHorton)

A great piece of advice came in from @Rodney_Willett on Twitter. Rodney is the lovely husband of acclaimed novelist Marcia Willett. He says: “it doesn’t matter – just call them anything to start with - then one day you will realise that Jane is really Sarah and Dominic wants to be Andrew.”

Research: I think television programs are a great source of name ideas and don’t forget the goldmine that is the credit list at the end of movies. The internet lists currently popular names and baby name books or listings are also worth checking. I like the idea of finding names with meanings: for example Gareth means ‘firm spear’ and Lachlan ‘warlike’ – so these guys would be tough and manly in any book!

Next Friday: having settled on a couple of names, I’ll be hosting a mini-writing-workshop looking at writing the opening paragraph. Do let me know if you are starting a new book right now too – or if you are thinking about it…?

In addition to my regular Friday posts (which often appear on Thursday evenings!) I have decided to host my Author Showcase posts additionally on occasions as there are so many writers out there whom I feel deserve to be showcased and supported.

So, pop back on Saturday 4th February to meet Richard Holmes, author of Angelic Wisdom Trilogy. Richard is a Medium, a Reiki healer, a psychic surgeon, a spiritually inspired artist and interpreter of dreams.

Janice xx

Author Showcase – Sue Johnson

I’m delighted to introduce you to Sue Johnson, a wonderful and talented writer whom I’m known for several years through the Romantic Novelist’s Association and now as Associates at the innovative reader/writer website Loveahappyending.

Sue was born in Kent and has had a variety of jobs during her working life including training administrator, vicar’s secretary, cinema usherette and running her own patchwork quilt-making business. She is now a writer, artist and musician and most of her work is inspired by the stunning Worcestershire countryside where she currently lives. She is a Writers’ News Home Study Tutor and also runs her own brand of writing courses.

Her short stories have appeared in Woman, My Weekly, Woman’s Weekly, Chat: it’s fate, Take a Break, The People’s Friend and That’s Life – Australia. She is published as a poet – including a joint collection with her partner Bob Woodroofe entitled ‘Tales of Trees.’

Sue has produced four booklets and two CDs in her ‘Writer’s Toolkit’ series, designed to help writers of all levels of ability. Her first novel ‘Fable’s Fortune’ was published by Indigo Dreams in August 2011. ‘Creative Alchemy: 12 steps from inspiration to finished novel’ was published by HotHive in October 2011.

FABLE’S FORTUNE is a modern romance built on a fairytale structure. The back cover blurb reads: Fable Mitchell is born under a roof of stars in a Kentish plum orchard, and her early childhood is spent in a house called ‘Starlight’ where she lives with her mother Jasmine and Gangan the Wise Woman. However, her life is not destined to remain like a fairytale. When she is ten, she is abducted by her estranged father Derek, now a vicar, and taken to live in his austere vicarage at Isbourne on the banks of the River Avon. Fable is unable to escape. When she is sixteen, she falls in love with Tobias Latimer but he dies in mysterious circumstances and Fable’s happiness is once again snatched away from her. She tries to rebuild her life and marries Tony Lucas because she thinks the omens are right. Fable soon realises he is abusive and controlling, but is trapped because she fears losing contact with her daughter. Nearing her 40^th birthday, Fable hears Gangan the Wise Woman’s voice telling her to ‘be ready’ – magic happens.’ That is certainly true, but does Fable have the necessary courage to finally seize her chance of lasting happiness?

The story (originally called ‘Star Dragon’) began life in 1998 following my own marriage break-up and divorce. I didn’t do any planning and completed 85,000 words in less than two months. It was extremely therapeutic and helped me get through a stressful time without needing tranquillisers or taking to drink!

Having finished what was a very scrappy first draft (I didn’t really know what I was doing!) I put it on one side for several years while I went back to University to do a creative writing course. During that time, I wrote a lot of poetry and short stories – many of which were published in women’s magazines. I was taken on by the agency Midland Exposure who sold short fiction to women’s magazines.

When I eventually went back to the novel (in about 2002) my ideas about the story and characters had moved on. The story had never left me in all the time I’d been away from it – bits kept playing like a film inside my head. Helped by a severe attack of vertigo, I reworked the story (now called ‘Cloak of Stars.’)

By 2005, having written three more novels and failed to find a publisher, I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. I submitted ‘Cloak of Stars’ for a critique and was advised to take out the fairytale element.

I felt a bit despondent – but decided to have one more re-write. It was at that stage that my heroine, originally called Rose, decided that she didn’t like her name! I searched through all the children’s name books I could find + various internet sites, but found nothing.

In the end, I put my jacket on and walked into town, deciding to stop for a coffee at the first café I came to and the first woman’s name I heard would be the one I went for. Two women wearing fur coats and carrying wicker baskets came in. As they took their coats off one of them said: “Of course, my daughter Fable…” I paid my bill and hurried back to my computer.

One thing I learned in the process of writing this book was that I needed to be persistent and ignore the negative things some people said. I wish I’d concentrated on finding a publisher rather than wasting time trying to get an agent – especially after one admitted, when I contacted her after a long time of being fobbed off by her assistant, that she’d ‘buried my manuscript under a pile of other stuff and forgotten about it.’ The first publisher that I sent the manuscript to after that episode was Ronnie Goodyer Indigo Dreams Publishing – and he said yes! He now has the complete manuscript of my second novel and I’m keeping everything crossed.

My advice to new writers is:

1.         Write every day even if you only manage five minutes.

2.         Get as much work in circulation as possible.

3.         Create a writing C.V. – a publisher or agent may ask for one.

4.         Reward yourself for the effort you put in.

5.         Don’t stop until you achieve your writing ambitions.

‘Fable’s Fortune’ by Sue Johnson is published by Indigo Dreams Publishing (www.indigodreamsbookshop.com)

Copies of ‘Creative Alchemy: 12 steps from inspiration to finished novel’ published by HotHive Books are available direct from Sue as the publishers have gone into liquidation. Look out for special offers on www.writers-toolkit.co.uk/blog

Links: Sue Johnson

www.writers-toolkit.co.uk

www.indigodreamsbookshop.com

Shaz's Stars...

Shaz’s Stars is a regular feature on loveahappyending.com

This week, using sun sign astrology, Shaz Goodwin, the loveahappyending.com resident astrologer, interviews me to see how being a Pisces affects my writing!

Click here to link to loveahappyending.com and read the article

Thank you for all your interesting comments on last week's 'cover story' post.
All comments on this week's astrology post are very welcome here or on the loveahappyending.com blog

Dear Mr Harper...

This week I'm interviewing a man who has led an astonishingly interesting life and written a book about it all. Recently retired, he has been a teacher, a musician, a sportsman, even (for a spell) a professional actor and so it's a wonder how he ever had time for politics. Robin Harper joined the Scottish Green Party in 1985 and famously became the first Green elected to Parliament in Great Britain in 1999. Having met Robin, I'm delighted to tell you that all his years in Parliament have done nothing to dampen his boyish enthusiasm or fade his iconic multicoloured scarf!

Dear Mr Harper - The Autobiography of Robin Harper has been described as "an entertaining book in which Robin's convictions, both Green and otherwise, come through almost subliminally: his message, because he certainly has one, is all the more powerful for that". It's a description that prompted me to ask Robin more about his book.

Robin, was writing an autobiography high on your agenda?

I’d been approached a few times about a book, but the pressure of work at the Parliament was too high for me to contemplate this task before retirement. Thank heavens for an offer from Fred Bridgland, a highly acclaimed journalist and author, as it did seem to be a good idea to get something into print before the election this year.

What was Fred Bridgland’s part in the writing of the book?

Birlinn were very clear that they wanted the book in my voice. So Fred and I decided on an packed programme of interviews, many at his house and two very intense weekends of work at a writers’ retreat on the north east coast of Scotland. The more personal chapters I wrote myself, but the bulk of the book was crafted by Fred on the back of our interview sessions and discussions. Fred has written acclaimed biographies of Jonas Savimbi and Winnie Mandela, and claims he was looking forward to a gentler subject. But the first murder appears on page 30 and a stoning to death on page 95!

How did you and Fred plan the book?

I explained to Fred that my personal and political lives – even my teaching life – seemed to move on parallel tracks, with very few interconnecting points. So I didn’t feel it was sensible to write the book chronologically. We decided that themes might work quite well, and Fred developed this further, interspersing the narrative with research and explanation that have added considerably to the interest of the text. My life in Orkney, my time in Ceylon, teaching in Kenya, my passionate feelings about trees and the marine environment and my political life – from the sinking of The Rainbow Warrior to ‘Tripping up Trump’ – all these and many other themes are explored, I hope with humour and a light touch.

The book has been described as an honest account of your life. Has that honesty caused you any difficulties with your political colleagues?

My colleagues say they are enjoying it! Mainly, I hope it’s a good read. The book focuses mainly on my personal experience and doesn’t give a detailed account of my work for and with the Green Party over the last 25 years. This may be for another book.

When did your deeply held convictions on environmental issues first arise?

I was interested in environment and wildlife from an early age. I still have drawings I made of birds and plants when I was 13, and some beautiful seashells I collected in Sri Lanka when I was 9. I’ve always loved being in the open air – mainly hill walking and sailing, and beachcombing on my own. Reading Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, and a book called Future Shock in the early 1970s alerted me to the alarming state of the world. I began to get more and more anxious. I subscribed to New Internationalist, but was still not inspired to take political action. It wasn’t until 1985 and the sinking of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship off Auckland, New Zealand, that I was galvanized into action. Rainbow Warrior was about to set off into the Pacific to protest against the French testing of nuclear weapons at Muroroa Atoll. Two French secret service operatives blew holes in the side of the ship, killing a young Dutch photographer who was on board. I joined the Scottish Ecology Party (as it was then), Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund on the same day and have never looked back.

What did you enjoy most about writing the book?

The challenge of working with a first-class journalist, who had a clearer sense of what was interesting in my life than I did, meant that I found out a great deal about my family that I didn’t actually know. I had conversations with my two brothers that opened up all sorts of new insights into the lives of my parents and their relations, and even those of my brothers, to whom I have always been close.

What would you describe as the lowest point in your political career?

Oddly, this was in the 2007 election, when I was returned with six new colleagues. I have always felt that the point of political activity is to do your very best to get your voice heard at every level – ultimately, to have an influence on government. We had the chance, two days after the election, of possible talks with the Labour Party, but I was unable to persuade my six new colleagues to even think about working with any of the other parties in the Parliament.

What would you describe as the highest point in your career?

There is something very special about being the first person ever to do something. So I will always count my election to the Scottish Parliament as being the most exciting day of my career.

Can you tell us the inspiration behind the iconic scarf?

In the early 1970s a little shop in St Stephen Street in Edinburgh called Number Two started selling stripey things of all sorts – sweaters, gloves, beanie hats and, of course, scarves. I liked the bright scarves and was also a great fan of Dr Who, in the Tom Baker incarnation. I still have the scarf I purchased back then. In 1999, when the Party was trying to shake off its image as being all muesli, sandals and sunflowers, there were some who suggested I stick with a sober-suited image, rather than mar it with a brightly-coloured knitted scarf. My attachment to the accessory was so strong, though, that I refused to dispense with it and it has since become – not entirely to my surprise – something of an icon.

Do you have a website? Do you have a blog? Do you Tweet?

My website is currently being rebuilt. I don’t yet blog or Tweet – but I’m planning to start a blog as soon as I get to grips with my new life.

Born 1940, Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, Robin has lived in Orkney, London, Sri Lanka, Moray, Aberdeen, Fife, Kenya, and Edinburgh. He got his Degree at Aberdeen University (MA, 1962) and taught in Glasgow, Fife, Kenya, Edinburgh. He was Rector of Edinburgh University 2000-03, Rector Aberdeen University 2004-07. Robin joined Scottish Green Party 1985. Became Co-convenor 1992-2008 and was the first Green to be elected to Parliament in Great Britain in 1999 (Scottish Parliament). He married Jenny Carter in 1994.

Dear Mr Harper is published by Birlinn Ltd in Hardback at £16.99 but is currently being sold on Amazon at £11.89 with free delivery - not to be missed!