Autumn has finally arrived, and after the stresses and sadness of this summer, it feels like turning a page. I’m looking forward to spending the long, dark evenings in front of my lovely new fire, in fleece pyjamas and furry slippers, hot chocolate in hand, fairy lights twinkling on every surface.

Obviously, this will only be a partial hibernation. I have work to do in daytime! In fact, it has been fantastic to be able to get back into schools and libraries this term and I am so grateful to have been invited to take part in some brilliant projects. In mid-September I popped over to Millport to meet the P6/7 teacher and plan this year’s sessions for my Author-in-Residence at Cumbrae Primary. Look how lucky I am!

At the beginning of October I had the pleasure of taking part in a Climate Conversations event at Greenock Central Library, focused on my new novel, Secrets of the Last Merfolk, and I was delighted to be involved in an exciting COP26 project organised by Paisley Libraries Service too.

In early October I spent a lovely couple of days in Edinburgh. If you haven’t been to the National Museum of Scotland, then do visit soon! It’s incredible. The Millennium Clock is amazing and has made me even more determined to visit Eduard Bersudsky’s Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre in Glasgow’s Trongate.

It was also great to have the chance to visit some of Edinburgh’s fantastic bookshops, including Ginger and Pickles in Stockbridge and Blackwell’s. Thank you all for making me so welcome!

In October, two fabulous new novels by Cranachan Publishing are being launched. The first of those is The Sword of Light, the third instalment in a thrilling fantasy YA series by Caroline Logan. With war brewing across the continent, Ailsa and her friends are in a race against time to find The Four Treasures. But will the magical objects be enough to defeat a god?

I’m going to the launch of this one, and I can’t wait!

 Filled with mystery and magic, Victoria Williamson’s Hag Storm is a spooky, historical adventure with a supernatural twist, based on the life of Robert Burns and one of his most famous and best-loved poems, Tam O’Shanter. Hag Storm sounds brilliant and I am very much looking forward to attending Victoria’s event at the Burns’ Museum on the 31st October.

I’ve put the first draft of my own MS on pause this month, to enable my editor to take a look at what I’ve done so far, and to allow me to focus on creating teaching resources for The Rewilders, which is coming out in March 2022. I was thrilled by the positive reaction to the cover reveal in mid-September and am already looking forward to having an in-person launch! Doesn’t the cover look gorgeous?