Pick your author at New Lanark Book Festival

First up is Jonathan Whitelaw, author of Morbid Relations, at 6pm tomorrow, talking on “From the Laptop to the Bookshelf”, the trials of becoming a published author.

Scottish crime writer Christopher Brookmyre, who has 18 published novels, follows at 7.30pm. He will talk about his most recent work, Dead Girl Walking, and give a preview of his forthcoming novel, Black Widow.

On Friday evening writer and poet Mandy Haggity discusses her nature novels The Last Bear and Bear Witness, from 6pm until 7pm; and at 7.30pm it is the turn of renowned broadcaster Billy Kay who will give an illustrated talk on his writing, including The Scottish World.

On Saturday the first part of the day has the theme New Lanark and Textiles, with CA Hope speaking on her trilogy of New Lanark historical novels at 11.15am, and David McLaren talking about his biography of David Dale from 12.30pm.

Food and drink is the subject of the next part, with food writer Catherine Brown talking on Scotland’s Changing Food Culture from 12.30pm, then Tom Bruce-Gardyne at 2pm to talk about the Scottish Whisky Treasures, a celebration of whisky drinking in Scotland.

At the same time Ian Crofton will talk on his book, Scottish History without the Boring Bits, with a host of little tales and unlikely episodes.

Novelist Kerry Hudson is from 5pm, with her question and answer session to reveal how she uses real life experiences in her books.

In the early evening, at 6.15pm, journalist and author Peter Ranscombe discusses his debut novel, Hare, in a talk on Burke and Hare: Fact and Fiction.

Then at 7.30pm on Saturday James Robertson looks at Where the Truth Lies?, with examples from his own writing.

Sunday begins with children’s fiction and storytelling, whenaward-winning children’s author Chae Strathie invites youngsters to sing along to the Loon on the Moon and create their own Jumblebum monster in Stories and Songs at 10am.

And Gerry Durkin will present four sessions of Fantastic Creatures, with a mixture of Scottish tales and songs for family fun.

Keith Gray, once a reluctant reader and now an author, talks on Discovering a Love of Books, at 11.15am.

From 1.30pm Roger Hutchinson, a bestselling author with 40 years of experience of Hebridean islands, speaks on St Kilda, a People’s History, and at 6pm award-winning reporter Peter Ross presents his Dispatches from Unreported Scotland.

The Book Festival finishes with a talk by author and historian Alistair Moffat, exploring the past of the Scottish nation in Scotland: A History from the Earliest Times.

For full programme details, along with ticket details, see www.newlanark.org. Tickets may also be available ‘on the door’.