I’m currently working on another novel, called Play Dead.
Details may change, but it’s about a character called Richard, who lives in seculsion in a converted croft house in the far north of Scotland. The unexpected arrival of his younger sister Stephie forces him to confront unresolved issues surrounding a obsessive (and largely unrequited) love in his past. This relationship ended in tragedy, opening up questions of responsibility, manipulation and betrayal. I’m keen to explore the difference between the person Richard was at 18 and who he is now, whether he was actively corrupted by the person he fell in love with or whether the relationship simply awakened intrinsic parts of his character, the existence of which he would rather not acknowledge.
An extract of it has already appeared in issue 146 of The Antigonish Review (Canada). You can read it online here, along with an introduction by the Indian writer Anjana Basu.
Like a lot of my work, it contains scenes of a sexual nature, so don’t read it if you’re particularly sensitive to such things! I’ve removed it from this site now as it appears differently in the novel.
I’m very grateful to the Scottish Arts Council for a bursary which has allowed me to take time off teaching to write this book.
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