Northern Highlight - Moira McPartlin

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT

MOIRA McPARTLIN

1. Why did you become a writer?

I am a voracious reader, I always have been and when I was younger often thought about writing but never seemed to have the time. When I started working in a busy finance job in Glasgow, I attended some creative writing classes. My work involved lots of travel and writing in airport lounges, lonely hotels rooms and on long haul flights helped me cope with the hectic job.

I soon discovered writing as a passion and in 2005 I gave up corporate life and became a full-time writer.

2. Tell us about where you live?

I live in Stirling, a small city in the heart in Scotland. Although a city, Stirling has a village feel: it is steeped in ancient history (and Outlander Tourism!). Mary Queen of Scots lived in the Castle and William Wallace fought here. I can see both Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument from my house. My house is also close to the University and although it can be buzzy and vibrant, the campus is set in beautiful leafy grounds with an abundance of wildlife – it is a great place for walking and jogging.

3. Where do you write?

I mostly write in my study. I have lived in this house for only two years and the study was the first room I inhabited. The view across the rooftops to the distant hills never fails to draw my eye and set my imagination running. The room is very messy and in need of decoration, but it contains everything I need. I often walk up to the University to work in the library there.

4. What for you is the ‘spirit of the North’?

The spirit of the North for me is the landscape, it’s history and culture and also the many dialects associated with that. When I wander through the hillside and ruins of early settlements, I pick up the vibes from the past. I was born in the Scottish Borders and brought up in Fife. Both have quite different dialects. I speak with a Fife accent but when I go back to the Borders I love to hear their unique dialect. It reminds me of my Mum and Dad.

5. Has this spirit influenced your work?

Definitely. My Sun Song Trilogy is set in the North in 2089. Ways of the Doomed, book one, is set in the Highlands of Scotland. I have used the landscape to shape the story and tapped into history to draw parallels with the future world I have created. In books two and three I have used areas in the North of England (Cumbria and Lancashire) to create a unique environment where natives struggle to survive. Throughout the trilogy my characters speak in several dialects particularly those from Scotland.

6. Who for you are the great northern writers?

There are so many to choose from but looking through my bookshelves I spot Robert Louis Stevenson, Muriel Spark, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Julia Darling, Ali Smith, David Almond, and of course JK Rowling

7. If you could be transported to anywhere in the North right now where would it be?

Toscaig is a small community on the peninsula of Applecross. Most of the inspiration and landscape prompts for The Sun Song Trilogy came from there. I had a house there for a while many years ago and it is still my favourite place.

8. What would you like to see from Children’s Publishing in the North?

Since my first novel was published in 2012, I have puzzled with the perception that no one outside of Scotland and the North would be interested in reading about the North. I find this strange. We read about North America, India, everywhere in fact, so why not the North of UK? I believe that by building a creative network we can share experiences and influence the rest of the world to sample and discover the quality of our work. We need to publicise the fact that we have a strong creative base in the North.

9. What’s your favourite Children’s book set in the North?

‘Kit’s Wilderness’ by David Almond. I love all David Almond’s books but this one is one of the best.

Published by Fledgling Press

You can find Moira on Twitter/Instagram @moiramcpartlin