Northern Highlight - Barbara Henderson

Northern Highlight

Barbara Henderson

Why did you become a children’s writer/illustrator?

I had dreamed of making stories my job since I was very young. I had a horrible accident when I was a child and had to have four operations. Weeks and weeks on the sofa with pureed food and nothing to do. The stories my sisters and parents read me became a lifeline to other worlds, and I resolved early on that I wanted to do this for others, too. But lack of confidence kicked in, and I was in my thirties by the time I realised that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

 

Tell us about where you live.

I live in Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands, and I absolutely love it. It has a great theatre and all the things you’d expect from a city, but is surrounded by many, many wild places which really inspire me.

Where do you write?

Over the last year, our wee spare bedroom, little more than a cupboard. But my preference is to be a nomad – I might write in cafes or libraries, public buildings or gardens and beaches, although the outside options are often freezing!

What for you is the ‘spirit of Scotland’?

I think we often define ourselves as ‘other’, not part of the mainstream. With that comes a certain spirit of defiance and a determination to succeed anyway, perhaps. I also find the Northern vibe in writing circles very collegiate, perhaps a little less competitive than what it looks further south. 

Has this spirit influenced your work?

I feel that many northern and Scottish locations are all but invisible in mainstream publishing. My books are set in Scotland because I want to be part of redressing that balance. It’s so hard to find, for example, Victorian books not set in London.

Who for you are the great Scottish children’s writers?

I am published by Cranachan Publishing and their whole stable of authors is great. I particularly love the work of Lindsay Littleson and John Fulton and am utterly hooked on Caroline Logan’s YA fantasy series. David Almond, Lari Don and Elizabeth Wein, Sheila M Averbuch, Alan McClure… okay, too many to mention! 

If you could be transported to anywhere in Scotland

right now, where would it be?

Mealasta beach on the Isle of Lewis. It’s where the ending of my new Viking book The Chessmen Thief is set and I haven’t been able to visit yet. I very much hope that I’ll be able to go after lockdown restrictions ease fully!

Cover  design by Anne Glennie, internal illustration by Sandra McGowan. Published by Cranachan Publishing. 

What would you like to see from children's publishing in Scotland?

Truthfully? I’d love to see a busload of us do a tour of the south

to promote northern and Scottish writing. I think books tend to travel in one

direction only at the moment, and this might raise some awareness of that and

open readers’ minds to new story possibilities.

What's your favourite children's book set in Scotland?

Probably The Beast on the Broch by John Fulton. I have to admit that I also love the Carnegie winner Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean (the endpapers in the hardback edition are stunning!) 

Barbara Henderson is a writer of historical and eco-fiction for children. Her new book, a Viking story called The Chessmen Thief, was published by Cranachan Publishing on 29^th April.

You can find Barbara on Twitter and Instagram.