Saturday 27 April 2013

Bears on the loose!

It's out! Bear Witness was formally launched on Monday at Glencanisp Lodge, and we sold all the copies we had available, so that's a great start. It is now available from all good bookshops. It's also available as an ebook and an audio book from Amazon. I hope you all enjoy it. If you would like a signed copy get in touch.

As well as the book launch we had a great debate about reintroducing bears (and wolves and lynx) back to the Scottish Highlands. We heard inspiring talks and readings from Roy Dennis (who reintroduced red kites and sea eagles and has brought red squirrels north to Dundonnell), Jim Crumley (author of The Last Wolf), David Hetherington (who did his PhD on the reintroduction of lynx to Scotland) and Mark Foxwell (who talked about the Scottish Wildlife Trust's reintroduction trial of beavers). It was soon clear that a future where bears, wolves and lynx roam wild in Scotland again is not just fiction, it's within the realms of possibility.

There seems to be a real willingness to share the land with all the other animals that are native to here and I found it really exciting to see the enthusiasm for returning bears to Scotland.  Here's some BBC coverage: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22280586.


The first reviews of Bear Witness are starting to appear. The Scotsman's review called it 'lyrical and tight'. Jason Donald calls it 'Passionate and subversive, with a poet's touch...'

I'll be signing them at the Made in Assynt Craft Fair in Lochinver on Friday 3 May (10-4) and there will be another launch event at Waterstones on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, on Thursday 16 May at 6.30pm..

1 comment:

  1. I enjoyed Bear Witness! Then this popped up on the Guardian and I thought you might like a 3-week stint with the polar bears: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/16/svalbard-job-vacancy-polar-bear-spotter

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