Barry Hutchison: The Homecoming

HarperCollins Children's Books are bringing the Spill the Ink tour to the masses. Kate Maryon, Barry Hutchison and Sorrel Anderson were out on tour a couple of weeks ago across the country talking about their books. This week Barry drops by the blog to fill you in on his week out on tour and arriving back home in Scotland.

Scotland smells. I should probably explain that statement.

Having spent four days touring six cities in England with Kate Maryon and Sorrel Anderson, I boarded the plane to Edinburgh with growing excitement. I was on my way back to Scotland.

Stepping off the plane, I could smell it. The smell of heather and haggis, of Arbroath Smokies and Aberdeen Angus. The scent of Scots Pine, Scotch eggs, and hundreds of kilted men with no pants on.

The smell of home.

It had been a fantastic tour, promoting the first in my Invisible Fiends horror series, Mr Mumbles. I’d met lots of lovely people, spoken to hundreds of children, and scoffed loads of tasty food. Scotland was going to have to go some way to equal the previous four nights of the tour.

And Scotland did not let me down.

The weather was better. The hotel was nicer. The food was out of this world. We’d had a mixed bag of evening get-togethers with booksellers and librarians, but the Edinburgh one beat them all hands down.

The school events I did – one in Edinburgh, the other in Glasgow – were my favourites of the week, and the kids and teachers all helped me end the tour on a high.

Yes, I missed a train or two when allowed (briefly) to wander off on my own. Yes, 75% of the kids I spoke to didn’t understand a single word I said. But all things considered, those five days on tour will go down as one of the best experiences of my life, with Scotland my favourite stop of all.

You can follow Barry Hutchison by visiting his blog!

Other News:

Art students, young authors and illustrators from schools across the city have been working with Vivian French to make an extraordinary exhibition of animal books. The Exhibition opens at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street, Edinburgh on the 5th of June to 31 July.

For more information of the exhibition click here!

Scottish Took Trust are giving one lucky teacher in Scotland the opportunity to win a tailored CPD session by referring friends and colleagues to their monthly Learning Professionals' Newsletter. The deadline is August 27, to enter the competition click here!

Mission Gallaher Girls by Ally Crater is the hottest new series around. Already a huge bestseller in the US, the first book in the series, I'd Tell You I Love You, But I'd Have To Kill You is in bookshops now. So if you like your spies with a serving of glitz and glamour, Gallagher Girls is for you!

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