“The triplets and the rocking horses had disappeared together. But had the triplets taken the horses? Or had the horses taken the triplets?”

Pearl can’t believe that she is following the hoofprints of galloping wooden horses. But her day in the moors and mountains of Perthshire just keeps getting stranger and more dangerous, as she searches for her missing brother and sisters. She has to deal with rocks which don’t stay still, magic which everyone but her seems to be able to use, and a very irritating boy who might be able to help, or might be the cause of all her problems.

I had a fantastic time writing this book, partly because I loved writing about mountains and cliffs, but also because one of the characters tried to take over the story and change the ending, which made it much more exciting to write!

“Is this your bottom?”

That could be a very cheeky question. “Is this your bottom?” But Sandy and Ella are really just trying to be helpful when they ask all their neighbours about their bottoms, as a bottom print is the only clue they have to a mystery on the beach.

This is my first picture book, and it was wonderful to see the pictures, by Gabby Grant, bring the story to life. Not just the bottoms (lots of bottoms – bottoms in nappies, kilts, jeans, and shorts. Even a bottom that claims to be a posterior!) but also the lively wildlife on the beach, and the looks on the neighbours faces when they are asked about their bottoms. And the very polite but slightly cheeky look on a small child’s face when they say, just one more time, “Excuse me, but is this your bottom?”

“And the best bit is…” Helen flicked a few pages back in the book, “the best bit is, this isn’t some fairy tale like Cinderella that could come from any country. This one is set in Scotland…”

Helen opens the door one night to find a very strange boy on the doorstep. A boy who needs first aid … from a vet. But Helen’s mum, the local vet, only believes in science books, not in fabled beasts, so Helen borrows some veterinary equipment, heals his wound, and asks how he got injured. She then finds herself involved in a quest for a lost book, a battle by a Borders wood, an ambush in Orkney and a chase through dark tunnels under Edinburgh. She discovers a talent for riddles as well as first aid, and meets many other fabled beasts who live just off the edges of our maps.

This was the first children’s book I wrote, and I wanted to use all the elements I love from adventure stories and fairy tales, but set it in the Scotland I know. So there are dragons and monsters, spells and riddles, but also violin rehearsals, packed lunches, and a mum who expects the heroine to go to bed at a sensible time.

I’m really delighted that First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts has now been shortlisted for the Royal Mail Awards [link], and I’m also delighted with the new cover, by artist Maria Perez Sanz, who also created the wonderful cover for the sequel Wolf Notes.

“She’s met some fabled beasts before, has she? She thinks we’re all friendly and gentle and VEGETARIAN, does she?”          

In the sequel to First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts, Helen’s musical skills put her in deadly danger, and to escape she has to work with fabled beasts who aren’t friendly or trustworthy, and who certainly aren’t vegetarian!

Wolf Notes is set on the edge of a forest in the Highlands, and includes a night-time dragon flight to Skye, breaking and entering a castle, some lifesaving jam sandwiches, and, of course, a pack of wolves.

I had a brilliant time writing this book, researching wolves, ancient Celtic heroes and sword fights. I also really enjoyed spending more time with Helen, Yann and the other fabled beasts. And this time Helen isn’t just helping her friends solve their problems, she’s the one in danger, which made it even more exciting to write. Also it gave me an excuse to have fun in forests and spend a week in Skye.

“No matter what stories Tam had heard about the kirk at Alloway, he was always up for a party. And he had left the pub long before he was ready to go to bed. So he pulled Meg towards the church. This sounded like a party worth gatecrashing.”

I had another book published this summer: a retelling of Tam O’Shanter, with fantastically spooky pictures by Peter Clover. If you’re easily scared, you should read it out in the bright sunlight, not in the dark at night!

This was an amazing book to write, because for the first time in my writing career, I knew how the story was going to end before I started writing it. But I didn’t know how I was going to get to the end, nor who I was going to meet along the way. Also I didn’t know how the words and pictures would work together. It was really exciting to see the pictures for the first time, and discover what my words had inspired the illustrator to imagine and create.

It was also quite a scary book to write – not just because it’s about witches, warlocks, the devil and nasty gory bits of bodies on an altar, but because this is a story told by Robert Burns in his brilliant and very famous poem. Walking in his footsteps is a pretty daunting task for any writer. But I went to Alloway and ran down the hill to the bridge, and I read the traditional tales that had inspired Burns, then I wrote my own version. See what you think!