External events & collaborations

Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists, will be speaking about her new, Edinburgh-set novel, The Jewel Keepers, at Haddington Library on Saturday, 30th May at 11am. The event is part of Haddstock festival, who have kindly invited us to have a pop-up book stall there. Learn more and book your tickets for the event here.

In May we'll be teaming up with Isobel Salamon of Slonk Wine to hold a Georgian wine-themed book club for one of my favourite books of the past few years, Hard by a Great Forest - and I'm thrilled that we'll be joined at the event by its author, Leo Vardiashvili. We'll be meeting at Sotto Enoteca in Stockbridge on Tuesday, 19th May, at 7.30pm, where we'll be enjoying two Georgian wines (or non-alcoholic alternatives) and curated nibbles while chatting with Leo about the book, followed by a book signing. Learn more or book your ticket here.

Join local author Elspeth Wilson for a creative writing workshop on Monday, 11th May, at 8pm at Night Books. In the workshop we'll explore different ways into writing about friendship, different kinds of friendship and why it can be such a fruitful area for writers. Whatever your level of creative writing experience (including none!), the workshop will be friendly, welcoming and accessible. Elspeth is the author of the coming-of-age novel These Mortal Bodies (Simon and Schuster) which centres female friendship, obssession and found sisterhood. She has been shortlisted for the Nan Shepherd Prize and Penguin's Write Now scheme. Learn more and book...

We'll be popping up at Haddington Library on Saturday, 25th May at 11.30 am, when best-selling children's author Abi Elphinstone will be speaking all about her stunning new book, Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons, which is set in East Lothian! Abi will be speaking as part of Haddstock Festival. This is a free, drop-in event. Copies of Ember Spark will be available to purchase, and Abi Elphinstone will kindly be signing copies after her talk.