A Wee Blether With...C.S.Robertson

The crime novelist and Bloody Scotland board member reflects on the festival and his own career

- DAWN GEDDES

What can you tell us about your 11th novel The Trials of Marjorie Crowe-out next year?

It's a bit of a departure for me! The main character Marjorie lives in the fictional Scottish village of Kilgoyne. She's an outsider and no one pays her much heed until the day that she claims to see the body of a young boy hanging from a tree in the woods-except what she saw turns out to be impossible. What follows is a modern-day witch hunt and witch trial.

How has your early career in journalism inspired your work as a novel writer?

Being a journalist was a really solid apprenticeship for writing novels in terms of completing research and paying attention to detail. Just getting into the habit of writing every day is really useful - it helps you polish your craft before you start.

What's your next writing project once your next novel is released?