![Science And Fiction Science And Fiction](https://cdn.magzter.com/1401100668/1684481835/articles/lmjt6r7C41684494485733/SCIENCE-AND-FICTION.jpg)
CONSERVATION scientist turned novelist Lorraine Wilson has a beautiful way with words.
Based on Scotland's East Coast, the author's stunning books - which include This Is Our Undoing and The Way The Light Bends are greatly influenced by folklore and the wilderness.
Her latest novel, Mother Sea - which tells the haunting story of an island community - features themes of both climate change and grief, and Lorraine explained more about her career and how her work as a scientist shapes her words.
The author turned her hand to writing after being diagnosed with a chronic illness.
"Science was such a big part of my identity, so to lose that was really quite difficult and yet I managed to find this whole other community and this whole other sense of myself. I feel very lucky to have found writing," she says.
"I've always loved books and enjoyed writing poetry for myself, but it was always private, cathartic stuff. I was always completely focused on my work as a scientist.
"Being a conservation researcher is very absorbing and it doesn't leave much spare time. It was only when I got sick, and I had to take a step back from the science, that I knew I needed something to give me a sense of focus and direction.
"Writing felt like an obvious thing to try, although it probably doesn't sound obvious - leaping from science to fiction! But because I'm such a bookworm, it just felt like a very natural step for me. I feel like I got really lucky! I really fell in love with it."
Lorraine's career as a scientist saw her working in behavioural conservation in various parts of the world, studying different groups of animals. And she experienced one terrifying incident while studying for her PhD, which saw her catching bubonic plague.
"I was in Costa Rica at the time and I was living on a research station in the rainforest that was quite far from the nearest medical help.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2023 من The Scots Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2023 من The Scots Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
![Unst To Orbit Unst To Orbit](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/ZXE7sQLBv1728914727088/UNST-TO-ORBIT.jpg)
Unst To Orbit
Shetland's spaceport is set to take Europe by storm, launching rockets to the stratosphere
![Just Passing Through Just Passing Through](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/E_eBF0yaa1728914514570/JUST-PASSING-THROUGH.jpg)
Just Passing Through
A tale of the unexpected unfolds at dawn in a Stirlingshire glen as a rare, shy creature slips out of the shadows
![Brigadoon Revisited Brigadoon Revisited](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/3nfafz6Bd1728914337741/BRIGADOON-REVISITED.jpg)
Brigadoon Revisited
An affectionate look back at the low budget \"synthetic Scotch\" movie that still sparkles in the mist, 70 years on
![A Brand New Opening A Brand New Opening](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/jMzp0eABQ1728914232949/A-BRAND-NEW-OPENING.jpg)
A Brand New Opening
The Scots Magazine revisits the Old Course in St Andrews almost 70 years on and celebrates recent progress in welcoming women
![Kenmore's Crossroads Kenmore's Crossroads](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/EkPtk1a2X1728913980809/KENMORES-CROSSROADS.jpg)
Kenmore's Crossroads
Fury over a luxury redevelopment at the Perthshire village made news headlines around the world but is the tide of popular opinion turning?
![Seeing Double! Seeing Double!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/drVs9mN_91728913837803/SEEING-DOUBLE.jpg)
Seeing Double!
Sam Heughan's Outlander body double, lain Wilkie, shares stories about his experiences on and off screen
![The Story & The Song The Story & The Song](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/vZo3HFpVe1728913696197/THE-STORY-THE-SONG.jpg)
The Story & The Song
With a soundtrack to a Shetland tale, author and musician Malachy Tallack blends his artistic passions in his latest venture
![A Rebirth From The Earth A Rebirth From The Earth](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/S-U4MXsOL1728913004989/A-REBIRTH-FROM-THE-EARTH.jpg)
A Rebirth From The Earth
Erland Cooper's intriguing project has given nature and two determined fans a hand in shaping and bringing his new album to light
![Nip Of Champions Nip Of Champions](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/ho5vVVEoF1728912821488/NIP-OF-CHAMPIONS.jpg)
Nip Of Champions
Whisky has long been associated with moments of triumph, including a recent example of clever sporting motivation
![The Waterside Hotel The Waterside Hotel](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6586/1856400/cM9lp7EVt1728912639578/THE-WATERSIDE-HOTEL.jpg)
The Waterside Hotel
A spectacular spot on the stunning Ayrshire coast