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Preparing for publication
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A little bit of luxury
This month’s newsletter is now available to read on substack.
Subscribe to receive my newsletter direct to your inbox on the first Monday of each month.
This month: preparing for publication, walking in Elsie’s footsteps at Glenapp Castle, and an exclusive island retreat near Berlin.
Serendipity and celebrations
This month’s newsletter is now available to read on substack.
Subscribe to receive my newsletter direct to your inbox on the first Monday of each month.
This month: the latest on The Berlin Passport Office, a return trip to Caithness and some Scottish wedding traditions.
Under northern skies
This month’s newsletter is now available to read on substack.
Subscribe to receive my newsletter direct to your inbox on the first Monday of each month.
This month: a trip to Thurso, a department store in Berlin, two book launches in Edinburgh, and a favourite childhood poem.
June 2026
My latest newsletter is now available to read on substack.
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This month: an update on the latest novel, a new series looking at Berlin locations, sailing with Elsie, and the some thoughts prompted by the election!
May 2026: a book festival in a book town
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Making sense of the story
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Subscribe to my monthly newsletter!
What’s the best way to keep in touch with you, readers?
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, given the unpredictability of social media, and so in January 2026 I will launch a monthly newsletter.
Subscribe here to receive the very first one!
I’ll use this space to share some of the challenges and joys of my writing life, and to keep you up to date with publication news. Each month I’ll have a wee Something from Scotland segment too, because why wouldn’t I want to share the stories, culture and landscape of the amazing country where I’m lucky enough to live?
See you in January.
Flora x
Silver Bookmark Award
What a surprise and delight it was to be awarded the Bookmark Blairgowrie Festival Silver Bookmark for Book of the Year for The Paris Peacemakers.
Bookmark Blairgowrie is a wonderful festival, so welcoming and with really interesting speakers. I enjoyed my session chatting for an hour with James Robertson all about historical fiction, and the audience seemed to enjoy it too. It was then an unexpected thrill to be awarded this lovely silver bookmark, made by Sarah Cave silversmith, for The Paris Peacemakers.
13 March 1928: Elsie Mackay
#OTD Scottish aviatrix Elsie Mackay and her co-pilot Captain Hinchliffe set off from RAF Cranwell on a secret flight in their plane ‘Endeavour’. Elsie intended to be the first woman to fly the Atlantic in either direction and, with Hinch, to make the first successful flight over the Atlantic in the harder east-west direction.
Portrait of Elsie by Sandy Morrison @sandysdrawingroom
Elsie had no need of fame and fortune but wanted to use her achievement to launch her own commercially viable airline.
A former filmstar with the stage name Poppy Wyndham, she was the wealthy daughter of Lord Inchcape, chairman of P&O shipping line, and worked as interior designer on his ships. Their Scottish home was fairytale Glenapp Castle in Ayrshire.
Find out more about Elsie’s extraordinary story in The Endeavour of Elsie Mackay, published by Allison and Busby.
