Writer wins month-long French trip
Linda’s creative opportunity
Author Linda is spending a month near Fontainbleau for several summers from 1875 and met his American wife Fanny Osborne there.
The hotel continues to offer a fantastic working environment for artists and writers, via The Stiftelsen Foundation which now owns it.
Previous RLS Fellows have included Liz Lochhead, Janice Galloway and James Robertson.
Linda left Scotland on the sleeper and went by Eurostar to Paris.
The residency will allow her to spend time with other artists and absorb fresh cultural experiences.
Linda’s freelance teaching jobs that bring her income see her working at writers’ retreats and also on some residential courses, as well as following ‘wee commissions.’
Linda said: “The Hôtel Chevillon will be a place for me to write but more importantly, it will give me time.
“I do a lot of freelance teaching so I’m looking forward to devoting time to my own creativity for a change.
“The location will be really helpful, I will be more observant, open to new stimuli and without the distractions of home, I should be able to concentrate.
“I hope I will be able to develop ideas for a new radio play,” said Linda, who is famed for her play ‘The Lamp’, set in Innerpeffray Library near Crieff which was broadcast on BBC Radio Four.
“I applied for this RLS Fellowship 15 years ago, but wasn’t successful then. Now I have tried again and it’s exciting that I have been accepted,” said Linda.
“I’m very happy as there were a lot of applications.
“It just felt that this time around the time was right for me.”