AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Fiona Watson’s new murder mystery Dark Hunter is set in Berwick-upon-Tweed after the Battle of Bannockburn. Gayle Ritchie finds out more

Braco-based writer and historian Fiona Watson has wanted to write fiction for a long time – partly out of frustration at not being able to get at human emotions in her “straight” history.

“Robert the Bruce hasn’t left any diaries, alas!” she laughs. “It made sense to set a novel in my own historical period and I wanted a scenario filled with foreboding even before I threw in a murder. So, the plight of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the last English-held garrison in Scotland after Bannockburn, was perfect.”

Her new novel, Dark Hunter, is set in 1317. As Robert Bruce’s Scots draw closer to Berwick-uponTweed, young English squire Benedict Russell, of the town’s garrison, races against time to solve the murder of a girl and find his way in a life he did not choose. En route, he finds love – and a traitor.

“I always make timelines, no matter what I’m doing, so I can see how everything fits together,” says Fiona.

“I’ve spent a long time researching this period, but I was surprised how little I knew about day-to-day life.”

A former senior lecturer in history at Stirling University and presenter of TV series In Search Of Scotland, Fiona is now venturing into historical fiction “to make the most of the limited evidence for medieval Scotland”.

She describes Benedict Russell as effectively her “detective”. “He was supposed to be a clerk, so he’s well educated but naive. He’s also very good at asking questions.

“Lucy Rydale is sister to the murdered girl. She suffers from scoliosis, so is pitied as a cripple. In fact, she’s really smart and a great help to Ben.

“Sir Edmund Darel is Ben’s master – he’s a real person, like many characters in the book. Though we know nothing about his character, I did make him a bit of a boor, a man of his times.”

Fiona hopes the novel will appeal to those who like

historical whodunnits, but says her friend Sheila, who doesn’t like them, enjoyed it for the human drama.

“The essence of the book is the utter trauma and terrible consequences of war for both sides,” she says.

“It brought the north of England to its knees, refugees fleeing to the towns. The parallels with 2022 are, alas, far too obvious, not least in the hatred that flourishes in the wake of conflicts between neighbours, which can last for centuries.”

Fiona writes or edits all day long, after the dog’s been walked. “I work in an office at the bottom of the house. But it’s completely Baltic there in winter. We recently had a stove put into the kitchen and it’s transformed my life. So that’s where I coorie down with the dog and the cat.”

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers? Fiona says if you feel the urge, then keep at it.

“Writing is like a muscle; it gets better the more you do. But be honest with yourself and your writing. If you have a vague suspicion aspects aren’t working, face up to it. Imagine everyone at your feet waiting to hear your story. You need to intrigue and beguile them, so make sure you’ve got something to say.”

Dark Hunter by FJ Watson, £6.99, is published by Birlinn, birlinn.co.uk

Fiona Watson has penned a historical whodunnit.