Eilidh McIntosh
When did you begin writing?
I started writing seriously in my 40s when I realised that time was not necessarily on my side if I wanted to actually achieve any sort of writing success.
Tell us about your Call of the Isles story.
My story Solstice is set in Orkney, where I spent my teenage years. There’s always something significant about the shortest day/longest night in a place where the shift between seasons is so deeply entrenched in daily life, and I wanted to tell a story about the sea and the sky and the darkness in between.
Do you prefer writing short stories or longer pieces of fiction?
I prefer writing longer fiction, but have enjoyed experimenting with flash fiction and the discipline it requires.
What is your favourite novel or short story that has an island setting?
My favourite island story is Greenvoe, by George Mackay Brown. He has a wonderful gentle way with words and his characters are so incredibly well written.
What do you dislike about being a writer?
As a writer, self-doubt is my biggest bug-bear. I even hesitated to describe myself as a writer there!
What is your favourite under-appreciated novel or short story?
My favourite under-appreciated short novel is The Cone Gatherers, by Robin Jenkins. It’s a masterpiece in tension and controlled writing.
What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading Blessed Assurance by Stewart Ennis. It’s another Scottish novel about a boy living in an evangelical community in the fictional Scottish town of Kilhaugh. I’ve only just started reading it but am very much enjoying the descriptive language and balance of humour and pathos.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on two projects. The first is a YA novel The Undersong, which is set, perhaps predictably, in a fictional version of Stromness in Orkney where a young lad has been smuggled to his grandmother to escape a virus on the mainland. He meets a mysterious stranger, Maren, who makes him question everything he knows. I’ve also started working on a middle-grade fantasy story, The Time Keepers, about a boy who is trying to save the world from an evil ‘Mechanic’ who is determined to control time. Both have been longlisted and shortlisted for several literary prizes including the Kelpies Prize for Fiction, the Mslexia YA prize, the Cheshire Kids, and Searchlight writing awards.
What is the best piece of writing advice you have come across?
The best piece of writing advice came from my high school English teacher when I met him in a pub a few years back. “Just write the damn thing!”
Where can readers connect with you and your writing?
I am occasionally active on X and bluesky with the handle @emac77.
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You can read Solstice in Call of the Isles.
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