Home   News   Article

Highland writer books top slot with first novel


By Margaret Chrystall

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Laura Guthrie.
Laura Guthrie.

A HIGHLAND writer was delighted to find her debut novel had gone to number one in the Amazon young adult chart – ahead of one of her own favourite reads as a youngster by top teen writer Judy Blume.

Anna by Laura Guthrie (32) reached number one in the ebook chart the day before it was officially published.

Laura (pictured top right), from just outside Beauly, said: “I loved Judy Blume’s book Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret when I was growing up, so it made me really happy to be in the same sort of league.

“The thing that has made me so happy about it is that it has made my friends and family so happy as well.

“It’s nice to see that you have something to offer.”

In Laura’s book, Anna is 13 years old, lives in London with her father, and has Asperger’s syndrome.

When her father dies she travels to the central belt to live with her estranged, reclusive mother. With little support to help her fit in, Anna must use everything her father taught her – especially her Happy Game – to integrate into her new community, connect with her mother, discover her past and cope with the challenges along the way.

Laura’s book has been described as Pollyanna – the always cheerful children’s book character – re-imagined for a new generation.

Laura's debut novel Anna.
Laura's debut novel Anna.

Laura explained that she created the character Anna with Asperger’s Syndrome – like herself.

She then revealed that reimagining Anna as a kind of Pollyanna figure had started out as a joke.

“In books about characters with Asperger’s, the characters are often quite closed and difficult to get to know and stuff.

“So the joke with the book was to completely subvert that and to see if Pollyanna could be made into someone with Asperger’s because Pollyanna is seen as such a sociable person in the original book. That is how it started.

“But of course I probably wouldn’t have thought of doing that if it wasn’t for my own Asperger’s and my knowledge of it.

“The main challenge was making Anna a different character from me, but not a stereotypical person with Asperger’s.”

The Amazon chart showing Laura's book at number one.
The Amazon chart showing Laura's book at number one.

As well as going straight to the top of the Amazon young adult chart, the book made it on to the Scottish Book Trust’s list of 30 Novels to Look Out for in 2020 and Books From Scotland’s Who We’re Watching In 2020. It is also going to be the Scottish Book Trust’s book of the month for July.

Laura (pictured above) has an honours degree in biological sciences from the University of Edinburgh, and a PhD in creative writing from the University of Glasgow. She has produced two of her own plays with her theatre company Sunrise Theatre.

Her book is being published by specialist small publisher Cranachan Publishing – and Laura got her deal in a less formal way than many authors do.

She explained: “I’ve been a member of an independent writing group called Ross-shire Writers since 2015 and one of the members there knows Anne Glennie, who runs Cranachan Publishing.

“So for me, finding a publisher wasn’t a sort of throw-it-into-the-void thing where a lot of books are being submitted by strangers. It was a very human introduction, which helps. And it has been such a good fit. I just get on so well with everyone at Cranachan.”

Though Laura says it has taken a long time to complete her first book, she has already begun on her next, called Time of Kindness which is about an imaginary island.

Anna by Laura Guthrie (Cranachan Books, £8.99) in paperback – and as an ebook.


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More