Artyness columnist Barbara Henderson's writing life wakes up from winter

Ha! There it is! The very first snowdrop is on the move in my back garden, pushing up and out.

“Take that, winter!” it seems to say. “I’m on my way.”

My writing life is emerging from its winter hiatus too.

As I type I sit on a train returning from my first in-person school author visit this year.

I have a new book out in a week and most of my spare time, such as it was, is now taken up with writing promotional posts, responding to interview questions and organising launch events.

Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when your writer’s box of books arrives, and it never gets old.

Rivet Boy is a wee beauty, if I say so myself.

I can’t take my eyes off the blue and red cover, nor can I wait to take it out on the road.

First stop, Paisley Book Festival where one of my real-life characters hails from.

My calendar is covered in scribbles and highlighter pen – it will be a busy few weeks.

One of the things I love most about being part of the book world is the camaraderie of other writers on the journey, and it so happens that a whole clutch of those are celebrating new book releases too.

First up, The Hidden Fires by Merryn Glover and published by Polygon. Formerly the inaugural Cairngorms National Park writer in wesidence, Merryn is now at the top of her game.

Following in the footsteps of iconic nature writer Nan Shepherd, her book is a must-read for all lovers of the Cairngorms and Scotland’s wild places.

I am buzzing to get my hands on a copy.

I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy of Justin Davies’ new children’s book Haarville, published by Floris Books, and I am flying through it.

What an inventive story set in an atmospheric, foggy fishing community.

Davies is wonderful at world-building and had me hooked from the off.

Further afield, Roman London – then called Londinium – is the setting for Ally Sherrick’s latest historical adventure for children.

Vita And The Gladiator, which is published by Chicken House, promises to be another nail-biting page-turner.

The stakes could not be higher for Vita, and the author really catapults us into the Roman world with her usual attention to detail.

You can smell the roads, feel the breeze, touch the papyrus.

It’s a bumper month all right.

Happy February!

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