Writer and Artyness columnist Barbara Henderson shares a love of Jacobite history with writer Maggie Craig who features on a recent podcast episode

‘You’re actually so cute! You’re really going out like that?’ My son pauses before continuing: ‘Actually, good on you. You don’t care what people think.’

I hesitate – was offspring number three paying me a compliment there? Was it a dig? A bit of both? My poor middle-aged brain struggles to work it out, addled as it is from a week of book launches and school events for The Reluctant Rebel.

The new-book-just-out-juggernaut of events and publicity continues, and I am grateful that some things stay the same. The morning dog walk for example.

‘Erm, thanks,’ I answer and pull the front door shut behind me.

So what if my oversized pink plug-in headphones are not the height of cool? With a podcast in my ear, the early morning dog walk is transformed from a chore to a treat. I stride out along the road to the cheery opening tune. Only when the music ends do I realise: I’m smiling.

My current podcast of favour is none other than Northern Bibliosphere which is part of the Highland News And Media digital offering, free to access, frequent enough to hold my interest and varied and rich in content.

The invariably cheery Federica Stefani is such a likeable host and I was honoured to be asked to feature in the opening episode. Catching up with the rest of the backlist (not the first one – I cannot, I repeat CANNOT endure the sound of my own voice!) has been nothing short of a joy.

I missed Ullapool Book Festival this year – my daughter in Glasgow had a birthday that weekend which was very inconsiderate of her. But wait, no sweat – I could access Federica’s ‘Dispatches from Ullapool’ and listen to the excellent writers on the programme while breathing fresh Inverness morning air. However, my favourite episode so far has to be the one and only Maggie Craig whose non-fiction books about men and women of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion have just been re-released by Penguin.

Her generous feedback was invaluable to me in the editing process of my own Jacobite story.

I’ll never forget it: she thanked me for sharing my work with her (wait! She was doing me a favour, not the other way round!) and then proceeded to give me three pages of things I needed to fix, before finishing: ‘But I loved it! It’s a rip-roaring adventure!’

These last lines now grace the cover of my book – with Maggie’s permission, of course.

In her episode on Northern Bibliosphere, Maggie’s wit combines with such kindness and enthusiasm as she speaks of her fascination with Jacobite history, languages, her love of Edinburgh and the unexpected research benefits of recent storms and power cuts!

I return home feeling as if I have had a cuppa with a friend and hang the offending headphones on their hook by the door, ready for the next morning.

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