“The Guide to Mysterious Loch Ness and the Inverness Area” is my third book on the strange, curious and supernatural. It’s out in December 2007.

“The Guide To Mysterious Iona and Staffa,” was published in May 2007.

“The Guide To Mysterious Perthshire,” my first book, came out in December 2006.

I’m currently researching The Guide to Mysterious Arran, which will be out in the Spring of 2008. The next books after that will be The Guide to Mysterious Stirling and The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeenshire.

I detect a theme.

Each book is a comprehensive guide to everything strange, Fortean, paranormal, Gothic and grotesque in a given area. They tell you where to find stone circles, carved stones, gargoyles, graveyards and other mysterious or atmospheric sites. There’s also witchcraft, magic, ghosts, loch monsters, demons, folklore, cryptozoology, holy wells, miracles, religious mania, UFOs and general weirdness. So, something for everyone.

The writing involves a massive amount of documentary and field research, which is of course both hard work and terrific fun. Except that it gives me a combination of library tan and gargoyle-spotter’s neck.  

If you have any experiences of or information on anything strange, wonderful or paranormal concerning the Isle of Arran or the counties of Stirling or Aberdeenshire (or anywhere else for that matter), please contact me.

I’ve also written a number of articles and features in a variety of publications. The books are the best way to see what I’m about - my specialisms are Forteana, occulture, gargoyles, archaeological oddities, travel, history, mysteries and monsters. I’m available for commissions.

I wrote and produced the STV/Grampian TV Gaelic series “ Scotland the Mysterious Country” and formerly wrote a weekly column on the strange and supernatural for the “Perthshire Advertiser”.

I live in Perthshire, Scotland, which I like a lot. Much of my writing is done to the strains of Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone on BBC Radio 6. I don’t like cigarettes or cucumbers. And as for mayonnaise, I note that this was the signature smell of the loathsome demon in Frank Miller’s graphic novel “Electra: Assassin”. I think Frank was on to something there.

A guide to everything supernatural, paranormal, folkloric and, above all, mysterious about the Isle of Iona and the nearby island of Staffa.

This third book in what they’re all calling “The Guide to Mysterious....” series is a comprehensive guide to everything strange, curious, supernatural, folkloric and weird in the Inverness and Loch Ness area,