Interview: James Robertson, author

Published on Sunday 24 January 2010 10:55

Who would attend your fantasy dinner party and what would you eat? Hugh MacDiarmid and Robert Burns. Much drink would be taken. Haggis would have to be the bill of fare.

Who did you last text and what was the message?

Pass. I hardly ever text.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

A very old lady once said: "Never resent growing old. It's an experience denied to many."

What's the worst job you ever had?

I tried being a door-to-door salesman of cleaning products and what the singer Nanci Griffith calls "unnecessary plastic objects".

Who is your favourite fictional character?

From childhood, Winnie-the-Pooh. Chris Guthrie in Sunset Song and Maggie Tulliver in The Mill on the Floss score highly.

What are you afraid of?

Missing really obvious typos when correcting proofs.

Did you have a nickname growing up?

What was it and why? My family called me Loppy Lugs.

What situations make you lose your temper?

Overpackaging.

What would your alternate profession be?

I'd swap being a writer for being a really first-class musician any day.

What food or drink is always in your fridge?

Orange juice, white wine, milk, cheese.

If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

I'm still not great at saying no to projects.

If you could travel back in time, where would you go?

Edinburgh in the 1770s. Enlightened conversation, riotous nightlife and maybe the chance to meet the poet Robert Fergusson.

Saturday night or Sunday morning?

Sunday morning in bed with the papers, fresh rolls, tea and the love of my life.

Who or what is the love of your life?

My wife Marianne.

Robertson's book, Katie's Year, the fifth in the Itchy Coo Katie series is out now, 6.99, Black and White Publishing

&#149 This article was first published in The Scotsman on 23 January, 2010