Susi Briggs
Susi Briggs reading at the Big DoG festival
We are very excited to announce that author Susi Briggs will be appearing at Edinburgh International Book Festival this year – a first for Foggie Toddle Books, though Susi has been part of the festival in the past wearing her poet hat. Susi will be hosting an event based on her Scots Language books including Wheesht, illustrated by William Gorman, and her most recent title, Yum with pictures by Charlotte Brayley. As this year’s Scots Scriever with the National Library of Scotland, Susi will also include her first picture books that were beautifully illustrated by her friend, the late Ruthie Redden – Nip Nebs and Nip Nebs and the Last Berry. Susi always presents a fabulous event including songs and readings, making Scots accessible and fun to all ages. She will be in Edinburgh on Saturday 17th August at 10am. Please follow this link to book tickets – here.
Indie Bookshop Week
The annual celebration of bookstores in the UK starts on Saturday June 15th with more than 700 shops taking part with special offers and events. Being part of Scotland’s National Booktown means that we celebrate being a bookshop every day and we are lucky to be part of a such a great community in Wigtown. Unfortunately due to be being hit by the lurgie that seems to be everywhere at the moment, we haven’t organised anything specific for Bookshop Week but we will be taking part all the same. We will have some special value bundle buys of our own books for one week only and a wee treasure hunt to win either a free World Book Day book or £1 off the cover price of our new title The Highland Cowgirl. While many people value the importance of small indie shops on the high street, the cost of living crisis has meant that this has been a tricky first half of the year for many businesses. No one becomes a bookseller for an easy life, but keeping the wolf from the door is often priority number one, so please support your local indie bookshop and if you don’t have one near you please consider buying from Bookshop.org which supports independents.
The House that Sugar Built
Emily and Lesley visiting Wigtown
These two Canadians popped into the shop recently whilst on the trail of their ancestor John McGuffie, the father of Margaret, the central character in Donna Brewster’s novel, The House that Sugar Built. Cousins, Emily and Lesley were taken to the house in Wigtown by the author who based the novel on her research into what was at that time, her home. John McGuffie had made his fortune in the mid 19th century in Barbados as a trader, and when he returned to Scotland he brought with him one of his children, a daughter whose mother had been a free woman of slave heritage. Donna was also able to take Emily and Lesley to see the grave of John and Margaret McGuffie in the churchyard at Mochrum, a small village north of Port William.
The House that Sugar Built was originally published by GC Books more than 20 years ago but was reissued in a new and revised edition by Second Sands Publishing, an imprint of Foggie Toddle Books, last September. It is available to buy price £12.99 from our website shop.