By Bernie Bell

It’s  been a long wait, but ‘Skara- The Third Wave’ by Andrew Appleby is finally ready to be released to the world!

If you’d like to see where it all began…………….

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skara-First-Wave-Andrew-Appleby/dp/1999861108

The tale started with ‘Skara’, which I, and I’m sure many other folk, enjoyed greatly. Some were picky about the detailed descriptions of feasting, some were picky about the detailed descriptions of folk enjoying one of the other great pleasures of life!  It was even described, by one person as “Neolithic soft porn”!  I disagree, I think Andrew is simply describing….…what people do.  And describes it, all of it – eating, drinking travelling, talking, pairing, mating….life, human life – in a way which engages the reader and makes you want to find out more about these people, to follow their travels and their meetings. When I finished ‘Skara’, I wanted to know what happened to Shala and Oiwa – I’ve been nagging Andrew, on and off for three years – yes, it is three years – to get on with the next instalment.

And now …..Ta-Dah! he has done so.  There will be two book launches, on Saturday 10^th November.  Firstly, in  Stromness, at Stromness Books & Prints ( still known as Tam’s bookshop) from 11am  to 12 pm, then at the  Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall,  1 to 4 ish.

I haven’t read it yet – it’s still ‘under wraps’, but, if this one is anything like as good as the last one, I’ll read it, and immediately start nagging Andrew to write the next one! I think he has an idea of the whole tale but, he tells me that even he didn’t know how this one would finish. He’d planned an ending, but things don’t always go an author’s way when the characters take over. He says he was terribly shocked with what happened!

Andrew starts to weave the tale, the character take on their own existence and their own lives, and Andrew just has to try to keep up with them.  It’s true inspiration – when something works through us, to produce something which is of us, but also, of itself.

Put it in your diary – write it on your calendar – Saturday 10th November – ‘Skara – The Third Wave’ flows out into the world.