Job: - Author and Freelance Arts Journalist
Website: https//www.dougjohnstone.com
X: @doug_johnstone
Instagram:@writerdougj
Introduction
Doug Johnston is the author of 17 books. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, The Big Chill long-listed for the same prize. Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He has a degree in physics and a Phd in Nuclear Physics. He is a member of the Fun' Lovin' Crime Writers. And the co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club. His most recent book is The Collapsing Wave.
Current book? (This can either be the current book that you are reading or writing or both)
I’m currently writing the third part of my science fiction Enceladons trilogy, following on from The Space Between Us and The Collapsing Wave. It’s set mostly in and around Greenland, so this has been a big research challenge.
Favourite book:
It changes every week, but let’s for now say The Night Always Comes by Willy Vlautin. A thriller and an existential look at the broken heart of America.
Which two musicians would you invite to dinner and why?
Only two? Singer songwriter Sufjan Stevens and soul legend Mavis Staples. I reckon they’d both have amazing stories to tell.
How do you relax?
Noodle about on the guitar.
Which book do you wish you had written and why?
So many! I’m a huge Sara Gran fan, and I think her horror novella Come Closer is just about a perfect piece of writing, so definitely that.
What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out as a writer.
It’s boring advice, but just keep plugging away. Keep writing the books you want to write, and you will find your tribe.
How would you describe your latest published book?
The Collapsing Wave is a first contact science fiction thriller set in the Scottish Highlands. It’s about how badly humans treat each other, and the world around us. There’s guns, chases, prison breakouts and telepathic alien octopuses.
With A Dance to the Music of Crime: the artful crime to murder being the theme at St Hilda's this year, which are you three favourite albums?
Again, this changes from day to day, but today I’m going to say:
Only Revolutions by Biffy Clyro
Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens
Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers
If you were given the ability to join a band which would it be and why?
Biffy Clyro. A Scottish rock band who marries massive choruses with weirdness. I could drum for them, no bother. Just waiting for the call.
If you were to re-attend a concert which would it be and why
The first time I saw The Afghan Whigs at The Venue in Edinburgh, around 1990 maybe. I was in a band called Cheesegrater (yes, really) who were playing later on in the venue downstairs, and I sneaked up and saw the most amazing grunge-soul review band, totally owning the stage. An inspiration. I was also pretty drunk, so don’t remember it too well.
What are you looking forward to at St Hilda's?
All the music chat!
The Collapsing Wave by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books)
Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens’ visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland’s west coast.Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities.Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history.When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…
Information about 2024 St Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend and how to book online tickets can be found here.
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