THEY say there’s a book in all of us. For Susan Fiddes, it’s been hidden within her for 10 years and she’s finally released it.

Here, the Cardrona author chats to reporter Hilary Scott about The Mystery of Insch Brae House, a thrilling novel for children.

A decade ago, the sea was calling Susan. Desperate to escape the Edinburgh city hotel she was living in as part of a three-month work secondment, she returned to her childhood haunt in North Berwick where she holidayed with family.

Walking along the stormy seafront in North Berwick during a bitterly cold spring, her childhood imagination was reawakened. She gazed at the huge imposing houses that had now been turned into apartments, and thought how spooky it would have been to live in one in the olden days.

Each night after work she returned to her hotel bedroom in the city, she fired up her laptop, and set her imagination free...

This was where her debut novel was born, coming to life many years later with readers finally meeting the fictional characters in Susan’s creative mind.

Muriel and her mother are in the midst of an unexpected family crisis. A crisis that sees Muriel being packed off to the fictional Scottish seaside town of Moreland alone with a chaperone in the middle of winter.

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As Muriel tries to come to terms with the possibility of being away from home indefinitely, the history of Moreland and its quirky residents are revealed. Soon Muriel sets about investigating the mysterious story of why Moreland has gone from being a thriving seaside town to the run-down and dreary place it has become. This an exciting and fantastical adventure with a classic feel, largely fuelled by Muriel’s vivid imagination and moral compass as things start to go “bump in the night” at creepy Insch Brae House.

When Muriel teams up with local boy Christopher, they soon discover that not everything at the house is what it seems and that there is much more to the fearsome governess, Miss Floss, than they could ever have guessed.

The Mystery of Insch Brae House contains strong contemporary themes around bravery, bullying, tenacity, honesty, respect, friendship, family and forgiveness; which all young independent and/or reluctant readers and their parents will relate to and enjoy.

Susan grew up in Aberdeen and now lives in Cardrona with her husband James and two children – seven-year-old Anna and four-year-old Magnus.

“Holidaying in North Berwick every summer as a child, the seaside has always been a huge source of fun and fascination for me,” said Susan.

Peeblesshire News:

The novelty of hotel room life wore off quickly and the seed for her new book was planted as she stood watching the waves crashing on the beach in North Berwick.

“Every night after that day, I would return to my hotel room from work, open my laptop and type for hours – it was an amazing creative vent during an otherwise fairly miserable assignment.

“The saying goes that everyone has a book inside them just waiting to get out. In that sense the book almost wrote itself.

“I can’t really explain why I wrote it – as soon as inspiration struck, it just had to be written. I guess an extremely vivid imagination coupled with a life-long love of reading and writing fiction from a young age really helped.”

She added: “I must give credit to my parents for their nurturing and encouragement of this over the years.”

Asked about the reaction to her debut novel being released, Susan replied: “It has been amazing.

“I was really nervous before publication day. Although I received amazing feedback from the children who had test-read the pre-release draft of the novel, there is still something really scary about sharing one’s heart and soul with the world at large.

“Feedback and reviews have been overwhelmingly positive thus far and sales are doing really well. I think that this is in part testament to the huge appeal that Scotland holds as a tourist destination.

“Although set in the present day, the novel does have quite a classic mystery feel and I believe this genre is making a bit of a comeback as young readers look for time to fill during lockdown.

“I have had quite a few comments from parents and grandparents who have gone on to buy copies to send to relatives in Canada, Australia and the USA, which is just fantastic to hear too.”

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Her first book being published isn’t the only creative dream realised, as Susan now embarks on a new career as a director at the Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre in Peebles.

Susan’s professional background is in energy/commercial law and finding a family-friendly job without a long commute was proving impossible.

She told me: “I had been looking around for a new work role for a while. When I heard about the part-time role on the board of directors being advertised, I jumped at the chance to apply as my work experience along with my interest in the arts seemed to be a great fit.

“Also, as a mum of two children at Priorsford Primary, the Eastgate has always been an important focal point for us in terms of kids’ classes and lunch pit-stops for the last few years, not to mention cinema, theatre and live music events.

“At such a difficult time for the Arts, it feels great to be able to contribute something towards supporting our local ‘scene’ as it enters its ‘new normal’.

While the nation has been in lockdown, one woman from a sleepy wee village in Peeblesshire has been busy. A new book and a new career.

JK Rowling had the initial idea for Harry Potter when travelling on a train from Manchester to London. She put pen to paper in a room she rented in a flat and wrote entire chapters in an Edinburgh café.

Susan Fiddes was walking along a beach in North Berwick when she thought of the storyline for The Mystery of Insch Brae House. She tapped the keys of her laptop in an Edinburgh hotel, breathing life into her characters and tale.

After 10 years, she bravely bared her “heart and soul” by releasing the book within her. And for the next chapter in her life? As JK Rowling once said – “anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve”.