Last night we were privileged to watch six brave Ayr Writers’ Club members face the 2026 Dragons, Kirsty McClymont (Waterstones), Kirsty Hammond and Linda Brown.
The would-be novelists were, in order, Matt Richardson, Bernadette Wardrop, Terry Hotchin, Fiona Johnson, Pat Lerpiniere and Carrie Simpson.
Detox – thriller
Here we heard about a thriller set at a retreat experiment in a remote Scottish island. Characters were
thrown into a fractured, claustrophobic society where they were denied access to digital appliances. This story had a unique structure where chapters were sandwiched between diary entries which were told backwards, intriguing.
Love in the Killing Time – Historical Fiction
Set in 17c Scotland, this was a story of love, loyalty and survival. Forbidden love, secret liaisons, Covenanters and ordinary people in harsh times all featured. A rare insight into a period in Scotland’s history.
Bellringers’ Stack Tower – Fantasy
This story was about a king who wants a bell tower to be rebuilt. Different
bellringers compete to rebuild the tower over an old burial ground. Disturbed ghosts, and yes they would be, decide to help with the build. Will they be successful? This story included the bell people, witches and police. Yes, it was all in there!
The Empathy Virus – Speculative Fiction
Set in a future, corrupt society, this is a tale of dark personalities and psychopaths. This was a chilling tale of greed and power where Hannah had to navigate the empires of horror built by three evil people. Read this if you dare!
Untitled – Gothic Fiction
Set in Ayrshire, this story was about dreams and insomnia which started after a
country house was inherited. The dreams were strange and vivid with a supernatural element involving witch trials, burning at the stake and the protagonist being alienated by the villagers. It aimed to highlight just how many women died in this way at this time.
The Crow’s Legacy – Historical Fiction
This was the story of Cathy Campbell who at fifteen was sexually assaulted by a travelling crow hunter who’d been employed locally. Cathy was a resilient soul who battles adversity, poverty and hardship to raise her five children. Convinced that she caused harm to others, Cathy fought adversity and guilt to become a strong woman in a harsh mining community. The story was not all doom and gloom with lighter moments included.
The dragons retired to consider the excellent pitches and, although a referee was required within the trio, a winner was duly announced . . . congratulations Bernadette for ‘Love in the Killing Time’.
In the second half of the evening, Susan explained how she goes about writing a cozy crime, how she plans her characters, how to move the story on and where to include red herrings. This information will be available to the Google group. This was another most informative and entertaining evening.
By Greta Yorke