Gordon Lawrie
Born in 1952, Gordon Lawrie spent 36 years teaching Modern Studies in an assortment of secondary schools in and around Edinburgh before he was eventually released on licence. He achieved notoriety by having - arguably - the worst, leakiest classroom in Scotland, which was featured on the front page of newspapers, as well as in one legendary Reporting Scotland clip where the reporter managed (despite careful coaching) to spell his name incorrectly.
In his past lie some dark secrets. Long ago, he would play guitar and sing very badly anywhere that would have him, an experience that so scarred him that he chose to write about it in his first novel Four Old Geezers And A Valkyrie, which hit the bookshops with a thud early in 2013. He also attempts to play the piano (should that be paino?), but the neighbours are very understanding. Memories of attempts to pass ABRSM exams in music - not all sucessful, sadly - are relived in his short story The Piano Exam. He is easily distracted by the current fad for "flash fiction". If you can't be bothered trying anything else, try some of the 100-word efforts to be found on his own website by clicking on the icon above left.
In 2017 Gordon developed one of the characters in The Piano Exam into a series of short stories. In The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwell-Hume, the central character is a piano-teaching nun with some extraordinary talents, one of which is her dress sense. She's no ordinary nun, for sure, and in time she strikes up a collaborative relationship with a young police constable which allows them (her, really) to solve some small-scale crimes herself.
Meanwhile Gordon fancies himself as a cook. Four Old Geezers And A Valkyrie makes reference to some fine Indo-Scottish fusion dishes including Macgregor Vindaloo and the legendary Chicken Tikka Macgregor. A recipe for the latter dish - which surprisingly tastes gorgeous - can be found lurking on this website somewhere.
Further novels followed: The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwell-Hume (2016), a series of adventures featuring the return of the very unusual nun from The Piano Exam, together with her young protege policeman; and The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold (2018), a rom-com comedy spy thriller.
As well as further fiction in the pipeline, 2020 will also see Gordon launch publication of his book Self-Publishing: The Total Beginner's Guide, under the new imprint of Dean Park Press.
He lives in central Edinburgh with his very, very understanding wife.
More can be found about Gordon Lawrie at his own website, http://www.lawrie.info/.
In 2017 Gordon developed one of the characters in The Piano Exam into a series of short stories. In The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwell-Hume, the central character is a piano-teaching nun with some extraordinary talents, one of which is her dress sense. She's no ordinary nun, for sure, and in time she strikes up a collaborative relationship with a young police constable which allows them (her, really) to solve some small-scale crimes herself.
Meanwhile Gordon fancies himself as a cook. Four Old Geezers And A Valkyrie makes reference to some fine Indo-Scottish fusion dishes including Macgregor Vindaloo and the legendary Chicken Tikka Macgregor. A recipe for the latter dish - which surprisingly tastes gorgeous - can be found lurking on this website somewhere.
Further novels followed: The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwell-Hume (2016), a series of adventures featuring the return of the very unusual nun from The Piano Exam, together with her young protege policeman; and The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold (2018), a rom-com comedy spy thriller.
As well as further fiction in the pipeline, 2020 will also see Gordon launch publication of his book Self-Publishing: The Total Beginner's Guide, under the new imprint of Dean Park Press.
He lives in central Edinburgh with his very, very understanding wife.
More can be found about Gordon Lawrie at his own website, http://www.lawrie.info/.
