Mark Baillie
Scottish writer. Debut novel Salvage. Scottish Traveller history, music, books.
- Yep yep yep on No 1, but where's Chuck Berry Live in London and ZZ Top Fandango? www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
- "Salvage is about the will to discover against the odds, to trace back and find something that is missing. To me, this is the essence of special collections; a place where the past is kept alive" More of my #lovelibraries article on @cilipscotland.bsky.social www.cilips.org.uk
- Great article on the illegal sites crisis myth. What makes press bias worse is that there are just as many negative stories about legal sites. You'd think the same newspapers can't be against both, but guess what… www.travellerstimes.org.uk/features/ill...
- Catch Dancing Shoes at @traversetheatre.bsky.social before the 20th. Funny, touching, uplifting. A great piece of theatre 👍🕺
- Great to see this article again from Travellers Times tr.ee/T9thILxDN9
- Am I the only one getting a Remains of the Day vibe from this? #booksky #readingcommunity
- Well I can read or listen to an audiobook without checking my phone, but get through a tv series or film? Absolutely hopeless. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- I'll be at the @publishingscotland.bsky.social Xmas Book Fair on 21 Nov with my awesome publisher @tippermuirbooks.bsky.social plus loads of other great publishers, authors & poets. Come along and check it out.
- Reposted by Mark BaillieWe so enjoyed our time with you! Excited to share this episode with everyone! ✨
- It was a pleasure to chat today with Jez and Paulina from @romanistanpodcast.bsky.social - talking about Romany Traveller representations in publishing, sensitivity around the term Gypsy and, er, my Traveller 'crush' - keep your 👀 peeled for it...
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- It's coming! The Scottish Christmas Book Fair! Incl. @mbaillie.bsky.social @taylor-strickland.bsky.social @michlsloan.bsky.social @christinariley.bsky.social @elisecillustration.com @gillianshirreffs.bsky.social @writercatherine.bsky.social & more! www.publishingscotland.org/event/scotti...
- 👉 I'll be at the Scottish Christmas Book Fair on 21 Nov in Edinburgh with many fine authors and publishers. Come say hello, get a book signed 📚🎅👇
- Announcing the Scottish Christmas Book Fair! * The perfect occasion for Christmas gift shopping * All your favourite genres for adults & children * Chat with Scotland’s indie publishers & meet their authors See below for who'll be there! www.publishingscotland.org/event/scotti...
- Not only is it obscene for anyone to earn this much money, it's also dangerous - as Musk is demonstrating.
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- GREAT to see Traveller Storytelling in Scotland on the shortlist for the Folklore Society Katherine Briggs award
- When a new member comes to writers’ group, sits through a reading of an allegorical story on how religion is being twisted for authoritarian purposes, then says, ‘I think I might be in the wrong meeting. I'm looking for the horticultural society.’ Absolutely Priceless.
- Thoroughly enjoyed @portybookfest.bsky.social yesterday. The Unheard Voices panel showed writing's power to build community, especially during tough times. Brilliant contributions from fellow writers @stephenchristopher.bsky.social & Jim Aitken & chair Debbie Menezes. Thanks to all who came.
- Apart from the fact David Tennant and Toby Jones' wigs shouldn't have been sharing the screen together, The Hack is great. Don't see what the bad reviews are about.
- My friend Bob Fell will be talking about a curious episode at Balquhidder at the @scotstorycentre.bsky.social on 28 Oct, with special guest Shamus McPhee. Free tickets so come along. #scotshistory #folklore sisf.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:62...
- A great prog at this year’s @portybookfest.bsky.social I’ll be in the Unheard Voices panel, talking about unheard voices in Salvage. First & foremost the Traveller kids taken from their families but also the unheard voices of old generations of my Traveller family, which inspire me to write
- That felt good.
- An unusual chapter in the history of Jedburgh. Film producers will be tripping over themselves to get the rights for this. www.bbc.com/news/article...
- My awesome publisher @tippermuirbooks.bsky.social has a couple of titles shortlisted in this year's Scots Language Awards. The Lass and The Quine and Complete Works of William Soutar. Vote here!👇👍 projects.handsupfortrad.scot/scotslanguag...
- Edinburgh Festival goers, if you're partial to a dusty bookshelf and the crackle of delicate pages, come along to the Dear Library story session at the @natlibscot.bsky.social Tuesday, noon, where I'll be reading from History of The Gipsies and from Salvage www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...
- I'm looking forward to taking part in the Dear Library event, part of Edinburgh Fringe at @natlibscot.bsky.social my slot is Tues 12 Aug at noon. Tickets 👇 www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...
- It's such a pleasure to see reviews like this. I tried to write Salvage with the urgency & pace of a thriller - it seems to have worked! 👍
- If you think press treatment of Travellers has become less racist over time, read this from @lsesocialpolicy.bsky.social in the British Journal of Criminology academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-...
- A true conundrum. Not surprised it drew a crowd. Must be that time of year again. www.thenational.scot/news/2534447...
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- A year since Salvage was published. Thanks to every reader & the amazing @tippermuirbooks.bsky.social @rickhendry.bsky.social @romanistanpodcast.bsky.social @chelsmacdonn.bsky.social - to think one bit of advice I got while writing it was: it wasn't a story anyone would want to read!
- Can't help thinking this debacle is what happens when nomadism gets romanticised. Somebody's going to package it up and sell it. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...
- They fairly jumped the shark at the end of 28 Years Later with the Jimmy Savile-styled zombie killing ninjas. Oh to have been in the writers' room when that post-it got stuck to the wall. "Listen guys, I've got the ideal way to wrap this up..."
- When you submit a short story to a high brow lit magazine and the rejection says your poetry wasn't right for our pages, well...
- In Scotland this week a small but tenacious group of campaigners brought recognition for countless victims of anti Traveller laws and policies over centuries. The government has apologised and so has the church. What an awesome achievement www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- My grandad ‘Bing’, dad, my oldest son Ozzy, and me, from the first article I wrote for the Romany & Traveller Family History Society. I've been a member off & on nearly 20 years. Joining & contributing is a great way to capture memories of all the great folks from your family! #GRTHM
- Here's the final part of the excerpt from Salvage for Gypsy Romany Traveller history month. Enjoy! #GRTHM25 #DebutNovel #scotsnoir #scotshistory #WritingCommunity
- Pt2 - in the rare collections room at the National Library of Scotland. #GRTHM25 #gypsytraveller #scotshistory #scotsnoir #mysterynovel #WritingCommunity
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- For Gypsy Romany Traveller History Month, here's a scene from Salvage where my protagonist Emma discovers a long forgotten book that uncovers her Traveller roots. More instalments coming soon. #GRTHM25 #grthistorymonth #romanytraveller #gypsytraveller #mysterynovel
- If you’re a reader who likes under-explored histories, check out my novel Salvage which delves into the scandal of forced removals of Traveller kids #GRTHM25 #grthistorymonth #romanytraveller #gypsytraveller #mysterynovel #scotsnoir #scotshistory
- This could spread out in various directions now. I'll be watching for what the Church of Scotland has to say. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- A writing road trip has me down in Blyth and this, it turns out, is where they filmed the ending of Get Carter on the chase along the coal staithes.
- For Gypsy Roma Traveller history month there'll be a few posts here from Salvage to whet the appetite on this rich & under explored history #GRTHM25 #historicalfiction #WritingCommunity #scotshistory
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- But they have a new life as the eyes of the low-tech winking emoji ;) www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
- This is such a head-slap - a clunky reading can ruin what are otherwise great books so I hate to think what AI narration would be like. publishingperspectives.com/2025/05/audi...
- I over-slept by 2.5 hrs yesterday and generally felt a bit weird. Today someone tells me, 'oh that'll be the Scorpio Full Moon.' I am a Scorpio - and now officially horoscope-curious 🤔
