David Tallach

This book of avian haiku flies on its inspiration from birds. Blue tits, robins and owls are familiar sights closer to home, whereas parrots and flamingos hail from further afield. All have their distinctive beauty, behaviour and habitats. The title comes from a track by The Peatbog Faeries, concerning a mysterious parrot who might just know the route to the lost city of Atlantis.

This book of avian haiku flies on its inspiration from birds. Blue tits, robins and owls are familiar sights closer to home, whereas parrots and flamingos hail from further afield. All have their distinctive beauty, behaviour and habitats. The title comes from a track by The Peatbog Faeries, concerning a mysterious parrot who might just know the route to the lost city of Atlantis.

In 1688, King James VII of Scotland and II of England was ousted in the so-called 'Glorious Revolution'. Yet in parts of the Scottish Highlands, there was a lingering loyalty to him and his line. This is a ground-breaking study in the involvement of the northern Highlands of Scotland (here defined as Sutherland, Caithness, Ross-shire and Inverness, though not Inverness-shire) in the major Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745. It examines aspects of the politics, religion and commerce of the region which led to the continued involvement of some clans in the cause of the exiled House of Stuart in the first half of the eighteenth century. The cover shows the former Inverness Castle, destroyed by the Jacobites in 1746.

In 1688, King James VII of Scotland and II of England was ousted in the so-called 'Glorious Revolution'. Yet in parts of the Scottish Highlands, there was a lingering loyalty to him and his line. This is a ground-breaking study in the involvement of the northern Highlands of Scotland (here defined as Sutherland, Caithness, Ross-shire and Inverness, though not Inverness-shire) in the major Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745. It examines aspects of the politics, religion and commerce of the region which led to the continued involvement of some clans in the cause of the exiled House of Stuart in the first half of the eighteenth century. The cover shows the former Inverness Castle, destroyed by the Jacobites in 1746.

This is a collection of haiku in praise of a bumblebee species native to Scotland, bombus lapidaries, so it seemed apt to render it in Scots. The poems alternate between Scots and English, the latter roughly translations of the former, following the four seasons.

The author of this novel lived in Aberdeen for 20 years, and it is very much a celebration of the city, especially places in the centre he knew well. Focusing on the lives and loves of four students over one year, it follows the changing seasons (wet to wetter)of the Granite City. The cover shows Marischal College, part of Aberdeen University, adjoining Upperkirkgate.

These poems are the result of a protracted bereavement, the more so as the writer's Aunt Elizabeth developed early-onset Alzheimer's and gradually lost her faculties in a manner very painful to her and her relatives. Now that she has passed away, these are written to comfort particularly the writer's mother and Uncle Cameron, her remaining siblings, and to encourage them in the hope of heaven. It is also hoped they may help others who have lost relatives.

These poems celebrate the lives of bees, which bring joy in many subtle ways into our lives, pollinating flowers and making honey, and bringing variety to our insect world. They have been revered for this since ancient times, and long may they continue to do so.

These poems are for the comfort of a friend, who suffered the loss of her son from cancer. The writer has borrowed themes from CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia to create empathic and uplifting themes reflecting on Jesus' ultimate victory over all death and sadness. 'The light shines in the darkness...The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.' (John 1: 5,9)

These haiku commemorate the visit of a long-term dear friend to the author's part of the world. It was a delight to share his country's art, culture, heritage and walks with her. The cover shows Rosemarkie Bay in the Black Isle, where they enjoyed a memorable and artistic walk together.

These haiku celebrate winter, a time of warm fires on short, bright days, challenged by darkness and the cold, which comes in various stages of cruelty. The day of the steam train in history was similarly short, but warmed the hearts of many while it lasted.

These haiku offer an intense Gothic celebration of summer. There are portraits of four separate graveyards in the Highlands; interspersed with evocations of the light and beauty of the Summer Isles; standing stones at the Clava Cairns just outside Inverness, and Callanish in Lewis; the memory of Somerled, a twelfth-century Norse-Gaelic warrior who ruled the Western Isles; and the crumbling of sandcastles on the last Bank Holiday of August.

Autumn is the best of seasons, combining the last colourful flourishes of summer with the chilly onset of winter. These short poems celebrate the fall of summer, the shortening of the days and the approaching realism of winter. The colour red is also at its most vibrant and meaningful in autumn.

These poems were written in 1998 due to a bereavement. My Uncle Fraser, an unusual, talented and remarkable man by any standards, passed away from cancer. These poems were written in the sure and certain hope of meeting with him again in heaven, and also celebrating the Highlands that we shared and loved.

These poems were written between 1997 and 2003. They evoke a strong sense of Scottish history, on the land and at sea, in places ranging from Aberdeen to Cromarty (the main setting, especially for local stories such as Captain Reid's mermaid and the Sutors) and further north into the Highlands. Although there is a heavy sense of decay, in buildings, machines and people, this is due to the passing of time. Only the landscape remains pure and undefiled. The cover shows the ruins of Elgin Cathedral.

These short stories powerfully evoke Scottish landscape, history and architecture. With a keen sense of the past impacting on the present, they are gripping and often moving. The author was a winner of the WH Smith Young Writers' competition in 1991, judged by then Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, and has wanted to publish a book of his own short stories ever since. Some of these stories have been previously published on www.cazart.co.uk. 'The News From Moidart' was previously published in issue 6 of the magazine Random Acts of Writing in 2007, 'We Are For The Dark' won third prize in a writing competition run by the Isle of Mull-based newspaper Am Muileach in 2007, and 'Ask For Me Tomorrow' was highly commended in the Highlands and Islands' Short Story Association (HISSAC) competition in 2008.

These poems build on the first volume of the same name in looking at local history over the centuries. This one evokes the Pictish (Iron Age and Early Medieval) culture, left behind in many richly carved stones up and down the east of Scotland. Some of these still stand in their original locations, some have been taken into the care of museums, such as Groam House in Rosemarkie in the Black Isle, where the author used to volunteer. The Rosemarkie Cross is the pride of their collection. The second part of this volume looks at Later Medieval history, up to the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Throughout the collection, the past comes to life in vivid detail as the seasons change, people live and die and nature is always beautiful. The cover shows the Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age burial ground outside Inverness.

These poems build on the first volume of the same name in looking at local history over the centuries. This one evokes the Pictish (Iron Age and Early Medieval) culture, left behind in many richly carved stones up and down the east of Scotland. Some of these still stand in their original locations, some have been taken into the care of museums, such as Groam House in Rosemarkie in the Black Isle, where the author used to volunteer. The Rosemarkie Cross is the pride of their collection. The second half looks at Later Medieval history, up to the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Throughout the collection, the past comes to life in vivid detail as the seasons change, people live and die and nature is always beautiful. The front cover shows the ruins of Beauly Priory.