When bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith isn’t penning adventures set in Scotland and Botswana, he plots his own dramatic course on the water …

You published five books in 2015 alone – how do you manage to be so prolific? I always have more than one book going at once. I get in the mood for writing them with different pieces of music that suit each series. For the Isabel Dalhousie series, for example it’s Mozart. The deadlines tend to focus the mind – 44 Scotland Street books always start out in The Scotsman newspaper as a series of chapters. I have to write five chapters a week! I manage to write when I travel – on aeroplanes and so on. That’s important because I do a lot of touring. At the end of 2015 I gave talks about my books across the US and Canada. Does all this writing and touring mean no time for hobbies? I love sailing and get out whenever I can. I got into it about 15 years ago and now I have a Fisher 34 – a lovely sloop that I sail on the west coast of Scotland. We have a house in Argyll, and my shopping trip is a 45-minute trip by boat to Tobermory. That’s what inspired my new series School Ship Tobermory (see page 38). Many sailors love the Patrick O’Brien books and I thought I should write something like that for children of 9 or over, which had that shared love of sailing. We’re suggesting sailing as something for readers to have a go at this issue [see page 36]. Why do you recommend it? It’s the sheer pleasure of being close to the elements. You’re on the water, taken out of the cocoon of comfort that modern life can provide and back to nature … a reconnection with reality. Of course, the water can be dangerous, and people who go to sea have to accept that. But being prepared for it and minimising the risks is part of the activity. Have you ever fallen foul of those dangers? No, but I have seen what the sea is capable of. A few years ago I was sailing with friends when a mayday came over the radio, and we were the nearest vessel to the casualty – he was just around the corner. So we headed to the scene and this poor chap had holed his boat on a hidden rock. A workboat had reached him before us so I watched as they helped the sailor, and then a passing dive boat arrived and they assessed the damage. And then I saw the heroic sight of the Tobermory lifeboat and I knew the chap would be fine. Is that why you’re an RNLI member? I think all sailors are grateful that the RNLI exists, because they think ‘my goodness, one day I might need them’. And the safety work the charity is doing is vital too – such as reminding us of the importance of lifejackets. I’ve always been a fan of the lifeboat crews even before sailing, though, because it’s a wonderful example of service to the community in an age where people are so concerned with themselves.

MY FAVOURITE:

INSTRUMENT:
‘ I play wind instruments. I’m really bad. In fact, my wife and I started The Really Terrible Orchestra 20 years ago. We have performed shows in Edinburgh, New York and New Zealand!’

CHARACTER:
‘ In the 44 Scotland Street books there’s a boy called Bertie, who has a very pushy mother. In all those books, he is the only person who tells the truth.’

AWARD:
‘ I was touched when I got the Botswana Presidential Award of Merit. I was honoured that they should do this and I’m a great fan of Botswana [the setting for The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency]. 

Interview: Rory Stamp
Photo: Alex Hewitt