The Further From festival returns for 2024!

After a successful event in 2023, we’re back with another full day of fantastic authors right here in Linlithgow! We hope you’ll be able to join us in person on

Saturday 9th March 2024: there’ll be plenty of books and cake galore!

Each session is £8 individually*, or a festival day pass is £40.

Everything is happening in beautiful St Peter’s Church, nestled in the heart of Linlithgow High Street.

More information and tickets are available on our website, or in the shop: read on for the full line-up…

*Includes refreshments and discount on books purchased at the event

The Further From Festival Line-Up

10.00am: Jim Crumley and Leo du Feu, Watching Wildlife

Jim Crumley is the author of more than 40 books, mostly on the wildlife and wild landscapes of Scotland. In Watching Wildlife, he draws us into his magical world, showing how we can learn to watch wildlife well, and what doing so can mean for our ability to care for it, and care for ourselves. Jim’s session is being chaired by Leo du Feu - an expert in watching wildlife and then turning it into beautiful art.

12.00pm: Lesley McDowell, Clairmont

Lesley McDowell’s debut novel The Picnic came out in 2007. In 2010 she published Between the Sheets: The Literary Liaisons of Nine 20th-Century Women Writers, which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize in the 2011 Scottish Book Awards. Her second novel Unfashioned Creatures, about Mary Shelley's Scottish childhood friend, was published in 2013. Clairmont is her third novel and tells the story of the incredible woman that history tried to forget. But in the year that will mark the 200 year anniversary of Lord Byron's death, Claire Clairmont will finally find her voice, and tell her side of the story of that fateful Geneva trip.

2.00pm: Sara Sheridan, The Secrets of Blythswood Square

Sara Sheridan is a writer and activist who is interested particularly in female history. Her novel The Fair Botanists was chosen as Waterstones’ Scottish Book of the Year in 2022. The Secrets of Blythswood Square is her new novel, set in Glasgow in 1846, it touches on class, female friendship and early photography.

4.00pm: Claire Askew, The Dead Don’t Speak and Martin Stewart, Double Proof

Claire Askew's debut novel All The Hidden Truths won the 2016 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize as a work in progress, and the 2019 McIlvanney Debut Crime Fiction Award.  Two of her novels have been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Her fourth novel, A Matter of Time, was longlisted for the McIlvanney Crime Novel of the Year 2022. The Dead Don’t Speak is her fifth crime novel. Claire is also a poet and non-fiction writer.

Martin Stewart’s debut YA novel, Riverkeep, was published in 2016. His second book, The Sacrifice Box, was published in 2018, with The Wild Huntsboys following in 2021. His Bridget Vanderpuff series, for younger readers, launched in 2023. Double Proof is his adult debut, an addictive and darkly funny crime caper set in the west of Scotland.

5.30pm: Mark ‘Mavis’ Reilly, The Lives of Reilly and David Cruickshanks, Stayin’ Alive

Falkirk-based publisher, Nameless Town (and its not-for-profit subsidiary, Razur Cuts Books) brings you a memoir double-header featuring former professional footballer and ultra-event enthusiast, Mark ‘Mavis’ Reilly, and PTSD sufferer, stand-up comedian and Falklands survivor, David Cruickshanks. Come along and listen to these two remarkable men give tasters of their stories, both of which show the importance and rewards of developing resilience and the power of positive thinking.  

7.00pm: An Evening With Ian Macartney

Ian Macartney is a writer from Linlithgow. Previous publications include Shale Bings (Broken Sleep Books), The Infinite Fury and other stories (Strange Region), Notes Towards No Subject (Fathomsun), Turtleshell (Saló) and ! / Object (SPAM). Shorter work has been featured in PROTOTYPE, The Poetry Review, The Scotsman and The Guardian. He can be found online at ianmacartney.scot Ian was a bookseller here at Far From The Madding Crowd for many years. We always knew how talented he was, so we cannot wait to celebrate him and all his achievements: expect a fun evening finishing off the festival with a bang!

Friday Storytelling is back!

After an extended winter break, our regular Friday storytelling session is restarting next week from Friday 8th March!

While the format will remain the same, we are changing the time to 2pm. The sessions are free, but booking is essential due to limited space on the story rug.

Bathsheba the guinea pig is looking forward to seeing everyone again: we’ll bring the cucumber to celebrate!

Orders in!

There are some amazing new titles heading our way in the next couple of months from authors including Alice Roberts, Ian Rankin, David Nicholls and Marian Keyes. we’ll have signed or special editions available for many of them, so we’ve set up a new section on our website where you can pre-order to guarantee you get the good stuff!