It’s arrived. Footseps: A Boys Journey From a Highland Hotel has arrived
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A Life Altering Bond

…The scent of roses filled the room—a large four-poster bed with a canopy occupied one corner.
Are we sleeping in the same bed?
I savoured the luxurious warmth: an antique wardrobe, twin
dressing tables, brocade chairs, and a brass fireplace. A thick,
burgundy rug bordered the polished oak floor. The adjoining
bathroom — a stunning space — featured a clawfoot tub and
a marble countertop lined with more toiletries than I had ever
seen outside a chemist’s shop. Bill took the cap off one bottle
and dabbed a drop on my nose.
‘It’s lavender, you like it?’
“Yes, it’s nice,” I smiled. We stood close, facing each other.
“You’re a handsome boy.” He said.
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. Bill chuckled.
“Not used to people saying nice things about you?”
“Not really.”
I was fifteen, standing in my pyjamas in a rose-scented room
with a luxurious bathroom, while a handsomehotel manager
dabbed lavender oil on my face. And I sensed he wanted to hold
me. I was unsure of my feelings, but I knew I felt a strange mixture of comfort and confusion in his presence.

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FOOTSTEPS

Nestled on the north shore of Loch Tay, Fearnan is a village steeped in history and quiet mystery. Ancient standing stones, whispered legends, and centuries of Highland life give this small place an almost timeless presence. Once home to crofters, craftsmen, and storytellers, it remains a haven of calm and connection — where every hill, glen, and stone seems to hold a memory.

Learn more at the Fearnan Village Association. — a wonderful archive of local history, community life, and Highland spirit. One of the most rewarding things about publishing Footsteps: A Boy’s Journey from a Highland Hotel has been hearing from those who share a connection to the places and memories within its pages.

Recently, I was touched to hear from the writer behind the Fearnan Blog, who plans to mention Footsteps in an upcoming post. It means a great deal to know that the stories still resonate in the village that first inspired them. To reach the Fearnan blog and to learn more about this 400-year-old Highland village, please click here: Fearnan Village Association.

My Old Fearnan school

My thanks to everyone who has read, shared, or reached out — your kind words make the long journey of writing truly worthwhile.

“Footsteps is a collection of reflective, character-driven stories set in Scotland. Exploring history, human experience, and LGBTQ+ perspectives with gentle humour and emotion, it invites readers to wander through lives, places, and moments that linger long after the last page.

Set in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, Footsteps traces one boy’s journey from the quiet corridors of a family-run hotel to the wider, more complicated world beyond. It’s a deeply personal story of identity, belonging, and quiet courage — the awakening of a young man who must learn to embrace himself in a time and place where difference was seldom spoken of aloud.

Fortingall Hotel: A Winter Memory”

Winter was approaching Fortingall — and in more ways than one — things were taking a dark turn.

As autumn deepened and the glen grew quieter, certain places took on new significance — none more so than Glenlyon House. It stood just beyond the village, hidden behind a curtain of ancient trees. Even in daylight, it carried a hush deeper than silence — a place steeped in memory.

The Reverend Radcliffe Barnett once described it as “romantic and shrouded in dark memories” — a house where history still whispers of the betrayal at Glencoe, when Campbell of Glen Lyon rose at midnight to slaughter the MacDonalds who had welcomed him into their home.

Even as a boy, I felt that history hadn’t quite left the house. It hovered in the air like mist on the fields. And it should come as no surprise that ghost stories still linger in a place like Fortingall.

I had never believed in ghosts. But what happened next at Fortingall Hotel convinced me that unseen forces exist beyond our understanding. It’s my true story. I told no one this story in its entirety until now. I lived it. Make of it what you will