Mark Baillie
@mbaillie.bsky.social
Scottish writer. Debut novel Salvage. Scottish Traveller history, music, books.
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.
November 17, 2025 at 1:43 PM
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.
GREAT to see Traveller Storytelling in Scotland on the shortlist for the Folklore Society Katherine Briggs award
October 25, 2025 at 10:35 AM
GREAT to see Traveller Storytelling in Scotland on the shortlist for the Folklore Society Katherine Briggs award
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.
October 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM
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.
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
September 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
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
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...
www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...
August 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
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...
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...
my slot is Tues 12 Aug at noon. Tickets 👇
www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...
August 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
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...
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! 👍
August 4, 2025 at 11:43 AM
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! 👍
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!
to think one bit of advice I got while writing it was: it wasn't a story anyone would want to read!
July 22, 2025 at 4:45 PM
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!
to think one bit of advice I got while writing it was: it wasn't a story anyone would want to read!
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
June 15, 2025 at 4:21 PM
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
June 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM
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
June 11, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Pt2 - in the rare collections room at the National Library of Scotland. #GRTHM25 #gypsytraveller #scotshistory #scotsnoir #mysterynovel #WritingCommunity
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
June 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
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
June 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
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
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.
May 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
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
May 24, 2025 at 8:45 AM
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
If you missed the last issue of History Scotland, here’s my article on how I went from family history geek to novelist, planning vs 'pantsing' (technical term), and the current ‘Tinker Experiment’ campaign #scotshistory #writingcommunity
April 16, 2025 at 12:29 PM
If you missed the last issue of History Scotland, here’s my article on how I went from family history geek to novelist, planning vs 'pantsing' (technical term), and the current ‘Tinker Experiment’ campaign #scotshistory #writingcommunity
It would need to be an interesting type of ball game...
March 29, 2025 at 12:14 PM
It would need to be an interesting type of ball game...
There may soon be the horror of AI-generated novels but there will always be books written by people, who sometimes didn't know what might happen from page to page, who feel that messy process is worth it once the book is out there, connecting them with readers #worldbookday
March 6, 2025 at 12:25 PM
There may soon be the horror of AI-generated novels but there will always be books written by people, who sometimes didn't know what might happen from page to page, who feel that messy process is worth it once the book is out there, connecting them with readers #worldbookday
Look out for the latest (& sadly last ever) issue of History Scotland magazine with my article on the tragic history of the country’s Gypsy-Travellers. Thanks to Shamus McPhee and Dr Lynne Tammi-Connelly for their input on the ‘Tinker Experiment’ campaign.
March 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Look out for the latest (& sadly last ever) issue of History Scotland magazine with my article on the tragic history of the country’s Gypsy-Travellers. Thanks to Shamus McPhee and Dr Lynne Tammi-Connelly for their input on the ‘Tinker Experiment’ campaign.
2nd draft of my 2nd novel - done!
February 19, 2025 at 6:52 PM
2nd draft of my 2nd novel - done!
This (from an 1895 report) was the kind of attitude that set the scene for removals of Gypsy-Travller kids in Scotland. I found this so shocking, after reading it I wrote a character of this ilk into Salvage just to be able to take literary revenge!
January 27, 2025 at 8:26 PM
This (from an 1895 report) was the kind of attitude that set the scene for removals of Gypsy-Travller kids in Scotland. I found this so shocking, after reading it I wrote a character of this ilk into Salvage just to be able to take literary revenge!
Next month Salvage will be discussed at Roma Words, Roma Worlds in New Providence - my debut novel's first book group outside Scotland! Thanks to @romanistanpodcast.bsky.social 👏
January 15, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Next month Salvage will be discussed at Roma Words, Roma Worlds in New Providence - my debut novel's first book group outside Scotland! Thanks to @romanistanpodcast.bsky.social 👏
January 11, 2025 at 11:32 AM