I'm not the only writer in the family. When we moved to the Highlands Derek (my husband) had the firm intention of devoting himself to the undemanding pursuits of sailing, golfing and fishing while I kept him in the manner to which he had become accustomed. But soon he began fighting me for the computer - 'no show without Punch' as they say in Lancashire - as the Highland way of life began to stimulate his creativity. His first Highland-based writing was In Search of the Perfect Boat which was published in instalments in the Newsletter of the Offshore Yachts Class Owner's Association.

The Author

Scotch Mist, his first novel, simply 'emerged' during a rather wet six week spell - when sitting in the comfort of a centrally-heated study seemed preferable to donning the waterproofs for a visit to the boat. Derek holds a PhD in sociology, and his fascination with social norms (the subject of his doctoral thesis) and the real-world clash of normative systems stimulated this fictionalised account of life's travails in the Highlands for an inadequate Englishman.
In 2001 it was entered for the International E_Book Award Foundation, awarded at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Scotch Mist
by Derek Taylor
Published by Online Originals

Synopsis
This brilliant first novel, brimming with humour and charm, is a chronicle of Englishman David Dunlop's mostly incompetent attempts to rise to even the most basic challenges of living in the remote Scottish Highlands. Interspersed with wry cameos from his past life as an aspiring junior executive in southern England, his absurd predicaments not only portray the vast cultural contrast between the English suburbanite and the West Coast Gael, but also highlight his own personal inadequacies. The frustrations of the unsatisfactory marriage, career and materialistic existence he left behind are replaced by equally frustrating new perversities of climate, inanimate objects and West Coast mores. You'll shed a tear from both laughter and pathos as the plot slides from wry humour to a climax of pure farce.
ISBN: 1-84045-053-3

Scotch Mist
Now downloadable as an e-book from Online Originals - the world leaders in e-literature
A sample is available to read online for free on their web site.

A Reader's Review

Scotch Mist by Derek Taylor was a pleasantly deceptive novel. At first, one is tempted to dismiss it as a typical "fish out of water" tale, in which an escapee from the city is routinely befuddled and humbled by the seemingly naïve locals. This thread of the story provides some laugh-out-loud moments. However, the novel quickly develops into a more complex narrative. Flashbacks and digressions provide information on the main character's history and motivations - a tricky bit of writing that would have been easy to overdo but is pulled off well by Mr Taylor. As the reasons behind the exodus to the Scottish Highlands are explored, the narrative takes on a harder, darker edge. Indeed, there are moments that are disturbing, and the reader might worry that the novel is turning into a far more sinister affair. Nevertheless, Mr Taylor wraps things up nicely and with good humour, taking advantage of an amusing subplot that has appeared sporadically throughout the story.
(Thomas A Pressley)