For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to crime writer Marion Todd to learn all about Dead Man's Shoes, the latest in the DI Clare Mackay series of thrillers.
Marion talks about the challenges and advantages in writing a long-running series (Dead Man's Shoes is the ninth entry) before giving a spoiler-free breakdown of the novel, explains what comes first - plot or people - and the difficulties in hitting that balance between cosy and gritty crime.
The two then discuss some of the series' characters (including Clare Mackay herself) and Marion's imaginative way of creating them, before moving onto the importance of place, and the setting of St Andrews in particular.
Marion then sets out what attracted her to writing in the crime genre, the importance of book festivals, talks about the next novel and how far she works ahead, before revealing news which will be exciting to Marion's many fans.
This is a discussion which will appeal to readers, but also to writers old and new as Marion offers real insight into how and why she writes, and it was such a pleasure to be able to talk in depth about all things Clare Mackay, and much more.
For full details, including all the ways to listen, go to scotswhayhae.com