The inspiration for Garm

One of my favourite characters in the Parallel Realm books is Garm, the ancient creature who chooses to manifest as a scruffy terrier. I based his argumentative and judgemental character on a Jack Russell Terrier called Bracken. A succession of seven Jack Russell’s have ruled my life and by now I really should know better. Bracken may have been small, but boy was he pushy and opinionated! When I started writing 'Touchpaper' I needed a mysterious, yet down-to-earth character, who could puncture any excessive seriousness on the part of the other characters. I looked down to see Bracken's bewhiskered face, giving me a look that suggested I had somehow disappointed him and Garm was born.

The best description of a Jack Russell Terrier* I’ve ever read is Jerome K. Jerome’s description of Montmorency, the dog in ‘Three Men in a Boat’.

'To look at Montmorency you would imagine that he was an angel sent upon the earth, for some reason withheld from mankind, in the shape of a small fox-terrier. There is a sort of Oh-what-a-wicked-world-this-is-and-how-I-wish-I-could-do-something-to-make-it-better-and-nobler expression about Montmorency that has been known to bring the tears into the eyes of pious old ladies and gentlemen.'

'When first he came to live at my expense, I never thought I should be able to get him to stop long. I used to sit down and look at him, as he sat on the rug and looked up at me, and think: “Oh, that dog will never live. He will be snatched up to the bright skies in a chariot, that is what will happen to him.'

'But, when I had paid for about a dozen chickens that he had killed; and had dragged him, growling and kicking, by the scruff of his neck, out of a hundred and fourteen street fights; and had had a dead cat brought round for my inspection by an irate female, who called me a murderer; and had been summoned by the man next door but one for having a ferocious dog at large, that had kept him pinned up in his own tool-shed, afraid to venture his nose outside the door for over two hours on a cold night; and had learned that the gardener, unknown to myself, had won thirty shillings by backing him to kill rats against time, then I began to think that maybe they’d let him remain on earth for a bit longer, after all.'

Sadly we lost Bracken four years ago. His place has now been taken by our current Jack Russell, Maisie. Now we have a whole new level of terrier madness to contend with...

(*Montmorency was actually a Fox Terrier, but what the hell.)

Edinburgh 101

I've lived near Edinburgh for much of my life and love its gritty history and quirky architecture - it's a great backdrop for ‘Touchpaper’ and the ‘Parallel Realm’ series. But maybe you don’t know the so-called 'Athens of the North? To help you out, here’s my brief guide.

The city started as an accumulation of buildings crammed inside a medieval city wall, and when I say crammed, I really mean crammed. Some of the old town tenements were as many as fourteen stories high (a fire in 1824 burned down the timbered upper levels, so they’re mostly lower today). Narrow closes and wynds lead off the Royal Mile, some opening onto courts – small courtyards between the buildings.

The so-called Royal Mile (though it isn’t really a mile) sits astride a sloping ridge, running from the rocky crag Edinburgh Castle sits on, down to Holyrood Palace at the bottom. The palace is the Scottish seat of the royal family, alongside Holyrood Park, the only royal park away from London. But if you’re thinking about bench-seats and manicured flower-beds, think again. Holyrood Park comprises steep rugged crags and peaks, including Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat, which overlooks the city and is the setting for the opening of ‘Touchpaper’.

An odd feature of the Old Town is the hotch-potch of vaults, cellars and tunnels created below bridges and buildings – Edinburgh’s so-called ‘underground city’, where many of Edinburgh’s poor led torrid lives in the past. At the north side of the old town a large loch – the Nor’ Loch was drained by 1820, creating a valley which is now occupied by Waverley Station and the famous Princes Street Gardens. This one really is a park with bench seats and manicured flower-beds and it's also home to the gothic spire of the Scott Monument.

Beyond, the New Town, contrasts with the jumbled medieval architecture of the Old Town. A grid of stunning Georgian town-houses, many now shops or offices, surround broad streets and open squares. This is where Alyssum’s herbal shop is to be found, with Archer’s library deep below.

At the east end of the New Town looms Calton Hill, home to the Royal Observatory and several monuments, including the National Monument of Scotland. Archer is fond of hanging out here, perhaps because he enjoys the fact that the builders of this Parthenon copy ran out of money in 1826, earning it the nickname ‘Edinburgh’s Folly’. Calton Hill offers a clear view of the Firth of Forth and of the busy thoroughfare of Leith Walk, which links the city to Leith, Edinburgh’s port.

That’s a quick description of the city, but if you haven’t visited, you really should. During the Edinburgh Festival in August, the famous Edinburgh Fringe takes over the city – hundreds of stage shows, street theatre and a fabulous atmosphere. Do come, but remember to keep your eyes peeled for a scowling, long-legged figure in a cloak, striding up the Royal Mile, his long boots clicking on the cobbles.

David Dodds, Author

The inspiration for Garm

Edinburgh 101