Did you get hooked on the series Outlander like I did? Susan and her husband, Jez Braithwaite, not only speak Scottish, but they also collaborated to write a series called Things in Scots. I could get easily hooked on it. It’s a challenge to try to read and understand what they mean.
Language is so important to our identity. Not long-ago educators thought you had to erase a child’s first language for them to become fluent in a second or third language. Newer research proved this to be invalid. Susan shares how she felt about her language in this quote.
“As kids, we were discouraged from speaking Scots, so much so, we were given little bits of paper to put in a tin with the English for the Scots words we were meant to stop using.”
Susan Braithwaite
Those of you from the United States will notice that some of the words in Susan’s interview are spelled differently. This drives American Grammarly crazy, but to the best of my ability, I ignored the differences. But wait until you read Scottish. The semblance to American English ends there.
When I was taking classes to become a teacher of English as a Second Language, our teacher used Scottish (English for Scots) to illustrate how difficult it was for our Spanish-speaking students to listen in English all day long. Another teacher gave us an education thesis to read in Australian English. We learned our lesson as you will after you read the story that goes with this darling puppy.
Scottish Word: Coorie
What do you think it means? Take a wild guess, then read to see how close you came.
“Whanivver Ah wiz smorin wiโ the caul, ma maw wid aye say, โGuan coorie doon on the sofa. In Inglis: Whenever I had a horrible cold, my mum would always say, โGet yourself wrapped up on the sofa.โ
Susan Braithwaite
I had the privilege to interview Jez Braithwaite whose blog is Photos by Jez. He hosts two challenges, Fan of… and Water Water Everywhere. You can read his interview here. As we chatted, I found out that his wife, Susan also blogs and she is an author. They are such a cute couple, I know you are going to enjoy her interview.
By the way, we live in Cumbernauld, which is also where the Outlander studio, Wardpark Studios, is located.
Susan Braithwaite Susan’s post on Interative Outlining.
Susan had to overcome quite an obstacle that most of us bloggers take for granted that we can do easily.
Introducing Author Susan Braithwaite
Can you tell us a little about your background, blogging history, and what kind of writer you are (ie mostly a poet?) do you write fiction or non-fiction?
Iโm from a military family. From the age of thirteen, I was an Army Cadet until I joined the Royal Navy at eighteen. Unfortunately, I suffered a career-ending injury while serving and was medically discharged. The injury is a neurological pain condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), and it affects my dominant hand.
Fortunately, while learning to come to terms with my injury, I discovered a silver lining. Of all the things Iโd lost the ability to doโplaying the piano and the guitarโwriting was the one that I refused to let go of.
Since the age of seven, Iโve been in the grip of the writing bug. I wrote wee bits and pieces for a magazine a friend and I sent out to all of our neighbours; song lyrics for exam pieces, and for the bands I was in; and a terrible play.
But after the injury, I wanted to do more. I wanted to really write. Specifically, I wanted to write screenplays. Cue several years of long-distance learning via UCLA Extensionโs Writerโs Program. I came out with a certificate and several movie scripts under my belt and a sudden realization that breaking into Hollywood from outwith the US would be difficult. Very difficult when no one produced the type of story I was writingโromantic suspense.
My blogging history is spotty. Since 2007, I have started an embarrassing amount of blogs, but they ultimately fizzled out because they lacked a focused output. My current blog is a keeper, now in its fourth year.
As I mentioned above, I write romantic suspense stories featuring spies, Scots heroes, and international locales.
When did you realize you were a professional writer?
Before diving into fiction writing, I was a writer for hire. When my first client hired me for a series of pieces on the back of a trial article, I knew I was a professional non-fiction writer. It wasnโt until Iโd sold my first copies of my novella, Hidden Desires, that I felt that I was a professional fiction writer.
What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your successes, so far?
I think the biggest contributor to my success so far has to be that I never stop learning about the craft of writing. Whether from books, courses, or blog posts on screenwriting, fiction writing, or blogging. As writers, thereโs always something new to learn, be it a technique or a style.
What is one opportunity that you attribute to blogging in addition to selling your books?
Blogging has given me the unique opportunity to forge personal relationships with readers and other writers. Social media is great for the occasional โhiโ, but I find it doesnโt afford the personal connection that blogging does. Much like how this interview came up!
What obstacles or concerns have you overcome in your writing career?
There are quite a few, all of them linked to my injury. One enduring obstacle is how to get the words onto the screen. For the longest time, I was using ViaVoice, a speech-to-text program, until it left the market and then Dragon for Mac. But, Dragon has since stopped supporting Mac users, and thereโs no viable replacement. For now, I write with my nondominant hand longhand, then do a type/rest/type/rest thing, and swallow the pain that comes with having to work this way.
What are your published books, WIPs, or anything else you are working on?
I have a two-book erotica series called The Carmichaels. The two books, Hidden Desires and Ever Craving, received 5-star ratings, but they are no longer available for purchase since I changed my genre.
Iโm currently working on a romantic suspense spy series called The Deniable Unit. So far, Iโve got the outlines for the first four, with pencilled-in ones for a further three. And Iโm nearing the end of writing the first draft of book one in the series, Running the Asset.
Running the Asset
Elle McGuireโs carefully duct-taped life is torn apart when Adam Dekker, a gorgeous but overbearing spy, holds her at gunpoint, spinning a crazy tale that her teddy bear of boss is Europeโs biggest weapons dealer. Worse still, the man insists that Elleโs going to help him take her boss down, whether she likes it or not.
Confident that Dekker is insane, Elle tries to put the incident behind herโฆ but something in the spyโs wild story sows the seeds of doubt about her bossโs innocenceโthat and the two attempts on her life in the space of an hour.
Whatโs something you are an expert at that few people know about?
Iโm a marksman.
Can you give us an interesting fun fact about you?
English is my second language.
Favorites. Do you have a favorite author or poet, movie? Favorite color, song, food, drink, clothing item, or favorite place to go to refresh? Favorite blogs to follow… besides Photos by Jez, LOL
My favourite author is Anne Stuart. Whether it’s her romantic suspense or her historical romances, I’m buying it if it’s got her name on it. For non-fiction, it has to be H. R. D’Costa for her game-changing books on writing.
My favourite movie has to be Grosse Pointe Blank. The writing in that movie inspired me to study screenwriting.
I don’t have a favourite colour. I lean heavily into darker shadesโpurples, blood reds, blacks, burgundies.
Songsโฆ I love so many, but it has to be Discipline by Nine Inch Nails (my favourite band). I’m a Scot, so my favourite drink has to be Irn-Bru!
I had to look Irn-Bru up. Irn-Bru you might guess in English is “Iron Brew” “iron brew”; Scots: [หษirษnหbruห]) is a Scottish carbonated soft drink, often described as “Scotland’s other national drink” (after whisky). Introduced in 1901, the drink is produced in Westfield, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, by A.G. Barr of Glasgow. Wikipedia
My favourite place to refresh is the canal, pretty much anywhere with water.
What are some of your favorite blogs?
Blogs: Photos by Jez (jezbraithwaite.blog); Scribe Meets World (scribemeetsworld.com); bushboys world (bushboy.blog); View from the Back (viewfromtheback.com); luna’s online (lunas-online.com); nowathome (nowathome.wordpress.com); Kokopelli Bee Free Blog (kokopellibeefreeblog.wordpress.com)
If your blog or career ended today, what legacy would you leave behind?
Ooft, thatโs a tough oneโฆ I think Iโd have to say that it would be my small part in introducing the Scots language to people from around the world, and closer to home, who didnโt know of its existence.
Can you share some links to where we can find you online?
- My website is susantbraithwaite.com
- Iโm on Twitter @SusBraithwaite (twitter.com/susbraithwaite)
- Instagram susanbraithwaite_ (instagram.com/susanbraithwaite_)
- Facebook Page (facebook.com/susantbraithwaite)
New Word: Oxter or Oxters
“Stoap at! Ma oxters ur right ticklie. In Inglis: Stop that! My underarms are ticklish.”
Susan Braithwaite
Thank You
Susan and Jez Braithwaite both work and still blog regularly as well bike, take amazing photographs. I’m in awe of what Susan accomplishes in spite of her pain and full work schedule. Thank you so much for the opportunity to get to know you better.
Now it’s your turn
Susan and I would both love to hear what you think. Leave us your comment and start a chat. In March we are doing something new with the interview posts. There will be a follow-up with a summary of your comments with links to the newest post on your blogs and a report of what is new in Susan’s life as a blogger and author.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
90 responses to “Introducing Author: Susan Braithwaite on Challenge Interview Series #22”
Now I know why it didn’t appear in my reader, the link to bushboys world doesn’t work. There is a ; after the// giving https;// instead of https://
Given that your blog should appear in my reader. I wonder what I was doing around that date, perhaps was quite busy and didn’t get to my reader.
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LOL There’s always a reason. I still have to fill in my email information to respond to some blogs, and I don’t understand why that is.
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It is in their settings. I found I had ticked that box early on and changed it ๐
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Ah, so I’ll mention it to them when we talk this weekend. Thanks. ๐
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How come I missed this interview especially as I have a mention!!!! I love Susan’s writing and have been reading the snippets she was posting a few years ago of Running the Asset. I am almost a 5/10 reading/interpreting Scots but a 2/10 trying to pronounce a lot of the words ๐๐
Great interview Marsha โค
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Thanks, Brian. We’re going to do a followup, zoom call which may lead to another post. We didn’t zoom before the interview, so this is a new direction.
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It worked well with my interview ๐
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It did! I loved chatting about your blog as we zoomed. It felt like we really got acquainted. ๐
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[…] Follow up interview with Marsha (this time on Zoom๐ฌ)–if you haven’t had a chance to read my interview, head over to Marsha’s site to check it out. […]
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Thanks Susan! ๐
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Thanks for the mention, Susan. Keep pressing on, but don’t forget to breathe and live a bit!
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Hi Marsha, I’ve just emailed you about today–I’ve got a snag. ๐ฌ
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[…] Follow up interview with Marsha (this time on Zoom๐ฌ)–if you haven’t had a chance to read my interview, head over to Marsha’s site to check it out. […]
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Marsha, you did a great job on making this interview flow with such ease. The spacing and pacing made it quite enjoyable – and of course the content was interesting. Susan, you have a unique mix of talents and being a marksman must have been hard to walk away from because of the injury – but it looks like the writing has been a great path for you and your other talents.
I really smiled to read this part… how you
“started an embarrassing amount of blogs”
hahah
so many of us can relate with that and glad your current one is in its fourth year
๐
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Thanks, Yvette. We had a great time.
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Sorry for the late response!
Thank you for reading, Yvette. ๐
It’s so good to know I’m not the only one who had a blog starting problem (I also have a stationery hoarding problem ๐ฌ ).
Leaving the military was a hard thing to overcome, but I’m a fatalist (apparently most Scots are ๐คทโโ๏ธ ) and believe that everything happens for a reason. So, I started to hunt down the good that could possibly come from it, and, hey presto! Writing.
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That’s a lot of good to come out of hoarding paper. ๐
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what a wonderful gift to meet Susan Marsha. Thanks so much. Love the pictures as well! ๐๐
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It was fun, wasn’t it?
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so much so!! ๐
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Thank you for reading, Cindy! It’s lovely to meet you ๐
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It was my pleasure Susan! I’m happy to meet you as well! ๐๐บ
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๐
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What a wonderful interview Marsha and Susan! Thank you so much for the mention Susan! Much appreciated. I am in awe that you are writing with your non dominant hand! Just amazing. ๐
English is my 2nd language too and I was surprised taht some of the Scots words are familiar to me! Hae a guid day!
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Is your first language Dutch, Aletta? I’m surprised how different Scottish is than English. When you watch Outlander, it seems pretty easy to understand because you have the visual clues. When you see it written, it’s another matter entirely.
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My first language is Afrikaans, related to Dutch and German. Scottish is very different.. I must watch Outlander
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It’s got some graphic sex scenes in it, but helps you see life as it was.
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Okay
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Thank you, Aletta! An hae a guid day, yersel ๐
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Thanks I will!
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So nice to meet the other half of Jez…..and I love that Susan is so passionate about her native tongue. I am from Yorkshire myself and although I never grew up there, I love to hear a Yorkshire dialect. Even more…I like to read it in it’s purest form.
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So nice to meet you, too, Cath! ๐ค
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๐
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You two share a lot in common, it sounds like, Cath.
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๐
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[…] One reason for my excitement is that my first interview went live yesterday on Marsha Ingrao’s site, alwayswrite.blog. I had a lot of fun answering her questions. If you want to learn more about me, take a keek at my interview. […]
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Fab interview, ladies! I’m enjoying following Susan’s progress as she works on her new novel, and I’m eagerly anticipating its release. In the meantime, the ‘Thing’s in Scots’ series on her blog is a pleasant reminder of the time I spent ‘up the road’.
PS – thanks for the mention, Susan ๐
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Thank you, Chris! Your ongoing support is much appreciated. I couldn’t do a list of fave blogs and not mention yours ๐
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Thanks for the lovely response, Chris. I’ll pop by your blog and see what’s going on in your neck of the woods.
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You’re welcome any time, Marsha!
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That was a good read. I often see Jez’s posts but was barely aware of his wife as a blogger. Two bloggers in one household must make for interesting times!
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It’s always handy having another blogger to bounce ideas off of… and to have a photographer in the house!
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Definitely!
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Are you in any blogging online group? I have joined with several other women who zoom once a week. That is such a support for all of us.
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I am actually. It’s definitely been restorative during the long days of the pandemic, and now we’ve become friends, of course we continue. Isn’t the blogging community wonderful, once you embrace it?
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I’m so glad, Margaret. I love mine, too. I wish we’d done online Zoom groups when I first started ten years ago. I felt so alone when I had problems. My blogging friends and I sludged along helping each other as best we could through our comments. Pretty boring for everyone else. But it’s different than being able to talk and share screens. Now it is like have friends tutoring friends.
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Absolutely! What would we do without them?
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I’m not in any groups at the moment. Our schedule makes it nigh on impossible to do the group thing. But, I do have a group of supportive bloggers, a couple of whom you’ve met in the comments (Stefanie and Chris). I’ll certainly keep it in mind for when we’re not on the go all day. ๐ค
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It does take about han hour a week for me per group. If you ever want to zoom, we can always schedule. We will do one Zoom call to follow-up as planned during your next vacay, if that works.
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Thanks, Margaret. When I interviewed Jez, we talked a lot about Susan. She actually got him started blogging. His focus is on photography, and he hosts a couple of popular challenges, so I think he is better known. But I was thrilled to meet Susan via his interview and find out how much we have in common. I’m very impressed with her talent as a writer. They seem like such a close couple. I love their interactions and the way they support each other. ๐
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Oh, that’s so sweet of you, Marsha!๐
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I’m SO sweet, LOL. I guess that’s why Vince calls me Marshamallowpie.
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Amazing interview, Marsha ๐ & so nice to learn some things about my wife ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
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Thank you, sweetie! ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
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Awwwww
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I have a feeling that there probably weren’t too many surprises there. I was thrilled to find out she’s a second language learner, and that was one of my specialities and loves in education. I love languages and the study of languages and how they support each other.
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Wow beautiful interview ! Well shared loved to read it. Thanks ๐๐โค
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Thank you so much, Priti. ๐
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It’s my pleasure stay blessed. ๐๐โค
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You too. ๐
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Thank you!
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You are welcome ๐๐๐stay blessed ๐๐โค
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You too, Priti.
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Such a good interview Masha full on interesting things. Grosse Point Blank is a favorite movie of mine too. And I have the Kelpies on my bucket list. I so want to see them. I have a Scots sentence given to me by my cousin who lives in Perthshire but I will not put it down here as it is not too polite!
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You are so cute! Probably not too many people could read it, but I know Susan could! Thanks for stopping by and checking in! ๐
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Thanks for reading my interview, Anne! Great taste on the movie front ๐ค I’d love to hear the Scots your cousin taught you; I’m always up for a good laugh.
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Ach awah an scratch yur wherrie wi whin. ( get away and scratch your private mans part with a bit of gorse bush!) So there you have it!
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That says a lot with few words.
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๐คฃ
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That’s what I love about Scots. We say ‘gie hit a shoogle’, but in English, you have to say ‘give it a slight jostle side to side’.
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๐คฃ Good one. I have to admit, I’ve heard many–too many–names for men’s nether regions, but not wherrie.
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The cousin who told me that was a Glaswegian so maybe it is a term used in Glasgow.
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Small world. I’m Glaswegian, too! Maybe it’s some variant of willy. I’ll file this one in my list of naughty words. ๐ ๐ค
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Ha! I remember how we confused you with some of our Australian words.
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We had a great conversation about that today. Loved it!
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such a wonderful interview. It is quite impressive that she wanted to be a writer, despite the physical challenge she faced. I am sure that determination is a big part of her success. I wish her continued success!
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Thanks for the lovely comment, Jim. ๐
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you are welcome, Marsha…
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Thank you, Jim!
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you are welcome, Susan!
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Reblogged this on Susan T. Braithwaite and commented:
I’ve been super quiet about this, even though I’ve been dying to shout about it for a while. But, now I can let you all in on it.
Marsha, over at alwayswrite.blog, was wonderful enough to interview me and has featured it on her site.
So, if you want to learn a wee bit more about me, check out my interview on her blog!
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Super, I just liked it. ๐
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Susan and I got to know each other last year in October during a campaign on Twitter called Scotstober (it was for native and non-native speakers of the Scots as well as for those who want to learn it.) We then discovered that we are also both blogging on WordPress and since then we are having this wonderful connection. I am a big fan of her and am so grateful for the chance to getting to know her a little better thanks to this interview.
Thank you, Marsha and Susan, for this!
Also, thank you, Susan, for the mention. ๐
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How lucky you are. I think more and more bloggers are meeting up in real life and by Zoom. The connections are fabulous. ๐
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Thank you, Stefanie! Nae problem, on the menshie. A’m a muckle fan o ye, an aw ๐
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LOL Let me try… No problem on the mention. I’m a huge fan of yours, and love. ???? Am I even close?
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Oh, you’re so close! It’s just that last bit. An aw in this context means as well. I’ll give you 9.5/10 on that one!
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Awwwww, I’m thrilled! ๐
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Thank you for the interview spot, Marsha! It’s a real honour to be one of your interviewees; I’m in fantastic company.
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I agree that you are in fantastic company. It is an honor to interview all of you wonderful folks. ๐
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