In this collection of in-depth interviews, Isobel Murray meets five varied Scottish authors, aiming to penetrate their work and reveal previously unexplored aspects of their writing. These interviews open a window onto each writer's mind and work. Joan Lingard talks of her many superb children's books, both Scottish and Irish, as well as her adult novels. John Herdman follows a darker philosophical tradition of Scottish thinking that stems from Hogg and his Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Saltire Prize winner, Janice Galloway discusses her journeys in fiction with some departures from conventional novel writing. The short story writer and Booker shortlisted novelist, Ali Smith enjoys striking sparks off the interviewer, her former university supervisor. And Robin Jenkins, winner of a lifetime achievement award for his Scottish fiction, was in a rare talkative mood; his candid discussion is particularly poignant in light of his recent death.