27 August 2015

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was on the other side of the mic for a change as she put questions to Scots author Val McDermid at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Ms Sturgeon is a big fan of Val’s books and took the opportunity in front of a sell-out crowd to discuss the author’s work.

First Minister @NicolaSturgeon opens her event with @valmcdermid by proclaiming that she's a massive fangirl of crime fiction. #edbookfest

— Bloody Scotland (@BloodyScotland) August 26, 2015

Staged in Charlotte Square Gardens, the two-week festival will see authors from 55 countries take to the discuss their books, careers and experiences.

The First Minister’s appearance was streamed live online by BBC Arts and she asked Val about her thought process, where the ideas for her books come from and the research she puts into them.

However, the First Minister didn’t get it all her own way with Val posing a few questions back in her direction…!

.@NicolaSturgeon: Does writing get easier?@valmcdermid: Now you've been running the country for a while, does it get easier?

— Edinburgh Book Fest (@edbookfest) August 26, 2015

Ms Sturgeon spoke about her love of books and then opened the floor to questions with the audience keen to ask Val for her take on the state of Scottish literature and ask what advice she would give to budding authors.

Nicola Sturgeon at #edbookfest: "A life without books; a life without reading, would for me not be a life worth living."

— David Torrance (@davidtorrance) August 26, 2015

Advice for writers?
Find the time of day when you are most productive. You've got to really want to… Just sit down & do it. ~@valmcdermid

— Edinburgh Book Fest (@edbookfest) August 26, 2015

With that, the in conversation event was over despite the First Minister saying she, and the audience, could have sat all night and listened to Val talk about her work.

Following a few more photos, it was off to the signing tent…and the obligatory selfie!

Ms Sturgeon very good as chair of @edbookfest event with @valmcdermid tonight. Funny too. If politics doesn't work out….

— Phil Miller (@PhilipJEMiller) August 26, 2015

Thank you to the wonderful @valmcdermid for allowing me to interview her at @edbookfest tonight. pic.twitter.com/p8cfe8QjNb

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) August 26, 2015