Scaling New Heights

A Quick-Fire Q&A with Gary Robertson

Join us as Gary Roberston, author of Wild Mountain Times, takes part in our series of quick-fire Q&As!

What is a quick-fire Q&A?

We have our interviewee pick a number at random and we ask them the general question listed next to it.

Shortly after we switch to asking book-specific questions, to give you a brief insight into our wonderful writers and their books.

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Have you always wanted to be an author?

No, it came a bit by accident. I had taken part in the BBC 2 reality TV series, SAS Are You Tough Enough? It was the hardest thing I've ever done.  I loved the challenge. I decided to write about it. Without taking part, I would never have started writing. So, I wrote a book. I found I really enjoyed just writing on paper. I thought it was going to be a millionaire… but I couldn't get a publisher. I went down the road of self-publishing. My mother-in-law gave me a loan of £1,000. As a result, I managed to make enough to pay her back and also a small profit of a couple of hundred pounds.

The poetry just came along at the same time.

What is something that you take everywhere with you?

Well, in the modern age, probably the phone. But also my sense of humour.

I love meeting people. So, when I get up in the morning, I make sure I've got a smile on my face and I take the happiness to work.

What is a job that you would be terrible at?

When I left school, all I wanted to do was manual labour and work hard. So, any jobs that involved really putting your mind to it.

What is a book you would always recommend?

I love autobiographies. I love reading about people's lives. I think one book that stands out for me is the Story of Shackleton's journey of endurance.

Where is your favourite place to write?

Probably in the extension to my house. I work on a bin lorry, so I am always on the go. It is nice to have a place to sit and write. I need peace and quiet.

Was there a particular event or experience that sparked the idea for this book?

I always wanted to write Wild Mountain Times. The NCR club has been going for decades and there are so many stories.

What really pushed me to write it was reading Mountain Days and Bothy Nights. That book really pulled at the heartstrings. I just thought it would also be great to tell our stories – and we have a lot of stories.

Has the book opened new opportunities or directions for you, whether that's in life or your writing?

It's at an early stage, and I would really love for it to be successful. There are so many stories of camaraderie and hardship, and what we're going through together. I would just hope that people would get some great enjoyment and a good feel of a real working-class group of people having fun.

If the book were to have any other title, what would it be?

It was always going to be Wild Mountain Times – a play on the song Wild Mountain Thyme obviously.

It would probably be something like Mayhem in the Mountains.

What advice would you give to someone interested in writing in this specific genre?

A great start is to live in the life you are writing about. Everybody says to write about what you know, and I think that's got to be your starting point. Just the experience of being all over Scotland and the Highlands. Know your subject and your characters so you can let the mind run as free as the mountaineer.

Why did you choose the cover that you did?

I really love the cover. It just captures the older times perfectly. Luath Press decided to go down a similar route to Mountain Days and Bothy Nights – which follows similar themes – and it was a great idea! I really think this cover just grabs you.