Tantallon Castle and Bass Rock feature in author’s new book

Andy Nairn has taken inspiration from iconic locations such as Tantallon Castle, the Lammermuirs and Bass Rock to pen The Dance of Vipers.

The tale is the sequel to The Trail of Blood, which proved a hit both in Britain and overseas when it was released last year, and focuses on a French diplomat called Antoine de Lissieu.

The story is loosely based on a real-life historical figure who was the captain of Dunbar Castle.

Andy, writing under the name A.K. Nairn, was pleased to say that the reception to the first book had convinced him to pen the follow-up.

He said: “When I wrote the first one, I did not dare to think about a second.

“I always had the idea there would be a sequel but you do not want to get ahead of yourself.

“It got a really good reception and sold everywhere from Japan to the USA, Canada and Australia, as well as Britain.

“There was a really good response to the characters and a lot of people wanting a sequel, so that is what I have done.”

Andy, who grew up in Duns in the Scottish Borders, now works in advertising in London.

After penning a business book called Go Luck Yourself during the Covid-19 pandemic, he decided to branch out into fiction.

Regular visits back north of the Border allowed him to visit the sights in his latest book and get a real feel for the story, which is set in 1517.

In the story, Scotland has finally made peace with England but, with a five-year-old king and the country bitterly divided, the real battle is just beginning.

Antoine soon finds himself fighting against shadowy forces who will stop at nothing to win power.

As the bodies pile up, he is dragged all over the south-east of Scotland in a desperate bid to protect the king – and save his own neck.

“I was taken aback by the positive responsive to the first book,” said father-of-three Andy.

“And when I discovered that the real-life Antoine was once charged with looking after the infant King James V, I thought that would be a great plot for a sequel.

“‘Plot’ being the operative word, as the story is full of viperous traitors and the story keeps twisting and turning until the very end.”

And the chance to put pen to paper and write something provides a welcome break for the 55-year-old, who now lives near London.

He said: “Working in advertising can be stressful.

“You have got deadlines and I find it a really nice break.

“One minute you are trying to sell cans of baked beans and the next minute you are losing yourself in something that might have happened 500 years ago.

“It is quite a nice change – variety is a good thing.”

The Dance of Vipers by A.K. Nairn is available now and can be bought in local bookshops as well as on online platforms.