Fort William author Barry Hutchison is perhaps best known by his pen name JD Kirk and for his internationally-bestselling crime fiction series and DCI Jack Logan.
JD Kirk has just been named winner of Amazon’s Kindle Storyteller Award 2024, scooping a £20,000 cash prize for his novel, Stateside.
Here he turns his attention back to this side of the Pond to talk about the place he calls home…
What springs to mind when you think of Fort William?
My initial instinct is ‘rain’! Having grown up here, though, and while rain does obviously play a big part, when I think of Fort William I think of home, all the people I grew up with, and the places I loved to roam.
What are your favourite places around Fort William?
The forestry tracks through and around Leanachan Forest, which I reckon must rank among the best dog walking routes in the world.
It was on one such walk that I came up with the idea for my first crime novel, A Litter of Bones.
Most memorable night out there?
I’ve had many memorable nights out in the town, a good few of which have ended at various karaoke sessions. I think the most memorable nights, ironically, are too much of a blur to remember.
I do recall drinking a lot of a delicious cocktail called a Rudolph at Nevisport Bar a good 28 or so years ago. It must have been very good, because I ended up marrying the barmaid who created them!
What is your favourite Fort William restaurant and why?
I’ve always loved seafood, so The Crannog was a favourite. It’s not currently open, but much of the menu has been transferred over to Garrison West, so I can still get my shellfish hit.
The Silly Goose up at the West End is great, too. They occasionally run some amazing tasting menu nights, where the chefs experiment with weird, wonderful and very tasty food.
Best places around the area when you are looking for inspiration?
I mean, Glencoe is the obvious one. Even driving through the place, flanked by mountains on all sides, gets the creative juices flowing.
I defy anyone to spend time there and not be inspired in some way, regardless of the time of year, or what the weather is doing.
I’ve passed through the area thousands of times, but never fail to be blown away by the sheer spectacle of it every time I return.
What is your first memory of Fort William?
I have a terrible memory, but I think one of my earliest recollections is of walking back from town to the village of Caol, where we lived, with my mum, when I was six or seven.
Nobody in the family could drive at that point, and I projectile vomited the moment I set foot on a bus, so we had to walk everywhere.
On this particular day, we were about halfway home when the heavens opened in one of the heaviest downpours I think I’d ever experienced in my life until that point.
Some kind soul eventually pulled over and gave us a lift, though by that point we were soaked to the skin.
Best place to stop for a coffee around Fort William?
JJ’s! It’s a small, family-run café near Farmfoods, out by the High School. It features repeatedly in my DCI Logan crime fiction series, for their excellent bacon rolls and full cooked breakfasts.
Sadly, though, John and Jane who own the place are retiring, so it’s soon to be no more! I’m devastated.
What are you up to with work at the moment?
I’m still celebrating winning the Kindle Storyteller Award for my fifth Robert Hoon thriller, Stateside. And I’m working away on the next book in the DCI Logan series.
My first feature film recently finished shooting, and we’re currently working hard to bring the DCI Logan books to the screen, with plans to shoot in and around Fort William.
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