Brig writer Emma attended the Bloody Scotland Festival at the Albert Halls on Sunday 20 September. Emma was able to meet Cai Jun, China’s top horror writer, alongside accomplished Icelandic crime author Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Both authors share tips about writing and their biggest accomplishments.
The event was chaired by author Craig Sisterson of Southern Cross Crime (2020) who has chaired pervious Bloody Scotland events in the past.
Cai Jun
Cai Jun began writing at just 22-years-old and now a handful of his novels have been adapted into movies or television series. Jun was accompanied by a translator but this doesn’t stop the world from enjoying Jun’s novels. They have already been translated into 6 different languages! This makes Jun’s work accessible to a wide audience.
Jun’s recent book is Sinophagia (2024) which is a compilation and celebration of Chinese horror. It contains 14 different stories from Chinese authors including Jun that have all been translated into English for the very first time.
Jun comments that despite not knowing English, it’s hard to check the quality of his writing when it is translated; “I have to rely on the judgment of others. For example, I have a book translated into Japanese which became a top number 5 seller so I feel it has not been an issue.”
After being prompted to speak about his struggles with writer’s block, Jun replied: “Finish the book. Writer’s block shouldn’t stop you. Take a walk. You’ve never heard of lawyer’s block have you?”
Jun gave his opinions on how to write a compelling horror novel surmising that the horror genre is complicated to write. “It needs logic and less emotion sometimes,” in order for it to be tangible.
“If I give advice, we should be more active to transform the events and people we meet in out daily lives into writing materials.” Jun explains how elements of his visit to Edinburgh and Bute in Scotland became inspiration for a character’s name in a piece he was writing.
The audience asked Jun what scenes he found most scary to create and why. “There are lots to choose. I have a feel for creating dread and ambience. But if my own writing scared me that would be weird. However, the woman killed by the vacuum cleaner, that was gross.”
Yrsa Sigurdardottir
The Depths (2026) is Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s newest book which was translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb. The Depths is her nineteenth adult novel and the third book in her Black Ice series. (Yes, there is a lot of lore to catch up on!)
Sigurdardottir’s novels have been translated into over 30 languages! The author also won the Petrona Award in 2015 for The Silence of the Sea. But writing isn’t her main job as Sigurdardottir works as a civil engineer in Reykjavik.
Sigurdardottir speaks passionately about her love for writing, detailing how she feels like she is going crazy when she hasn’t been writing for long periods of time.
“Sometimes when I feel antsy I start jumping up and down, which my agent hates. But it gets my thoughts flowing again,” Sigurdardottir explains.
Sigurdardottir also agrees with Jun that real life can have great potential and create possibilities for writing inspiration.
The author was asked her how important it was to incorporate different cultures into books. She replied, “The world is so big so it would be impossible to experience all cultures. I love Stirling, and the accent especially, and hope that my time here will reflect well on my writing.”
Meeting Sigurdardottir
I was lucky enough to buy one of the last available copies from the pop-up Waterstone’s bookshop at the event which was lovingly signed by the author.
Since Sigurdardottir spoke English, I was able to have a conversation with her about our shared love for writing. Sigurdardottir wished me luck with my studies and even commented that she might be reading one of my books one day which I thought was really sweet.
Where can I buy the books?
The Depths and Sinophagia are available to buy from Waterstones. Limited amounts of signed copies may be available in the Stirling Waterstones. Remember to check reselling websites such as Vinted, World of Books and local charity shops first!
Fourth Year English and Journalism Student
