Shetland author returns to Fair Isle where it all began
Shetland author Ann Cleeves has returned to Fair Isle 50 years after the first visit which inspired her acclaimed series of books and its spin-off TV drama.
Cleeves visited the the newly rebuilt Fair Isle Bird Observatory, where she worked in the kitchens for a summer half a century ago, and also found time to reconnect with old friends.
The trip down memory lane also coincided with the 20 year anniversary of the release of her first Shetland crime novel, Raven Black, which introduced readers to Fair Isle’s own DI Jimmy Perez.
A new film documenting the visit is available to watch on shetland.org and the Promote Shetland YouTube channel.
Promote Shetland is also giving people a chance to win a trip to the islands, with one pair of return flights provided by Loganair.
Five runners-up will receive a signed copy of Raven Black.
When Cleeves first visited Fair Isle in 1975 to start a season as assistant cook in the observatory she admits to “knowing nothing about birds and not being able to cook”.
However, she found the island mesmerising and fell in love with the place.
So began a life-long connection with the islands, which inspired the Shetland series of crime novels, and the central character of Perez, who grew up on the island and returns in the fourth book Blue Lightning, when a woman’s body is discovered at the observatory.
Witnessing the new observatory, which opened this year, six years after a devastating fire, Cleeves described the building as “palatial” compared to its predecessor where she worked.
But she said the same of “sense of welcome and friendliness” remained.
The visit was organised by Promote Shetland service, which raises awareness of the islands as an exceptional place to live, work, visit, study and invest.
Head of content marketing Adam Civico said “it felt like the stars aligned”.
“The service was delighted to work alongside Ann promoting Shetland and Fair Isle as unique visitor destinations, as well as home to vibrant communities,” Mr Civico added.
“The different anniversaries, along with the publication of a new Perez book, made it an excellent time to work together with Ann, who is so passionate about the islands.
“Without that first visit to Fair Isle, the Shetland novels, and the much-loved characters would never have been imagined.
“It speaks volumes about Shetland’s naturally dramatic appeal that Ann chose to set the books in the islands, and that she retained a lifelong love of the place.”
To mark the occasion, Promote Shetland is celebrating the background connections that inspired the characters, and the real locations behind them.
The campaign is focused on Fair Isle, but also celebrates the rest of Shetland, and the varied natural and heritage attractions that make the islands unique.
The documentary film launches today and there will later be an opportunity to take part in an online murder mystery night hosted by Cleeves, when participants must find out who murdered a Sunday teas hostess.
Cleeves latest Perez novel, The Killing Stones, set in Orkney, is published this week.
Series 10 of the BBC drama, Shetland, inspired by Cleeves’ characters, is expected to be broadcast soon.
Visit here to enter the giveaway.