Sir Walter Scott and the Magical Well: Innerleithen author pens book

Focusing on themes including bravery, positivity and the importance of friendship, Fiona Boyd’s story reflects her experience of coping with this debilitating disease.

Sir Walter Scott and the Magical Well also deals with bullying, disability and courage in the face of adversity.

Fiona, who was asked to write the book for the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry as part of the Scott celebrations, is a wheelchair user.

“I am lucky that I have always been a positive soul,” she explained, “brought up by my parents Jim and Judy Muir to appreciate the small things in life, which has helped me to see the bigger picture.”

She attended St Ronan’s Primary School for five years then moved to a rural bungalow in Yarrow Valley, beside the Gordon Arms Hotel.

It was while living there that her interest in the literary heritage of the Scottish Borders was born, after she noticed a sign on the hotel, inscribed: “In 1830, Sir Walter Scot and James Hogg, the Ettick Shepherd, met and parted here for the last time”.

“This left me wondering who these almost mythical beings were,” said Fiona, “and encouraged me to discover more about local folklore.”

After leaving Selkirk High School, she broadened her horizons with a move to South Africa, where she stayed for six months, then returned to the Borders, living in Peebles for five years before settling in Innerleithen.

Meeting her future husband, David Boyd, helped bring her literary talents to the fore.

“David is my soulmate and I firmly believe I would never have become a writer and illustrator without his support and encouragement.”

Their daughter, Catriona, soon became the catalyst for her first stories.

“When she was very young, she suffered ill-health and was in and out of the Sick Kids Hospital in Edinburgh.

“That was when I first started writing stories for her, to read and cheer her up,” Fiona said.

But as Catriona’s health improved, Fiona’s began to decline.

As someone who had loved skiing, ice skating, horse riding, wild water swimming, canoeing, gymnastics and hiking, it was a particularly cruel blow.

Ultimately confined to a wheelchair, by multiple sclerosis, and also suffering from complex regional pain syndrome and joint hypermobility syndrome, the effects on her formerly active life, and even on her writing, were devastating.

“I had to stop writing and illustrating for several years, as I couldn’t even pick up a pen, and had to learn to write all over again.”

And write again she did – to great success.

Her first published book, Princess Arebeena and the Crystal Fairies, appeared in 2019.

In keeping with her generosity of spirit, Fiona donated 50 copies to patients at the Sick Kids Hospital, at the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, when parents were unable to visit their children.

Then later in the year, she donated another batch to Radio Borders’ Cash for Kids Christmas appeal, to “brighten their day and encourage creativity”.

It was while delivering copies of this book to the gift shop at Bowhill House, residence of the Duke of Buccleuch, that Fiona met Calum Flanders – and two dogs who were to change her literary destiny, Lucy and Clementine, particular favourites of the Duke.

“When I first met these adorable Dandie Dinmont terriers,” she said, “and knowing I was a local children’s author and illustrator, Calum asked me if I would consider writing a children’s book for His Grace, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott, which will be celebrated on August 15.

“Although I was busy illustrating the second book in the Princess Arebeena series, I had no hesitation in agreeing to postpone the work I was doing to get started on it.”

But the task of creating the book proved to be a daunting challenge.

“My MS, CRPS and joint hypermobility syndrome make it incredibly difficult and sometimes impossible to write,” Fiona said.

“The fatigue and brain fog caused by multiple sclerosis can be challenging, as this sometimes causes me to grind to a complete halt.

“David has to lift me into my power wheelchair, steer it through to my bedroom and transfer me to bed, which is difficult, as I become like a dead-weight.

“And when I have a flare up of pain from CRPS, a slight nudge on one arm can cause pain so intense that it feels like I am having surgery without anaesthetic – this can last for up to three weeks.”

Sir Walter Scott had a disability, she pointed out, after contracting polio as a child, and needed a walking stick for the rest of his life.

Fiona wanted to highlight the challenges of disability, and bullying, in her new work, “to emphasise that each and every one of us is different, and we should all be accepted”.

Invited to feature Bowhill, if she wished, Fiona decided to develop the folklore she’d heard about as a youngster, and also to raise awareness of Dandie Dinmont terriers, which are an endangered breed.

She said: “I wanted to use Tamlane’s Well at Bowhill as a catalyst for the adventures in the story, to take Lucy and Clementine back in time to meet their ancestor, Old Pepper, and find a way to introduce Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg.

“I also introduced an elf, in homage to the original folklore.”

Weaving her own experiences into the narrative, particularly her determination to find courage in the face of adversity, helped Fiona add a modern twist to the tale.

Aimed at eight- to-12-year-olds, her new book has already drawn high praise.

The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry said: “This wonderful tale by Fiona Boyd excites the imagination in magical ways which Sir Walter Scott would have recognised, and my wife and I commend it to you most warmly.”

Fiona, as a global ambassador for the charity Kiss Goodbye to MS, which raises funds for research into multiple sclerosis and supports people living with the disease, said that five per cent from the sale of the book will go to the organisation.

Fiona added: “When disabilities took over my life and I became confined to a wheelchair, in 2003, I was often treated like a second-class citizen.

“Fortunately, those negative attitudes are beginning to diminish now, and we just need to ensure that understanding continues to increase.”

Sir Walter Scott and the Magical Well is available now, priced £9.99.