Quartz

by Catherine Czerkawska

Michael is a young man, living in contented isolation on a West of Scotland beach and making artworks with the pebbles and shells, the flotsam and jetsam he finds there. He is perfectly happy, but the people around him find his isolation disturbing, and when he comes upon an object washed ashore that may or may not be man-made, the world outside threatens to invade his solitude, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Quartz was first performed at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre on Friday 4th February 2000, with Liam Brennan as Michael, Maggie McCarthy as Teresa, Alice Bree as Claire and Paul Nivison as Father Sweeney. The production was directed by Roxana Silbert.

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

I’m a novelist, historian and experienced professional playwright, living and working in Scotland.

I write warm, intelligent and grown-up stories - some historical, some contemporary and some a mixture of both. I have more than 100 hours of BBC radio drama to my name as well as many professional theatre productions.

My fiction and non-fiction was previously published by Saraband, now by Dyrock Publishing, and some of my plays by Nick Hern Books.

My fiction includes The Physic Garden, a Scottish historical novel about an early nineteenth century gardener, his love for weaver's daughter Jenny and his friendship with botanist Dr Thomas Brown. Set in Glasgow, this is a moving and engrossing story of friendship and betrayal.

The Jewel, published in May 2016 is a luscious historical novel, bringing to glorious life the dramatic years of Jean Armour and Robert Burns's courtship and their tempestuous, married life against a background simmering with political intrigue and turmoil. For Jean is a selection of poems, songs and letters written by the poet with Jean Armour in mind

The Curiosity Cabinet is set on the small fictional inner Hebridean island of Garve, and involves parallel stories, three hundred years apart. Henrietta Dalrymple is kidnapped and held on Garve by the fearsome laird, Manus McNeill, while in the present day, Alys returns to the island where she spent childhood holidays, and renews an old friendship. While Henrietta must decide who she can trust, Alys must earn the trust of the man she loves. But for both women, the tug of motherhood will finally influence their decisions.

The Posy Ring set on the same small fictional Hebridean island as the Curiosity Cabinet, is (almost) a sequel to that novel, now published by Dyrock Publishing.

My books, fiction and non-fiction, are available in paperback and as eBooks on Amazon.

I’ve held Creative Writing fellowships and residencies and spent four years as Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland. I enjoy giving readings and talks about all aspects of my work and love chatting to my readers so please don't be shy about contacting me.

I also collect and deal in antiques, mainly textiles, in my spare time - quite often they find their way into my fiction.