Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson

Blurb

When 12-year-old John Nicol gets a job at the Forth Bridge construction site, he knows it’s dangerous. Four boys have already fallen from the bridge into the Forth below. But John has no choice―with his father gone, he must provide an income for his family―even if he is terrified of heights.

John finds comfort in the new Carnegie library, his friend Cora and his squirrel companion, Rusty. But when he is sent to work in Cain Murdoch’s Rivet Gang, John must find the courage to climb, to face his fears, and to stand up to his evil boss.

Based on real people and events, Rivet Boy blends fact and fiction to tell the story of one boy’s role in the building of the iconic Forth Bridge―Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder―in 1889.

Suitable for ages 8 – 13 years – 200 pages.

Author Interview

Questions

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey, please?

It was not straightforward for me. It was a New Year’s Eve in around 2010/11 that I realised: I would never ever be the writer I secretly longed to be if I didn’t (a) tell people about it and (b) do something about it. As a New Year’s resolution, I vowed to do both in the coming year: write, submit and tell. However, it wasn’t until 2016, six books later and after 121 rejections from publishers and agents, that it happened for me and Fir for Luck was taken on by Cranachan Publishing.

Do you have a soundtrack that you listen to when you are writing? Very rarely. I prefer silence or white noise in cafes/libraries etc. However, if music is crucial to the book I am writing, I may listen before, after and in between – but rarely while writing. The exception was that I listened to medieval monks’ chants when trying to get my head into the early Norse church in The Chessmen Thief.

How do you decide who your books are dedicated to?

It began with my family and closest friends. For Rivet Boy, it felt right to dedicate the book to Frank Hay, the man who helped me with my research to the extent that the book simply could not have been written without him. No questions were too weird or wonderful – he’d get stuck in immediately as if I had thrown him a gauntlet. The book belongs to him as much as to me!

What was the inspiration behind your latest release?

I have always loved the Forth Bridge (that’s the red railway one). I visited as a child, returned to study in Edinburgh and often took the opportunity to escape the city to Queensferry. My husband and I even celebrated our wedding reception beneath it. As a writer who is always drawn to historical subjects, I was on the lookout for something about the bridge that would make for a story. Then I read of a 12 year-old boy who fell from the bridge and was rescued, ‘sustaining no more than a wetting’ and my interest was piqued: how did he feel about working on the bridge? Did he really fall, or was he pushed?

Do you find it hard to let your characters go when you finish writing the book?

Yes and no – I will miss writing about them, but as a children’s author I am likely to spend years reading them out to school audiences, so it’s not a goodbye for long!

What was your favourite read of 2022?

The Edinburgh Skating Club

Who is your favourite author?

I rate many: Ally Sherrick, Katherine Rundell, Lindsay Littleson, John Fulton, Susan Brownrigg, Catherine Randall, Jane Hardstaff all spring to mind.

Was there a point in your life that a book helped you get through, and which one?

Many times. But the books that made me a reader are the Walter Farley series about a racehorse, the series began with Black Stallion. As a horse-obsessed youngster bedbound after an accident, stories were lifesavers – I hated where I was but I could go wherever I wanted in a book.

Is there anyone that you would like to mention and thank for their support of your writing?

Again, many – but if I had to narrow it down, my German teacher Uli Fleischhut for inspiring a love of stories and of theatre, my lecturer Professor Ian Campbell for bringing Scottish literature alive and Anne Glennie, the publisher who first took a chance on me.

If you had the power to give everyone in the world one book, what would it be and why?

Haha, Rivet Boy! That would be a lot of royalties! But joking aside, probably the bible. I read mine every day and draw a lot of strength from its wisdom.

If you could go for a cuppa with one of your characters, which one would you pick and why?

The librarian Mr Peebles from Rivet Boy – he is based on the very first librarian at the very first Carnegie library and was a bookbinder from Edinburgh who got the job over 200+ other applicants. In my book, I have imagined him kindly and supportive, a quiet enthusiast with a gigantic heart. I think I may be a little bit in love with him.

What are you working on now?

A story set during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots

Do you have any events coming up?

The public online launch for Rivet Boy is on the anniversary of the opening of the bridge, the 4th of March, and everyone is welcome: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/rivetboy

Lastly, do you have any questions for your readers?

I am always interested in readers’ favourite moments – if you have a favourite moment in a book, what is it? I love the Frost Fair chapter in The Executioner’s Daughter, for example.

Thank you so much, Barbara for taking the time to be on my blog today. I am very grateful and Rivet Boy sounds brilliant.

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