As part of a programme to promote Literacy in Highland Schools journalist and author Catherine Deveney has been supporting the school by providing workshops for pupils. Catherine recently broke the Cardinal Keith O'Brien scandal, and has written three novels. Dead Secret, her latest novel, was published in the summer. S6 pupils Paul Holden and Eilidh McCann found out more
Favourite film ?
The truth is that I am too indecisive to have a 'favourite' anything, I can never choose just one thing. I am not a great film buff but one performance that has stayed with me over many years is Jack Nicholson's in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. I think that film probably touched something in me because it contained all the things that I find nightmarish: abuse of power, authoritarianism, lack of compassion, stupid hierarchies....I suppose it's most people's idea of hell to wrongly end up in jail or an institution and that film captured it perfectly. It also showed what happens when you dehumanise people.
More recently, I thought Meryl Streep was mesmerising in 'The Iron Lady'. Margaret Thatcher was definitely not a woman I admired but Streep's portrayal of her as an old woman was really special. If anyone in your family has ever suffered from dementia, you will know just what Streep achieved in that film.
I don't go to the cinema that often and tend to see films on DVD but this week I am going to see Philomena so I am looking forward to that.
What was the last book you read ?
'The Testament of Mary' by Colm Toibin. A friend gave it to me for my birthday.
Who would be your dream person to interview ?
I'll give you a type rather than a name. I love interviewing slightly eccentric people and people with complicated lives. People who have suffered hardship or tragedy are often very interesting because they have been softened by events and see life differently from the way they once did. I am also particularly fond of interviewing artists because they always have an interesting take on life. I've never met one who was dull!
What has been the highlight of your career ?
I think it would be the day the proofs of my first novel arrived. Moving into fiction felt very exciting.
What is your favourite type of story ?
My favourite type of story is a human interest story that has real heart. I like stories where I feel I can make a difference, or give a voice to people who are powerless. When someone contacts you to say that you have captured what really happened, or what they really felt, it makes all the slog of the job worthwhile.
Why would you recommend journalism as a career?
I think the best thing about journalism is that you get to meet interesting people and the story constantly changes. You are not stuck doing one thing all the time: if you dislike this week, next week will be better!
Can you tell us how you go into journalism in the first place ?
Well, I was a teacher of English and Drama and Culloden Academy. I left to have my son and I realised that because I was in a rural area and there weren't any easy childcare solutions, I had to find something I could work at from home.
You've recently had your third novel published. Would you say that your experience as a journalist helped with your writing ?
I think I would have written a very different book if I'd stayed in teaching. What journalism gives you is a connection to so many people, to so many troubled situations; you really get to understand more about the way people behave - about human nature. It gave me experiences that I would never have normally had - I've interviewed murderers, I've interviewed former terrorists, I've interviewed politicians, people in all walks of life.
Over the years, you've written hundreds of features and articles, but what story would you say you're the most proud of ?
That's a really difficult question. I think the obvious answer would be the Cardinal Keith O'Brien story, because that's the story that got the most coverage. It's certainly the biggest story that I've been involved in. But actually, there's another side to that. I've been writing about abuse victims for many years - there was a part of me that was very disturbed by the reaction to the O'Brien story. It was as if people suddenly sat up and took notice because this is a man who wore a cardinal's hat. For me, it was never about one man. It was about the many thousands of victims whose stories had been largely ignored. As soon as the cardinal's name was mentioned, it suddenly became "important". That seemed a bit back to front to me. So actually, the stories I've been most proud of have been the ones where, afterwards, somebody has told me that I'd given them a voice. For me, that's the most important thing about journalism.
Speaking of journalism - in what ways is it changing, for the better and the worse ?
Well, there have been massive changes in media and its become very clear that people's reading habits are changing. Newspapers are struggling - Scotland used to have some of the highest rates of readership in the world. When I was younger I would buy at least two papers a day. People are reading online and that has massive implications for journalism. There's lots of redundancies, staff numbers are going down. At the moment we're in this period of transition - there's a lot of pressure on staff, who are expected to do more work with fewer people to help. So, it is changing for the worse in lots of ways, but it is a period of transition. It's a bit like book publishing; they said that the Kindle would kill off the tradional book. Actually, it's not having that effect. It's just that we're changing - journalism has become much more flexible, much more accessible. Things are so much faster. I think there are great pressures on journalists, but there are positives as well.
The truth is that I am too indecisive to have a 'favourite' anything, I can never choose just one thing. I am not a great film buff but one performance that has stayed with me over many years is Jack Nicholson's in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. I think that film probably touched something in me because it contained all the things that I find nightmarish: abuse of power, authoritarianism, lack of compassion, stupid hierarchies....I suppose it's most people's idea of hell to wrongly end up in jail or an institution and that film captured it perfectly. It also showed what happens when you dehumanise people.
More recently, I thought Meryl Streep was mesmerising in 'The Iron Lady'. Margaret Thatcher was definitely not a woman I admired but Streep's portrayal of her as an old woman was really special. If anyone in your family has ever suffered from dementia, you will know just what Streep achieved in that film.
I don't go to the cinema that often and tend to see films on DVD but this week I am going to see Philomena so I am looking forward to that.
What was the last book you read ?
'The Testament of Mary' by Colm Toibin. A friend gave it to me for my birthday.
Who would be your dream person to interview ?
I'll give you a type rather than a name. I love interviewing slightly eccentric people and people with complicated lives. People who have suffered hardship or tragedy are often very interesting because they have been softened by events and see life differently from the way they once did. I am also particularly fond of interviewing artists because they always have an interesting take on life. I've never met one who was dull!
What has been the highlight of your career ?
I think it would be the day the proofs of my first novel arrived. Moving into fiction felt very exciting.
What is your favourite type of story ?
My favourite type of story is a human interest story that has real heart. I like stories where I feel I can make a difference, or give a voice to people who are powerless. When someone contacts you to say that you have captured what really happened, or what they really felt, it makes all the slog of the job worthwhile.
Why would you recommend journalism as a career?
I think the best thing about journalism is that you get to meet interesting people and the story constantly changes. You are not stuck doing one thing all the time: if you dislike this week, next week will be better!
Can you tell us how you go into journalism in the first place ?
Well, I was a teacher of English and Drama and Culloden Academy. I left to have my son and I realised that because I was in a rural area and there weren't any easy childcare solutions, I had to find something I could work at from home.
You've recently had your third novel published. Would you say that your experience as a journalist helped with your writing ?
I think I would have written a very different book if I'd stayed in teaching. What journalism gives you is a connection to so many people, to so many troubled situations; you really get to understand more about the way people behave - about human nature. It gave me experiences that I would never have normally had - I've interviewed murderers, I've interviewed former terrorists, I've interviewed politicians, people in all walks of life.
Over the years, you've written hundreds of features and articles, but what story would you say you're the most proud of ?
That's a really difficult question. I think the obvious answer would be the Cardinal Keith O'Brien story, because that's the story that got the most coverage. It's certainly the biggest story that I've been involved in. But actually, there's another side to that. I've been writing about abuse victims for many years - there was a part of me that was very disturbed by the reaction to the O'Brien story. It was as if people suddenly sat up and took notice because this is a man who wore a cardinal's hat. For me, it was never about one man. It was about the many thousands of victims whose stories had been largely ignored. As soon as the cardinal's name was mentioned, it suddenly became "important". That seemed a bit back to front to me. So actually, the stories I've been most proud of have been the ones where, afterwards, somebody has told me that I'd given them a voice. For me, that's the most important thing about journalism.
Speaking of journalism - in what ways is it changing, for the better and the worse ?
Well, there have been massive changes in media and its become very clear that people's reading habits are changing. Newspapers are struggling - Scotland used to have some of the highest rates of readership in the world. When I was younger I would buy at least two papers a day. People are reading online and that has massive implications for journalism. There's lots of redundancies, staff numbers are going down. At the moment we're in this period of transition - there's a lot of pressure on staff, who are expected to do more work with fewer people to help. So, it is changing for the worse in lots of ways, but it is a period of transition. It's a bit like book publishing; they said that the Kindle would kill off the tradional book. Actually, it's not having that effect. It's just that we're changing - journalism has become much more flexible, much more accessible. Things are so much faster. I think there are great pressures on journalists, but there are positives as well.