Doug Johnstone at Aye Write!

I quite enjoy having my finger in several different pies at once. Doug Johnstone, who will be appearing at Glasgow's 'Aye Write!' book festival, is not your average pensmith. After gaining a PhD in experimental nuclear physics, he took up a position with Marconi Avionics in Edinburgh, though boredom soon took root and he set about earning himself a diploma in Journalism from Napier University. He now regularly contributes to the arts pages of local and national publications and his band, Northern Alliance, has released four albums to critical acclaim. Not one to rest on his laurels, Johnstone's first novel, Tombstoning, was published in 2006, and hot on its heels is The Ossians, which has already been tipped as 'A major Scottish novel' by Ian Rankin.

From the confident opening pages, you're more than assured that this second offering from the Irvine-born Johnstone is going to be well worth the read. A riotous tale, steeped in gin, rock 'n' roll and more narcotics than you can shake a stick at, The Ossians follows a fictional band of the same name on the verge of signing a major record deal. It is midwinter and lead singer Connor Alexander, his twin sister, girlfriend and best friend embark on a tour of Scotland's cities and hinterland as a build-up to a potentially defining performance in front of industry bigwigs in Glasgow. However, Connor is as self-destructive as he is charismatic and his incessant drug guzzling soon ensures cracks appear in their rock 'n' roll dream. Of his reckless protagonist, Johnstone says, "It's not about liking a character, but having some sort of empathy with them. I probably like him a lot more than other people do, but then I had to spend several years in his company. Deep down, he is one of the good guys."

Though Johnstone's own band, Northern Alliance, are not likely to be seen taking part in any drug-fuelled punch-ups or seagull massacres (read the book, it's in there), years of being part of the local music scene have given him considerable experience of the sort of venues that appear in The Ossians, along with the interactions that take place within the music industry. Though making music with his band is more than just a hobby for Johnstone, he admits they aren't career driven, "We gave up a long time ago on the idea of being signed to a label, but we're keen to trundle along, put out records and play to a few fans."

Also published by Penguin this month is Toby Litt's 'I play the drums in a band called okay', the focus of which, in stark contrast to The Ossians, is a band that has found fame. Johnstone and Litt will be appearing alongside Idlewild frontman, Roddy Woomble, at Aye Write! to discuss how the music industry and musicians are handled in fiction. In addition to the Glasgow book festival, Johnstone will be appearing as himself / Northern Alliance / The Ossians at a string of events throughout March including 13th Note, Glasgow, 20 March and Cabaret Voltaire, 26 March. Add to that the release of The Ossians' collection of radio sessions, studio out-takes and demos, The Macpherson Tapes, and it's clear that this is a man who is not shy of a bit of hard graft.

So what's next? Johnstone seems content with the balance he has currently struck between his musical and literary pursuits. "Ideally I'd like to become an established novelist, so I think that's ambition enough."