The Thankless Child was inspired by a visit to Burn o’ Vat, the extraordinary water-sculpted rock formation near Dinnet (happy hunting ground for toads and adders, too). I also wanted to take a look at the views on slavery in Scotland at a time when it was already illegal in Britain and was in the process of being abolished in the West Indies – conscience versus fear of ruin, potential harm to slaves suddenly freed but no longer with means of support, what well-meaning people in Scotland might try to do to help. The painting I ascribe to the visiting artist, which I happened to see on a BBC arts programme, kicked off this side of the book. And then there is poor Johnny Boy Jo, who comes from a story I heard as a child, though I’m sure there have been many others like him over the years.
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