Allan Guthrie Week: "Furry Stools and Double Hard Bastards"

So much for "settling in comfortably." I'm not sure what to say about this photo, other than it captured Sunshine in the throes of yet another diva-like tirade, this time in the swank halls of the Hotel on Rivington in Manhattan's Lower East Side. "Arrrrgh," Sunshine growled. "I'll show ya my lower east side, ya cunts. No way in hell that haggis was vegetarian." It is unclear if the object that appears directly under Sunshine's body is a piece of furniture, or... well, something unspeakable, and/or wombat-related. However, this much is clear: Over the past few days the security team of the Scottish Book Trust (along with a crew of fixers, palm-greasers, lawyers and crime scene cleaners employed by Harcourt and Polygon, Guthrie's American and Scottish publishers, respectively) have desperately tried to keep the ravings of Edinburgh's self-styled "double hard bastard" under control, but to no avail. By now you've probably read that story that fronted the New York Post today; despite the public outcry, Sunshine refuses to apologize to actress Julia Stiles. "Piece of piss, that's what it is," he said. "Piece. Of. Piss."

Anyway, I'm back from New York, and a bit exhausted, so my Tartan Noir panel recap will have to wait until tomorrow. (The Bride also needs to send me the photos she took on her cell phone during the event.) But I had an absolute blast hanging with the members of the Scottish Book Trust, including Marc Lambert, Sophie Moxon, Alan Bissett, Jeannette Harris, Tessa MacGregor, as well as panelists Ian Rankin and Denise Mina, who charmed the living hell out of everyone in the room.

Even Sunshine was fun, despite the fact that, every so often, he'd turn to me and, after a moment of stony silence, whisper: "Cunt."