After three years of doing tours in Aberdeen, I decided to write a book bringing together some of the fascinating stories from the tours, as well as plenty of new ones.

The book focuses on the stories of unusual people from or connected to Aberdeenshire, whose stories are of interest because of the life choices they made, their impact on the world or their personal idiosyncrasies.

They include the magician who inspired Harry Houdini, a Nazi-fighting nurse and the doctor who discovered the importance of handwashing. This is local history like you have never seen it before: intriguing, bizarre and stranger-than-fiction.

With more than 36 biographies of people connected to the North East of Scotland, this book guarantees you will see the history – and people – of Aberdeenshire in a whole new light.

Available on Amazon: Paperback - £7.99; Kindle - £5.50