AN East Renfrewshire author is on a mission to change the way kids think of unicorns.

Lindsay Littleson is this week celebrating the release of Guardians of the Wild Unicorns, which aims to show the legendary animals in a different light.

The book follows primary seven pupils Lewis and Rhona on a residential trip to the Highlands, where they discover real unicorns do exist and need their help.

Lindsay, of Westleigh Gate, Uplawmoor, said she was inspired to write the story after learning the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal.

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She said: “I thought it was strange that we had a mythical creature as our national animal but what I found out is that a lot of people really did believe they existed.

“Mary, Queen of Scots, used powdered horn of unicorn to check if her food was poisoned. Marco Polo thought he saw one on his travels but it was probably a rhinoceros because he said it was really ugly.

“In Scotland, they became an important part of our culture. I started to wonder ‘what if they were real, they lived in the Highlands and were being poached for their horns, the way rhinos are?’

“The book is an adventure story.”

Lindsay, 57, works at Kilbarchan Primary School and, as a teacher, knows all about residential trips.

She used this experience to ground her story in reality, while putting a lot of thought into imagining what unicorns would be like.

“They are magical but they’re not sparkly and gentle,” said Lindsay. “I wanted to get away from that version of what unicorns have become and bring them back home, in a way.

“They’ve become pink, fluffy toys, aimed very much at girls, and that annoyed me. The unicorns of my story are wild creatures.”

While it was always her dream to be a children’s author, Lindsay didn’t begin writing until 2014.

Her first book, The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean, was published the following year – and she hasn’t slowed down since.

Guardians of the Wild Unicorns is her fourth book – and the first to be released in the USA – while her fifth, The Titanic Detective Agency, is due for release later this year.

She said: “When I was a child, I told everyone I would grow up to be a children’s author – but life gets in the way.

“I became a teacher and had my children, so that kept me busy. Then, as they grew up, I realised I was just sitting watching TV while they were out doing creative stuff, so I started to write. 

“I looked around for competitions and my first novel won the Kelpies Prize, with the reward being publication, which is about the best start you can hope for.”

Guardians of the Wild Unicorns is available to buy now. It will have its official launch at Waterstones in Braehead, Renfrew, on Thursday, March 7, starting at 6.30pm.