An Introduction
Welcome to the first edition of Extremis Etc., a newsletter released every two months which discusses books, video features, podcasts, upcoming events and behind the scenes news. Basically, everything we are getting up to here at Extremis Publishing!
For those who haven’t heard of Extremis Publishing, we are an independent book publishing house based in the heart of Scotland. We specialise in the fields of arts, media and culture non-fiction, and within the past ten years we have brought a wide range of 51 different titles to our varied, worldwide readership. We chose to specialise in non-fiction publishing as, in our experience from some of the stories that we have heard, truth can be much stranger than fiction!
From memoirs, to Scottish history, road trips, computers, cinema and business, we have covered many different topics so far - with more still to come. We love working with new and established authors alike. We also enjoy collaborating with different businesses, creative groups, tourism associations, colleges, third sector organisations and libraries, providing talks and workshops about writing, publishing and lots of other topics.
Who is Behind Extremis Publishing?
We’re a brother and sister team, Tom and Julie Christie, and we decided that we wanted to launch a family business… but, as the indomitable Liam Neeson says in the film “Taken”, “... what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career.” This made it difficult to choose the best business that suited both our skill-sets, as they were so very different. By the time we started to think seriously about founding our business, Tom had already been a published author for nine years at that point, and had nine books under his belt with other companies. Some of the publishing businesses that he had been working with seemed to ask for more and more input from him, including proofreading, index generation, and sometimes sourcing and licensing illustrations. That’s when the “light bulb moment” occurred, and we realised that establishing our own publishing company - using digital techniques to generate physical books that could be distributed worldwide - was a real possibility. Little did we realise that we were starting a business at a time of the greatest change in the publishing industry since the Industrial Revolution.
And so Extremis Publishing was born. Or, at least, it was when we were able to find a suitable name for the company. There was a lot of, “What about X?” Check online. “No, someone has already taken that name,” until we eventually decided upon Extremis. We liked the idea of our books reaching readers across the globe, “in the farthest reaches,” due to the use of digital publishing techniques. We also liked the idea of doing our own thing, in our own way. Because of this, we have been producing author videos and podcasts for many years to promote the company’s books, because who doesn’t like to know about the writer behind their favourite title? We felt that our tenth anniversary was the perfect time for us to launch something new, and hence Extremis Etc. was unleashed on the unsuspecting public!
Having said that, here’s a little about what Tom and I do as the Directors of Extremis Publishing.
Dr Tom Christie
Tom is the technical brain behind the business. Having written 21 books to date (https://www.tomchristiebooks.co.uk/), encompassing many different genres over the years, he has a broad knowledge of literature, having gained a PhD in English Studies from Stirling University in 2012. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a member of a number of national writing organisations. Tom proofreads, copy-edits and typesets our books, as well as designing our book covers and everything else that is involved in the process of bringing a new title to life. He conducts the interviews for our monthly podcasts, and records our publicity videos too.
Tom runs the Writing for Publication lecture series at Forth Valley College (https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/) twice a year - currently the only further education course of its kind in Scotland. He presents widely on a variety of topics, ranging from popular culture and cinema to retro computing and cultural history, and has been interviewed for numerous different radio stations, newspapers, and magazines across the globe. When he’s not writing or lecturing, you’ll probably find him playing 1980s arcade games or surrounded by Blu-rays. He is powered by Diet Irn-Bru and chocolate Rich Tea biscuits, especially when writing.
Julie Christie
My part within the business is to support our authors, plan our book catalogue, proofread new books, produce social media, co-ordinate book releases, liaise with venues for talks and presentations, and deal with enquiries - amongst other things. Tom and I co-founded Extremis Publishing to champion new literature and storytelling in Scotland and further afield. A lover of comics as a child, then magazines as an adult, producing the Extremis Etc. newsletter is a dream realised for me.
I believe in lifelong learning, and I have a degree in nursing. I then went back to university at 40, gaining a BSc (Hons.) in sociology with social policy, because I’m fascinated by people, culture, and the complexity of human perspectives. For the past six years, I’ve been the Communities and Fundraising Manager for Start Up Stirling (www.startupstirling.org.uk), a local charity which supports people throughout the Stirling Council area of central Scotland who are experiencing hardship. It is an organisation that I am immensely proud to be a part of. As life is far too interesting to waste time on ironing, when I’m not working, I love to read, eat chocolate, listen to music and catch up with my long-suffering friends.
Our First Ten Years in Publishing
Since the founding of Extremis Publishing in 2015, we’ve spent the past ten years building a reputation as one of Scotland’s most distinctive and forward-thinking independent publishing houses. With a focus on high-quality non-fiction, we have carved out a niche that champions originality, creativity, and cultural richness. Our ever-growing range of non-fiction titles has included critically-acclaimed studies of classic and cult films, Christmas culture, archaeology and history, memoir, travel, biography, creative writing and social history. Our books often explore the cultural life of modern Britain while offering international appeal to readers around the world.
We are committed to supporting our authors, providing a platform for both established and emerging voices. While proudly based at the heart of Scotland, our titles have found enthusiastic audiences in North America, Europe, and beyond. Extremis Publishing titles and authors have been spotlighted on television, radio, podcasts, and in the press. We have hosted and participated in book launches, author and literary events, and writing workshops. Throughout that time, Extremis Publishing has remained independently owned and operated, putting creativity and author freedom at the heart of everything we do. Our independence allows us to pursue original ideas and publish with passion. As we mark our tenth anniversary in 2025, we remain as committed as ever to producing compelling, thoughtful, and inspiring books, workshops, courses, and media content for curious minds everywhere.
The Extremis Publishing Podcast
We have been producing a monthly podcast (https://extremispublishing.podbean.com/) for the past seven years. Our podcast is available to listen to on all of the major channels worldwide, including Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Podcasts, and can also be accessed directly from our website as well as our YouTube channel. Initially the podcast was based around chatting with our authors, talking about new books, and discussing all things writing. However, over the years, we have produced a diverse array of recordings on a whole host of topics with many different people and organisations, so why not go and have a listen to what has gone before?
This diversity was perfectly illustrated by our June podcast, where we had the pleasure of being given a tour of the CoStar Realtime Lab on the Waterfront Studio location of Abertay University in Dundee. Phillip Vaughan and Matthew Bett gave us a demonstration of some of the amazing capabilities and applications that the Realtime Lab can produce. With incredible potential for filming and special effects, this brings important significance for the Scottish film industry. This remarkable new production facility also has tremendous implications for live performance and videogame development, and Phil and Matt explained the many ways that this cutting-edge creative technology has the potential to spark new growth and innovation. Their desire to impart their vast knowledge on the subject to students entering this subject area was obvious, to build upon the talent that already exists in the field and to witness it growing exponentially.
The significance of this podcast will become more apparent in later editions of Extremis Etc. - watch this space!
However, it has to be said that it was indeed a surreal experience for us to record this month's podcast, as for once Tom wasn’t asking the questions! Paul Murray, Director of King Street ApartHotel (https://kingstreetaparthotel.com/) in Stirling, turned the tables and interviewed us about our first ten years in business, why we decided to become publishers, and a little bit about ourselves. We also had the opportunity to record the podcast in their lovely state of the art recording studio within WorKing Flexispaces, based in the King Street ApartHotel buildings. The podcast is available to listen to today here (https://extremispublishing.podbean.com/).
Paul and Managing Director Neil Munday have invested a lot of time, energy, and enthusiasm in breathing new life into a grand building which had been vacant for many years in the centre of Stirling. Previously a department store, then bank offices, the building is now split into high-spec office space and meeting rooms on the first floor, with the rest of the building occupied by the stunning suites and bedrooms. Each room boasts a kitchen area with a coffee machine offering bespoke coffee, a refrigerator and a sink, making it feel much more relaxing and homely than a regular hotel room would. Tucked away at the top of the building is the recording studio, where podcasts and music recordings can be professionally produced and mixed. There are a few pictures from their premises dotted around in this newsletter, and we would like to thank Neil and Paul for their time and generosity in recording the podcast and letting us roam around their beautiful hotel, and for the wonderful House Manager, Laura Chalkley, who helped us to find the best places to take our pictures.
Take a Peek into Hidden Stirling
Everyone loves a mystery, don’t they? If you live in a place like Stirling, with so many layers of history, then places that used to be in plain sight can easily become covered up. Or maybe they are still there to be seen, but have been overlooked as we go about our busy lives.
Dr Murray Cook is the Stirling Council archaeologist, and runs Stirling Archaeology where he encourages people young and old to share his enthusiasm about Stirling, its history, archaeology and its people. This was recently recognised by the Stirling Business Awards, where he was the winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the City Award 2025. Murray also delivers many illustrated talks and walks around the area all through the year.
Murray recently published a fascinating book with Extremis Publishing entitled Hidden Stirling: Outlawed, Unknown, Locked, Destroyed, Overlooked and Secret Gems from Scotland’s Smallest City, where he writes about some of Stirling’s - and the surrounding area’s - hidden treasures. Some of them are still here, but not publicly accessible, have a hidden history, or are only things of myth and legend, and in some cases never existed in the first place!
Take a peek into one of the places Murray writes about, the tower of old St Ninians Church, which is based within the Stirling area:
St Ninians Tower
A Cradle of Christianity
An absolute requirement of any archaeologist is that they should be very nosy and curious. So I take every opportunity to poke my nose in every nook and cranny I can find. One of my favourite places to explore is St Ninians Church tower (and thanks to the Minister, Gary McIntyre, for letting me in); a brilliant place, reeking of history. The church saw Edward I ride from victory at Falkirk Bridge and his son flee in shame after Bannockburn. It was renovated by James IV and blown up by Bonnie Prince Charlie’s troops. The tower may be around 900 years old, at which age it has already seen Christian worship for nearly 700 years, perhaps even as early as the late Roman Empire.
I was there to look at some older reused stones that had been built into the tower. But I took the opportunity to squeeze into the belfry and look at the magnificent brass bell which has the following inscription around it: Such wond’rous powr to musick’s given. It elevates the soul to heaven. Pack & Chapman of London Fecit 1774. (Fecit is Latin for ‘made it’.) The bell still chimes to this day, and the wooden frame that supports the bell is covered with generations of precise, tidy graffiti: etched names and dates. The oldest one is by Thomas Aitken and dates to 1774. The obvious conclusion is that Thomas erected the bell, or certainly helped with it. I can find nothing else on Thomas; one more name in a very long list of lives the tower has seen. What will its next 900 years bring?
Unfortunately at present neither the tower nor the graveyard at St Ninians Old Church is open to the public, but you can wander around its outside walls and gaze in. (Grid Reference: NS 79583 91670)
Murray publishes a regular Stirling Archaeology newsletter, which is a must-read way of finding out more about his archaeological digs in the area and all of his other events.
Please visit our website (https://www.extremispublishing.com/) to see the other titles that Murray has published with Extremis Publishing.
The Marvellous Freewheeling World of Mr Mel Croucher
Our latest title was released on Monday the 30th of June. Digital Pioneer Spirit, by Thomas A. Christie, explores the extraordinary work of Mel Croucher in the world of digital creativity. For anyone who was around at the beginning of the 1980s home computer revolution, Mel Croucher's name was never far away. From his groundbreaking computer games in the earliest days of the industry through to his remarkable later cultural contributions, the book offers a fascinating study of Croucher's enduring impact on the digital humanities.
Here, Tom provides some insight into explaining why he chose to write about Mel Croucher:
No one single cultural figure has had more of an impact on the way that I write and think than Mel Croucher. He was producing transmedia creative applications at a time when computers could barely produce graphics, and by the time the eighties came around he was releasing multimedia experiences that were quite unlike anything that had been seen. But the story didn’t stop there. He built a career of world firsts, ranging from the first ever million-participant marketing campaign to the first interactive computer soap opera. He made so many changes to the way people considered the role of computer technology in the arts and humanities. And perhaps most importantly of all, he was most concerned with encouraging people to make creative contributions of their own. He’s almost certainly the most unique individual in the history of British computing.
When you’ve been writing for a while, I think it’s important to recognise your influences and thank the people whose work has helped to shape your own. I was an avid reader of Mel Croucher’s ground-breaking computer journalism back in the eighties, and I’ve never stopped admiring his ability to continually surprise people. He wasn’t just operating at the cutting edge of computer technology - he was helping to define it, even in its earliest days. Naturally his career contains many other surprises, of course… but you’ll need to read my book to find out more about what they are!
Not only is Mel one of Tom’s great creative heroes, but he also publishes with Extremis Publishing. His remarkable book Mundaneum: The Shocking True Story of the Man who Invented the Internet and the Man who Destroyed It is a tour de force of fascinating hidden history, and describes how the digital world we enjoy today could have been very different.
Don’t forget to listen to the August podcast about Digital Pioneer Spirit, which may just be a little more alternative than usual…
New Awards This Year
We have been very fortunate to receive a number of different awards over the past few years, which we have been both delighted and humbled to accept.
Our most recent accolade was the Non-Fiction Book Publisher of the Year Award for Scotland at the Business Excellence Awards 2025. The annual Business Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the UK business landscape, recognising organisations that demonstrate innovation, impact, and a commitment to excellence in their respective industries. To be honoured with this distinction, companies must exhibit exceptional leadership, creativity, business growth, and contributions to their field.
What came as a complete surprise, and a great honour, was that I was awarded the Publishing Businesswoman of the Year for Scotland Award on the tenth anniversary of the Influential Businesswoman Awards 2025. This prestigious award is dedicated to honouring the extraordinary achievements of women who are reshaping the business world, shining a spotlight on female leaders who have not only broken barriers but have also redefined success, paving the way for future generations. The Influential Businesswoman Awards 2025 celebrate women who have left an indelible mark on the business landscape. It recognises the achievements of those who have excelled in their fields, uplifted others, driven meaningful change, and set the standard for excellence.
It took a while for the news to sink in, but I love that it will help to provide me with a platform to encourage people to follow their own dreams - whether that’s publishing, writing, or learning a new skill. Age shouldn’t be a barrier to trying new things. If it had been, Extremis Publishing wouldn’t be here, as I was in my mid-forties when we started the business. People who are a little older in years (if not in attitude!) have packed so much into their life and gathered so much experience, so why not use and share it to inspire others of any age? Equally, I’m always inspired by all of the great ideas that young people have whenever I have the pleasure of encountering them.
As to what my next new project is going to be… well, stay tuned for future issues to find out more!
Lights, Camera, Stirling: The Guided Walk
From Hollywood blockbusters to unexpected indie gems, the city of Stirling - and the wider Stirlingshire area - has long been a favourite backdrop for filmmakers working in both cinema and television. This July, join Tom for a fascinating guided walking tour which will explore the area's rich screen history. Along the way, you’ll uncover the stories behind major productions and lesser-known surprises that have used Stirling’s dramatic landscapes and historic sites to cinematic effect, making this a tour not to be missed.
The walk will take place on Sunday 13th July between 2pm and 3:30pm, meeting at the entrance to Stirling's Old Town Jail in St John Street, Stirling, FK8 1EA. Participation is by donation to Stirling District Tourism. To book your place on the walk, please visit EventBrite at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/guided-walk-lights-camera-stirling-tickets-1357110637449. (Photo by Julie Howden Photography.)
And Finally…
Thanks for joining us for our first edition of Extremis Etc. Come and join our community. All are welcome. Let us know about some of the topics that you would like to read about in future editions of Extremis Etc. by contacting us through our website.
We hope that you have a great summer, and we welcome you to join us again on Thursday the 4th September for our next issue! Until then, happy reading, and remember - real life is always stranger than fiction.