MEG HENDERSON

 Meg says,

“I came to professional writing late, having spent years working in the NHS and fostering and adopting kids, but I always wrote; as a child I thought everyone did. Then I began submitting the odd newspaper piece, and from there it grew. My first book, in 1994, was “Finding Peggy”, which was the result of a promise I’d made to myself when I was 11 and my Aunt Peggy died. I promised that one day I’d tell the story of her death and of the families I grew up in, I wanted to say ‘This is who they were, they had worth and what happened to them was wrong and unfair.”

Since then I’ve written another 7 books, all of them based on fact. I suppose I like to bring history alive. In “The Holy City” in 1997, I wanted people to know about what happened in Clydebank, once a thriving little burgh that now isn’t a patch on what it was. When the Germans bombed Clydebank during WW2 the extent of the damage and death was covered up “for reasons of morale.” London and Coventry were brave and could take it, apparently, but what happened to the people of Clydebank seemingly didn’t matter, and for decades it was ignored - one man told me “We weren’t encouraged to talk about it.”

I tend to work during the night, when the phone doesn’t ring and people don’t come to the door, it’s just me and the cat padding around, with me sobbing occasionally when I bump someone off! I love writing, I can’t understand the need some authors have to be seen to be suffering for their art. When I’m writing I’m totally myself, that’s the best way I can put it, it’s a natural function, and in the lull between finishing one book and starting another I become a nuisance to other gainfully employed friends - usually other writers who are still working on their books. So I tend to do journalism then, before something else grabs me and I’m off researching for the next book. I love research, I love finding things out, though some of my editors over the years have been less than understanding, one threatened to come and take the kids if I didn‘t stop researching and start writing. My rationale is “How do I know I don’t need to know unless I know?”

Apart from that I’ve been married for 35 years to a very understanding man who manages to cope with my obsessions - and they are obsessions - during every book phase, the ups and downs and the horrors I inflict on my characters and the grief when a book is finished. I hate handing over a book to the publishers, so I drag my heels and think up various ploys to put the moment off for as long as possible, but the day comes and I never take it well.”

 

BOOKS BY MEG HENDERSON ARE:-

Finding Peggy 1994

The Holy City. A Tale of Clydebank. 1997

Chasing Angels. 2001

Bloody Mary. 2002

The Last Wanderer. 2003

Second Sight. 2004

Daisy’s Wars. 2006

A Scent of Bluebells. 2007

 

SUNDAY 17th JUNE at 12.00

 

In  her talk, Meg will discuss the reasons behind her books -

and the often odd reactions to them!

 

She will read from her latest book,

“A Scent of Bluebells”,

and from some of her previous titles.

 

Meg will also be happy

 to answer questions.