Author's debut novel has Rogart setting
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A SUTHERLAND village features in a new historical fiction book which is set to be officially launched tomorrow.
Dunfermline based author Mel McNulty has set part of her debut novel March in Time in Rogart. The 34-year-old has strong ties with the Far North as her family come from Scarfskerry.
“I always think of the Far North as home - my family were Beggs. My ties to the north are part of my identity and I try to visit as often as I can,” she said.
“A lot of the characters and experiences that happen in the book are inspired by my family.”
Mel, who works as a security guard at Edinburgh University, began writing short stories as a child and had the characters for March in Time in her head for a number of years before putting them on the page.
The impetus to begin writing came after she had three separate conversations with women who felt they were a failure because they had not followed society’s expectations by doing well at school, going on to college, marrying and having children.
March in Time features strong women - Laura, Kate and Flora - who certainly do not follow the conventional route.
The novel spans over a century and deals with topical such as gender, mental health, women’s rights and the passing of time. It starts off with Laura, a nurse who has been made redundant, moving from Edinburgh with her husband Jim, to a dilapidated house in Rogart where she finds in the attic a letter written by Flora Begg the previous house owner.
The letter takes the story back to 1899 when Flora pretends to be a man so that she can run away and join the army. She ends up in London where she embarks on a romance with gaiety girl Kate who turns out to be a suffragette. Learning about their colourful lives helps Laura deal with her crumbling marriage and mental health issues.
March in Time launches at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, tomorrow when Mel will read an extract, answer questions and sign copies. For more information visit https://melmcnultyauthor.scot
£1.50 from every paperback copy sold will be donated to Combat Stress.
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