Writer brings history to life with new book

Jul 3 2009 by Lisa Boyle

Writer brings history to life with new book

IT STARTED with a delve into her family history.

But now Frances Wright has published her first book.

And she already has a fan club waiting in anticipation for the next installment.

It was a long time coming for the Ayr woman, who spent her savings having the book published.

The Shawl mixes fiction with fact and ultimately documents Frances’ ancestors through the generations.

The book starts in 1830 when Henry Shields and his young sweetheart leave Belfast after the closure of the cotton mills.

The pair meet on the boat to Scotland where they headed in search of work.

Young Henry’s talent as a weaver comes to the fore when his shawl is chosen to be exhibited in Glasgow.

Through the generations, Henry’s shawl becomes a family symbol of love and protection.

The book takes in two generations of Frances’ family and documents cultural and social changes over the years.

Frances, 68, explained: “The names, places and progression are taken from my family. A lot of it is fiction with aspects of life from those days woven into it.

“ I started looking into my family history 14 years ago. When there was a lot of detail I began writing down extracts.

“I went to a creative writing class and that’s where I got the idea for having my book published.

“I sent it to three different publishers but they all rejected it saying it wasn’t their genre.

“So I decided to fund it on my own. I wrote it, edited it with the help of some friends and produced the graphics for it.

“Then I took it to Clydesdale Press who printed 100 copies for me. My main aim was to hand it out to friends and family as part of the family history.”

But Frances left The Shawl on a cliffhanger and is now working on the follow up.

She hopes her work will be picked up by a publisher and her book will reach a wider readership.

For more information on The Shawl or to buy a copy send an email to theshawl@live.co.uk