Publishing my first novel is a dream come true
In March 2021, I wrote a blog about how writing a novel, ‘Brodie’, had helped me to explore my experience of MS.
It ended with the words, “fingers crossed my book might one day find its way out into the world”.
I’m delighted to report that this dream came true a few weeks ago.
Why I wanted to write a character with MS
I’m interested in how people with MS are represented in fiction and feel strongly that a character with MS shouldn’t just be defined by the condition. I’ve read novels where a minor character is diagnosed with MS simply to create a problem for the main protagonist, or as a plot point.
I wanted ‘Brodie’ to be different: to have a main character (or characters) with MS who are engaging and complex, where MS isn’t the story, they are.
Telling a story from an unusual perspective
In September, ‘Brodie’ was published by Into Books, a brilliant independent publisher. It’s narrated by an object, a book that changes hands and observes lives over many years. Telling the story from this unusual perspective allowed me to explore what it feels like to be an observer, not always in control of where you are or what happens to you.
The story begins on a spring day in 1988. Sandra Galbraith runs her long, curious fingers over a bookshelf tightly packed with the titles of her favourite writer, Muriel Spark. She’s on a quest to find the perfect birthday gift for her niece, Violet. And she plucks Brodie, a pristine, new copy of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’, from a neat cluster of identikit books.
Brodie adores Violet and, over the next two years, hidden in plain sight, learns family secrets of betrayal and a double life. When Violet leaves for university, her brother kidnaps Brodie to give to his disinterested love interest.
On the thirty-year journey that follows, Brodie passes through hands and lives and is witness to death, sex, and a wicked stepmother.
Difficult experiences on my own journey
Five months after writing that first blog post about ‘Brodie’, in August 2021, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. This led to sixteen months of treatment. I had twenty-two infusions of chemotherapy, two surgeries, and fifteen sessions of radiotherapy.
I was treated at the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow. I couldn’t have got through it all without the incredible care and support I received there. I decided that if ‘Brodie’ did get published, I would donate any money I might receive to the Beatson Cancer Charity to express my heartfelt gratitude.
Feedback from others with MS
Brodie has had some lovely reviews. A reader with MS wrote: "I shed a wee tear at the very end when Daisy and Violet are talking about their MS experiences and Daisy says she occasionally wants people to acknowledge what a great job she's doing. I know this feeling exactly!!!! Spot on!"
Out of all the reviews, that feedback has meant the most to me.
