Airdrie mum’s novel released

Gritty look at domestic violence

A bird flying free from a gilded cage is the image an Airdrie author chose for the cover of her debut novel.

Mum-of-two Fiona Morgan has had her first book ‘Free’ published by Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie and now awaits the verdict of Monklands readers.

Fiona, a deafblind guide/ communicator and British Sign Language facilitator, began writing after suffering from postnatal depression.

And her book is not for the fainthearted as it delves into the dark realms of domestic violence, set among Glasgow’s more well-to-do suburbs.

Fiona told the Advertiser: “It’s a thriller romance. It deals with domestic violence and is based in an affluent area of the city and contains adult themes.

“The main protagonist is a successful businessman. He’s filthy rich and money is no object.

“Many people think that because you have money bad things don’t happen but they can and do.”

The 37-year-old went on: “Back in the early Eighties Scotland had a bad reputation for domestic violence and the stereotypical image was that abuse primarily occurred among poor people.

“I wanted to show that this isn’t always the case and that it does happen in more affluent households.

“The front cover depicts a gilded cage with the image of a bird flying free.

“This is to show that, although her surroundings are beautiful, she is still in a cage. Money is not the be all and end all of life.”

Fiona began writing after experiencing postnatal depression following the birth of her second child.

She said: “After having Sian I started writing just to see if I could do it.

“It was one of those things I always wanted to do.

“It started initially as a hobby and I gave myself a challenge to prove that I could do it.

“Once the book was finished I sent it off to Pegasus and, lo and behold, they said yes and I signed a contract with them in May last year.

“It was a long journey but it’s fantastic to at last see it in print.”

Fiona’s biggest fans are her daughters Erin, 13, and Sian, 11, and husband Liam.

She said: “The girls think it’s fabulous that their mum is now an author. When I was writing the book they encouraged me to get it published.

“Liam is extremely proud of me. He’s a man of few words but he hasn’t shut up about it.

“He tells everybody he comes into contact with and when I got the publishing contract he wanted to shout it from the rooftops.”

Fiona’s novel is available to buy on Amazon.

It’s fantastic to see it at last in print