Mary Queen of Scots book hits the shelves
Award winning Dunblane author Alex Nye has spoken of her excitement after her latest pageturner hit the shelves.
For My Sins is a historical novel which takes the form of a memoir written by Mary Queen of Scots as she is awaiting execution in an English prison cell.
Alex (52) spoke to audiences about the book, which has been almost 30 years in the making, during a special launch at Dunblane Library last week.
She told the Observer afterwards:“The launch went really well. We tried to make it feel as close as possible to what it would have been like when the story is set – 450 years ago.
“This is the favourite novel I have written. It really appeals to my imagination. She [Mary Stuart] was given a bad press and I wanted to draw some different conclusions and look at things in a different way. I wanted to get at the human being.
“In the book she is sitting in a prison cell awaiting execution when she reflects on past memories, and is haunted by some ghosts from her past.
“I don’t think it will only appeal to Mary Queen of Scots enthusiasts – I think it’s a bit broader than that. Anyone who enjoys or is interested in historical fiction can enjoy it.”
Alex added:“I started writing this in 1989 when I was living in a bedsit in Edinburgh after university. I was 24 at the time and I wanted to be a writer so I spent two years re-imagining and researching Mary’s story.
“I wrote a manuscript back then but shelved it for years and wrote a number of children’s books before returning to it.”
Alex, who was awarded theWHSmithYoung Writers’Award at the age of 16, won the Scottish Children’s Book of the Year Award for her 2006 novel Chill. She also teaches and delivers workshops on creative writing.
She said:“For My Sins is quite different for me as it’s the first novel I’ve written for adults. Writing it in first-person has given me the freedom to explore the character a bit more.”