Featured Interview With Margaret S Goldthorp
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in a rural area of Yorkshire and lived in Zurich and London before settling in Hampshire. I retired from a career in property management 10 years ago and resurrected a former hobby of creative writing. At the same time I also started to research my family history and my first novel, Voyage to Venning Road, was based on a true story I turned up concerning my great-uncle who worked for the Malayan colonial government. I have no pets at present, but have had 2 cats in the past and may get another one day.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I loved books before I could properly read! I was raised in a household full of books and was a bookworm as a child. Along with Enid Blyton's Famous Five novels, I also read adult books from about the age of 8. I wrote short stories from primary school onwards, but stopped writing fiction at around the age of thirty, as a busy life intervened, taking up my pen again once retired. Joining a U3A writing group got my creative juices flowing again.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite genres are historical fiction, crime novels and thrillers, especially psychological mysteries. The Bronte sisters were an early inspiration, and some other favourite authors are Dinah Jeffries, Noel Barber, Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George, Patricia Highsmith.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Divided Heritage. The book explores prejudice, tragedy and the barbarity of war. Theo, Arianna and Enid, aged 12, 9 and 6, arrive in England in 1928, with their Malayan mother and English father. The family experience racism, leading to a life-changing tragedy. In 1938, Theo and Arianna return to Malaya, where they both find love and happiness, but the storm clouds of war are gathering. As the Japanese invasion and occupation tear their lives apart, Arianna is faced with a momentous choice and Theo's powers of endurance are tested to the limit.