My sister rang me up today and asked if I’d read this article in The Sunday Mercury. She then proceeded to read out extracts from it and guffaw in the pauses. She wasn’t laughing at the fact that ‘academic Alys’ and I were ‘Driven out for being lesbians’ from a ‘poisonous village’ as she already knew about this, nor was she laughing at me saying I was bullied as a child in the Midlands.
It was the melodrama of the article and particularly the headline, that caused such hilarity. It’s odd enough for me seeing myself tabloided, but I’m starting to get used to it. For my family, however, it may take some time, as it’s the first time a Midlands paper has covered my ‘story’.
This is another example of an article that focuses on me and my private life rather than my novel. But on the other hand, as I said on the Guardian blog, I can accept this branding of me as an author if it generates publicity for the book. It is not a nasty tabloiding of me, all of the newspapers have been on my side so far, but I don’t think that they’ll all be like this,considering the book baits the nasties.
I’m quite pleased that the article continued to refer to the book, such as where it says that I channelled the anger I had at living in a hostile environment into my writing. Academic Alys is a little bit perturbed at the size of the photo of us in our Civil Partnership in relation to the article – but I did make sure that I sent the best one. Academic Alys is also perturbed at me now calling her this when talking to her, e.g. ‘Academic Alys, would you like a cup of tea?’
I don’t live in the Birmingham area anymore and had to rely on my Mum to buy a copy to send me, which should arrive in the next week. But after my sister had finished chuckling she said she’d scan it in and email it to me, so I could post it on my website here.
When The Sun comes knocking, I’ll let you know.
PS Welsh Waterstone’s Book of the Month for a few more hours.
Filed under: Novels, Silence, media | Tagged: media, novel, Silence
