Oliver Bullough, top Caucasus journalist, recommended Meg to us but it took over a year for her to finally make it to Bristol for World Book Day and International Women’s Day. When her historical novel the Girl King came out, Meg was pregnant and not available for a UK book signing tour. Eventually given her close connections to Bristol, she was born here, and Taunton where her family live, she agreed to speak at Foyles in Cabot Circus on the 7th March. She also kindly agreed to run a schools workshop during the afternoon.

ASHTON PARK SECONDARY SCHOOL WORKSHOP 

From the school newsletter: 
“Year 10 and 11 celebrated World Book Day with the unbeatable combination of good company, a visit from published author Meg Clothier, and free biscuits! 
Having worked for both the Guardian and Reuters in Moscow, Meg has moved on to penning historical fiction. Her debut novel 'The Girl King', published by Century, is described by the Independent as 'glittering' and the follow-up, 'The Empress', has been equally well received by critics. Meg tells us that she is now working on a third novel which centres around a male protagonist. 
As well as being an accomplished writer, Meg also proved to be a highly entertaining and inspiring speaker. We were given a masterclass in plot construction, characterisation and use of dialogue - all delivered with great humour, energy and self-effacement. And whilst we were keen to know more about the writer's craft, Meg was just as interested in our own reading and writing habits. It turns out that we have a number of talented would-be authors in our midst, who were given very sage advice on being published and making (or scraping!) a living in the literary world.   
Perhaps the most important advice Meg gave us, though, was that we should all 'READ!' (Meg's capitals!). So on that note, we're off to the library . . .  

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