Catherine MacPhail
Encyclopedia
Catherine MacPhail is a Scottish-born author. MacPhail has quickly established a reputation as a writer of gritty, urban stories that tackle emotitional, contemporary issues but always work towards a positive solution and usually always are realistic.. Although she has had jobs (Assembling computers for IBM
, housewife) she always wanted to be a writer but she didn't think she would be suited to it. Her first published work was a sort of "twist-in-the-tale" story in Titbits, followed by a story in the Sunday Post. After she had won a romantic story competition in Woman's Weekly
, she decided to concentrate on romantic novels, but after writing two, she decided that it wasn't right for her.
In addition to writing books for children around their teens, she also writes for adults, she is the author of the BBC Radio 2
series, My Mammy And Me.
Macphail was also previously President of the Scottish Association of Writers and Chair of the Scottish Children's Writers and Illustrators.
and who plays on stage) and one other named Sarah, a year older than Katie and has MacPhail's book Tribes (2004). MacPhail says that she would write for free, but she enjoys to get paid for it. On her website, as a child she asks "Do you know what an eejit is? Someone who is one sandwich short of a picnic … whose lift doesn’t go … well, you know what I mean. Eejit is a wonderful Scottish/Irish word that seemed to sum me up perfectly when I was growing up." (Eejit is a Scottish
/Irish
word for someone idiotic or simple.)
"I was always trying to change my image. Act sophisticated, grown up, sensible…and then a story would just plop into my mind and BANG! There I’d go, smack into another lamppost."
She also had an encounter with writer, Anthony Horowitz
(Writer of the popular Alex Rider
series) which involved her son.
MacPhail grew up with three sisters and a widowed mother. Although her dad died when she was just two, her little sister was born two months after he died. She claims that "her childhood was full of fun, even though it must have been so hard for my mum. Me and my sisters knew nothing of the hardship she must have had. My mother was always reading books and was never away from the library." MacPhail has stated in her own website she can always remember thinking what a wonderful place it was. You could walk out with a stackful of books and didn’t even pay for them! "It was my mum who gave me my love of reading."
"Yet, my own background, my home town, have been the inspiration for most of my writing. A comedy series called ‘My Mammy and Me’, another one called ‘We Gotta Get Outta This Place.’ Set in Greenock, inspired by my own experiences. And my first book, the book that changed my life, Run Zan Run, based on what happened to my own daughter Katie, in Greenock. A tip, if you want to be a writer, don’t ever think nothing ever happens to you, because your own life is so interesting, if you just think about it.
My only regret? I wish I had started sooner. But once I’d started? There was no stopping me."
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, housewife) she always wanted to be a writer but she didn't think she would be suited to it. Her first published work was a sort of "twist-in-the-tale" story in Titbits, followed by a story in the Sunday Post. After she had won a romantic story competition in Woman's Weekly
Woman's Weekly
Woman's Weekly or Women's Weekly can refer to:*Australian Women's Weekly*New Zealand Woman's Weekly*Woman's Weekly...
, she decided to concentrate on romantic novels, but after writing two, she decided that it wasn't right for her.
In addition to writing books for children around their teens, she also writes for adults, she is the author of the BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
series, My Mammy And Me.
Macphail was also previously President of the Scottish Association of Writers and Chair of the Scottish Children's Writers and Illustrators.
Personal life
MacPhail was married. She has three children, one named Katie, whom she got the inspiration from her first book, who was being bullied at the time. She has two other children, one named David (an author who has sketches on TVTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and who plays on stage) and one other named Sarah, a year older than Katie and has MacPhail's book Tribes (2004). MacPhail says that she would write for free, but she enjoys to get paid for it. On her website, as a child she asks "Do you know what an eejit is? Someone who is one sandwich short of a picnic … whose lift doesn’t go … well, you know what I mean. Eejit is a wonderful Scottish/Irish word that seemed to sum me up perfectly when I was growing up." (Eejit is a Scottish
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
/Irish
Hiberno-English
Hiberno-English is the dialect of English written and spoken in Ireland .English was first brought to Ireland during the Norman invasion of the late 12th century. Initially it was mainly spoken in an area known as the Pale around Dublin, with Irish spoken throughout the rest of the country...
word for someone idiotic or simple.)
"I was always trying to change my image. Act sophisticated, grown up, sensible…and then a story would just plop into my mind and BANG! There I’d go, smack into another lamppost."
She also had an encounter with writer, Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...
(Writer of the popular Alex Rider
Alex Rider
Alex Rider is a series of spy novels by British author Anthony Horowitz about a 14-15 year old spy named Alex Rider. The series is aimed primarily at young adults. Nine novels have been published to date, as well as three graphic novels, three short stories and a supplementary book...
series) which involved her son.
MacPhail grew up with three sisters and a widowed mother. Although her dad died when she was just two, her little sister was born two months after he died. She claims that "her childhood was full of fun, even though it must have been so hard for my mum. Me and my sisters knew nothing of the hardship she must have had. My mother was always reading books and was never away from the library." MacPhail has stated in her own website she can always remember thinking what a wonderful place it was. You could walk out with a stackful of books and didn’t even pay for them! "It was my mum who gave me my love of reading."
"Yet, my own background, my home town, have been the inspiration for most of my writing. A comedy series called ‘My Mammy and Me’, another one called ‘We Gotta Get Outta This Place.’ Set in Greenock, inspired by my own experiences. And my first book, the book that changed my life, Run Zan Run, based on what happened to my own daughter Katie, in Greenock. A tip, if you want to be a writer, don’t ever think nothing ever happens to you, because your own life is so interesting, if you just think about it.
My only regret? I wish I had started sooner. But once I’d started? There was no stopping me."