Mrs. McPhealy's American
About this ebook
The entire rural town of Locharbert is abuzz because Hollywood director Steve McNaught is moving in. Putting two failed marriages, three sons, and a drinking problem behind him, he embarks on a quest for the uncomplicated life of his ancestors in the home of his distant relative, Mrs. McPhealy.
But from the start, the newcomer is eyed with suspicion, not least by ex-hippy and local midwife, Georgie. Drawing on his well-honed charm, Steve tries to woo her, and though there is spark, she sends him packing ... until she doesn’t. Everything would be on track, if Steve could only lose his tendency to see the world through a camera lens, if only the funny local characters, like the tinkers on the shore or the randy postmistress, weren’t begging to be put on the screen. Georgie warns him against turning her town into a film set, but the die is already cast. He makes matters worse by buying up the dilapidated cottage by the shore where Georgie grew up and which she has always hoped to restore. Rejected and dejected, his drinking back in full swing, he packs up his film reels and returns to California.
And then, months later, in the daft days of Hogmanay, Steve reappears, sober and brandishing his newly edited film. The secret life of Locharbert is about to tumble out.
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About the author
Claire Rebecca McDougall was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, her family settling in rural Argyll’s wild and rugged countryside, with its ancient ruins and standing stones. She studied philosophy for four years at Edinburgh University. After earning her MA, she spent four years on a Haldane scholarship to gain a Master of Letters at Christ Church, Oxford, studying Nietzsche. After moving to the United States, Claire worked as a journalist, before opting to pursue creative writing full time. She has written eight novels and their attendant screenplays. She is the author of four published books: Veil of Time (Simon and Schuster 2014) Druid Hill, Iona, and Hazel and the Chessmen.
