Margaret Halliday's sixth book, COVID Alert and other stories, is an intriguing mix of mainly fictional tales laced with non-fiction. The title COVID Alert tells of a dark and disturbing two-week stay in hospital at the height of the pandemic when the author is confronted by a patient who desires everything that she is desperately trying to overcome.
Stranger than Fiction: True stories from around the world.
My new book: Stranger than Fiction, True Stories from around the World, is out now and available as an ebook and paperback from Amazon.
It’ll take you on a whirlwind trip around the world, from Syria to Canada, Cuba to Bali and many places in between. I have close encounters with a Cypriot diver, an Irish farmer, an Indonesian turtle, Cuban dancers, an Indian mob, a Bedouin and his camel, a Syrian taxi driver, an Iranian vet, two Turkish TV crews, amongst others. You’ll get glimpses into a variety of cultures, people and places which will sometimes make you laugh, simultaneously giving you itchy feet, if you haven’t already got them.
Due to social distancing requirements, no appearances are planned for the near future.
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Margaret Halliday’s fourth book, The Belly Dancer is a tragicomic romantic thriller set mainly in Istanbul in the early 1990s. Gemma, a young English woman, finds herself involved in more than just teaching English soon after her arrival in Turkey. Her love of belly dancing leads her into a relationship with the beautiful Fatima as well as plunging her into a sinister, Mafia-run drugs operation. Can, the Mafia boss’s handsome son, falls for Fatima and reunites her with her long lost twin sister, Fulya, who can also dance. The story unfolds against the vivid backdrop of Istanbul with its teeming street life, magnificent mosques and busy markets, the ever-present turbulent waters of the Bosphorus and its ferries a constant breath of fresh air.
WWOOF= Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOFing North and South, Margaret Halliday’s third book, describes her experience of being a WWOOFer in New Zealand and Scotland. Margaret travels widely in both countries, using a mixture of public transport, her bicycle and a van, which she buys in New Zealand and in which she sleeps. She encounters an eclectic mix of people and animals. She gets butted by a billy goat, chased by geese, mobbed by chickens; swims with seals, explores New Zealand’s wilderness, gets close to sudden death and deepens her understanding of the meaning of life.
Take a dollop of Western culture, mix in the colour and spice of the East, blend the whole with glow of enlightenment, and what do you get?
At aged 50, Margaret Halliday embarked alone, undeterred by the onset of multiple sclerosis, to travel around India and then returned for two subsequent 6-month journeys. She kept travel diaries of these trips to the sub-continent, which eventually evolved into her first book, Prana Soup: an Indian Odyssey , published in 2013, and describes her adventures in candid and sometimes hilarious detail. From the Himalaya to the southernmost tip of India the author’s quest plunges her into a veritable ‘life force’ soup of tasty delights and enticing encounters. She delves into Buddhism, escapes a rail riot, survives a journey to Ladakh, resides with royalty, studies yoga in Rishikesh and engages with the ‘divine banker’ in Mumbai. All of this and more awaits the reader and would-be traveller . .
Margaret Halliday’s second book, Good Vibrations: a Story of a Single 60s Mum , tells the poignant tale of her harrowing yet humourous experience of unmarried motherhood in pre-Abortion Act Scotland. Seventeen-year-old Margaret’s Glaswegian romance results in unplanned pregnancy and heartbreak but she battles on, eventually overcoming all obstacles. Disowned by her parents her sister supports her through her confinement. She is forced to care for her baby in hospital, developing a strong maternal bond, before he is fostered. As a result his adoption is cancelled and mother and son are reunited just before Christmas 1967.
Margaret’s determination to be independent leads her to accept two disastrous housekeeping positions which result in homelessness and other adventures. She recovers from these setbacks and finally settles down in Edinburgh. Many years later her son traces his father, with unbelievable results
Margaret Halliday’s fifth book, Stranger than Fiction: True Stories from around the World, transports the reader from Syria to Canada, Cuba to Bali and many places in between.The author has close encounters with a Cypriot diver, an Irish farmer, two Turkish television crews, a Bedouin and his camel, Cuban dancers, an Indonesian turtle, a Turkish army major, an Iranian vet, an Indian mob and a Syrian taxi driver, amongst others.These short stories take you on a whirlwind trip around the world, giving glimpses into a variety of cultures, people and places, which will make you laugh and sometimes cry, simultaneously giving you itchy feet, if you have not already got them
A Traveller's Tales 