Sheila McMillan’s new book Telling Tales was officially launched at a reception in Waterstone’s, Lisburn on 30th June. It is good to see a large retailer like that supporting local authors and it was encouraging to see such a lot of people there for the occasion.
As the wife, daughter, granddaughter and great niece of ministers Sheila is well placed to write about life inside the manse. But this is no pious collection of platitudes and improving tales as one suspects that many ministerial or ministerial family memoirs must be. Sheila writes well and entertainingly. As one of the speakers said at the launch she can handle humour which is a rare skill and the book is full of good stories told with great humour. What makes them funnier is that they are all true (although in some cases the names have been changed to protect the guilty) and they have an honesty and directness which appeals.
Some of the people Sheila has known are truly remarkable. Her pen portrait of Elizabeth Law Barbour Andrews (who considered her names unsuitable and preferred to be known as Elba), the orphaned daughter of Thomas Andrews who designed the Titanic, and who bustled into Sheila’s life with some force is one that stays in the mind.
Some of the tales told will make you laugh out loud but Sheila also has some very moving stories. If you want to know what it felt like to be a mother anxious about a son who had disappeared for 24 hours in Belfast at the height of the Troubles then her story ‘A Nightmare in the Northern Ireland Eighties’ does that.
The benefits of coming from a clerical household are enormous. Having to ascertain from an elderly patient with a neurological complaint whether he was unable or unwilling to speak the answer comes when he remembers her clergyman grandfather who shut down the only pub in his village. In ‘A “Religious Experience”’ Sheila recounts a trip to Japan to take part in an IARF inter-faith conference and to experience the Shinto religion first hand. This is insightful and witty and tells you more about such encounters in a few pages than most earnest official reports of such gatherings ever do.
But it is a good read and one that can be recommended. All proceeds go to the Northern Ireland Branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
velvethummingbee 
Dear David, As ever, I thoroughly enjoyed your report on Sheila’s book launch. I’m wondering if you might consider permitting it to be republished in the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Magazine? If so, I’d be delighted. I’m also hoping to have regular articles on both historical and theological topics (short pieces, although longer articles could be serialised) and that perhaps you might be willing to contribute to these too, or in any other way that might appeal. I am supposed to be taking over the magazine with the August issue, although I think there may be something of a hiatus as although there has been a very amicable meeting with Ian I don’t really have any information on production or available copy as yet. I am sure everything will soon be sorted out. Yours aye,
Linda
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Certainly Linda, you are very welcome to publish it in the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian magazine. I am glad you like it. Let me know if you want me to email to you any of the photos I took. Good luck with your editing too, if I can be of any help I will certainly do what I can.
Best wishes,
David
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