Book after Book

Hello Gill! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the recent publication of your latest book, Women and Children First . Can you please tell us what it is about? A: It begins on the Titanic, where I describe events through the eyes of Reg, a steward in the first-class dining saloon, Juliette, an English lady, and Annie, an Irishwoman in third class who is travelling to New York with her four children. They each have very traumatic experiences as the ship sinks and I then follow the ones who survive through the next three months as they try to come to terms with all that’s happened to them. The sinking of the Titanic is, of course, a well-known story but I’ve tried to explore some less well-known angles, such as the experiences of the crew and the symptoms of post-traumatic stress that many survivors suffered. You previously published Titanic Love Stories , a non-fiction book focusing on thirteen couples aboard the doomed passenger liner. Where did your interest in the sinki...