Page 75 - NEW TITLES APRIL - JUNE 2024

ADVANCE INFORMATION

The Real Mackay

Walter Scott’s Favourite Comedian

Helen Graham

KEY SELLING POINTS
Historical fiction, based on fact, about the life and times of ‘the Real Mackay’ the favourite stage comedian
of Sir Walter Scott.
A novel which brings to life the golden era of Scottish national drama in the early 19th Century.
An emotional rollercoaster of a family saga which explores such issues as sudden fame and the challenges
it can bring.

Night after night jostling crowds clamour for entry to Edinburgh’s Theatre Royal with one name on their lips: the
Real Mackay. But who is he? The answer leaps off the page in this meticulously researched historical novel
which plunges the reader into the weird and wonderful golden era of Scottish national drama, seen through the
eyes of Charles Mackay and his family. Walter Scott’s favourite comedian dazzles and delights packed
audiences across nineteenth-century Scotland for decades, bringing laughter to thousands, including the king.
But behind his hilarious stage antics is a man grieving for the women he loses, all of them dying tragically
young – his mother, his wife, his daughter. In the grip of unstoppable momentum, his extraordinary popularity
casting long shadows over those he loves, will he be forced to choose between fame and family?

Helen Graham has been writing stories and songs since she could hold a pencil and a tune. She has
composed and recorded numerous songs, directed several award-winning short films, founded a film festival
and written a memoir, a poetry anthology and six volumes of family history books. She has also worked as a
knitwear designer, renovated several historic buildings and raised a family. She lives in Edinburgh.

Publication Date: 28th May 2024 £9.99 ISBN: 9781805143192
Thema subject category: FV – Historical fiction
paperback 216 x 138 mm 384 pp Portrait Author location: Edinburgh

Sales: Star Book Sales LLP
T: 01404 515050
E: enquiries@starbooksales.com
twitter.com/starbooksales