Let me introduce myself: I am Margaret Gill. I was born in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. I was able, however, even as a small child, to escape to the countryside to be alone with my love of nature. I wrote poetry from a very early age and my first novel at fourteen. But later the pressures of teaching full time meant that writing was put on the back burner. When I started teaching part time, I began to write seriously and have since written seven children’s novels including, most recently, a trilogy for young teenagers. My books seem to be peopled with strong, gutsy heroines who are prepared to go through hell, fire and damnation to reach their goals. Although, my current novel, set on the Isles of Scilly, has a hero for a change. The books tend to centre around places that have intrigued me, like Costa Rica, which provides the background for Return of the Quetzal, Syria, which is the arena for a dark mystery, and Tibet, which features strongly in The Eye of the Mandala. Readers have expressed appreciation of my knowledge of the countries I have used. I quote: '‘Having read your Quetzal, I was struck by the authenticity and verisimilitude of its setting and wondered if you had actually researched it in Costa Rica, or indeed lived there for some time.  Please do let me know since I’m very keen to settle there, especially during the period of our formidable winters.’   (Charles Muller. Editor Diadem Books) Rachel Hinckley of the Literary Consultancy says about Quetzal: 'The author demonstrates what is obviously a greatly detailed knowledge of the Costa Rican country and its history, both contemporary and ancient.' The third book of the trilogy for young teenagers, The Eye of the Mandala, had an amazing sequel when, by pure chance, I discovered the same ancient Tibetan Scrolls that I had written about in the book hidden away in the archives of Northampton Museum. For the latest news about my writing and other activities please visit my blog via the link at the top of this page.