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[Anna] 'S dè na rudan eile a bhiodh tu a' leughadh?

[Anna] Bhithinn a' leughadh rud sam bith nuair a bha mi òg. Càil. Bha an t-uabhas leabhraichean againn anns an taigh agus dìreach cha mhòr nach robh cuspair ann nach robh a' còrdadh rium ach gu h-àraidh nuair a bha mi gu math òg, bhiodh leabhraichean mu dheidhinn daoine, 's dòcha mu dheidhinn bheathaichean agus stuthan nàdarra cuideachd. Tha sin fhathast fìor san latha an-diugh cuideachd. Tha na h-aon chuspairean fhathast a' còrdadh rium, gu h-àraidh mu dheidhinn daoine agus mu dheidhinn a' chruth-tìre 's mar sin cuideachd.

[Anna] Nise mar a thuirt mi rugadh tu anns an Eilean Dubh. Thogadh tu anns an sgìre a tha sin ach tha dlùth-cheangal agad ri sgìrean eile cuideachd. Mar sin dheth bha thu eòlach ann an àiteachan eile, nach robh?

[Anna] Tha tòrr ceangail agam ri sgìre Sear Rois agus cuideachd ri Muile agus Na Hearadh so tha teaghlach agam, 's air a bhith agam, anns gach àite ach chaidh mi dhan sgoil ann an Inbhir Nis so tha mi air a bhith ann an iomadh àite anns a' Ghàidhealtachd.

[Anna] Ach bhiodh tu a' tighinn 's a' falbh tric à Muile.

[Anna] Bhiodh, Muile gu h-àraidh nuair a bha mi òg 's nuair a bha mi san sgoil. 'S e sin far an deach m' athair a thogail agus bha mo sheanmhair fhathast ann nuair a bha i beò nuair a bha mi òg. Bhithinn a' dol ann a h-uile bliadhna aig àm na Càisge airson greiseag le mo pheathraichean agus gus na co-oghaichean agam fhaicinn cuideachd so bha e an-còmhnaidhmath, ùine air leth a bh' againn agus nuair a tha mi ann am Muile tha mi a' faireachdainn gu bheil mi dìreach nam dhachaigh fhèin ged nach deach mo thogail an sin.

[Anna] Tha ceangal, dlùth-cheangal, agad ri Muile. A' tighinn chun a' chiad leabhair agadsa, sin cuideachd stèidhichte ann an Earra-Ghàidheal ged as e suidheachadh gu math eadar-dhealaichte a th' ann. 'S e nobhail a th' ann.

[Anna] 'S e.

[Anna] Nobhail gu math dorcha. Eucoir a th' ann. Innis dhomh dè th' ann. Innis dhomh dè an leabhar a th' ann.

[Anna] 'S e a' chiad leabhar a thagh mi Morven Callar le Alan Warner. 'S e a' chiad leabhar a bh' aig Alan Warner a bh' ann, agus tha thu ceart. 'S e leabhar gu math dorcha a th' ann. Tha cuspairean gu math doirbh ann ach cuideachd 's e leabhar gu math….., tha tòrr phìosan èibhinn ann ged a tha an leabhar, cuspairean gu math dorcha ann cuideachd. 'S ann mu dheidhinn boireannach òg a dhùisg aig àm na Nollaig agus lorg i corp an duine aice. Bha esan air a bheatha fhèin a ghabhail san taigh agus dè na rinn ise às dèidh sin agus cha do rinn i 's dòcha rudeigin a chanainn a bha àbhaisteach. Thug i an corp agus gheàrr i suas an corp agus chaidh i suas beinn leis agus an uair sin às dèidh sin chleachd i airgead a bh' aig an duine fhèin airson pìos obrach a bha i air a sgrìobhadh gus dol air saor-làithean leis na caraidean aice.

[Anna] Dè tha thu a' dèanamh den charactar aig Morven? Dè seòrsa tè a th' innte?

[Anna] Tè a tha troimh-chèile, chanainn. Gu dearbh tha thu a' mothachadh gu bheil beatha neo-àbhaisteach air a bhith aice ach aig an aon àm 's e dìreach nighean òg a th' innte ann am baile beag Gàidhealach cuideachd, agus tha thu a' mothachadh sin, gu bheil tòrr rudan ann a tha, as aithne dhut fhèin, gu bheil ...

[Anna] An do dh'aithnich thu am baile? An do dh'aithnich thu an t-àite?

[Anna] Cha robh mi eòlach air an Òban nuair a leugh mi an leabhar ach bha mi ag aithneachadh tòrr rudan mu dheidhinn, bhon bheatha fhèin agam ann an Inbhir Nis agus dìreach bailtean beaga sa Ghàidhealtachd. Bha mi ag aithneachadh gun robh tòrr stuth ann a bha a' dèanamh ciall dhòmhsa. Gun robh fhios aig a h-uile duine air a h-uile duine eile agus gun robh, an dòigh bruidhinn a bh' aice, a th' aice anns an leabhar fiù 's.

Chaidh am prògram seo, Leugh Mi, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2015.

[Anna] And what other things did you read?

[Anna] I read anything when I was young. Anything. We had loads of books in the house and just there was barely a topic that I didn't enjoy but especially when I was very young, books about people, perhaps about animals and nature stuff too. That is still true now too. I still enjoy the same topics, especially about people and about the landscape and the likes too.

[Anna] Now as I said you were born in the Black Isle. You were brought up in that area but you have a close connection with other areas too. So you knew other places, didn’t you?

[Anna] I have lots of connections with the Easter Ross area and also with Mull and Harris so I have, and have had, family in each place but I went to school in Inverness so I have been in many places in the Highlands.

[Anna] But you often came and went from Mull.

[Anna] Yes, Mull especially when I was young and when I was in school. That is where my father was brought up and my grandmother was still there when she was alive when I was young. I went there for a while every year at Easter time with my sisters and to see my cousins too so it was always, we had an excellent time and when I am in Mull I feel that I am just at home even although I wasn't brought up there.

[Anna] You have a connection, a close connection, with Mull. Coming to your first book, that is also based in Argyll although it is very different circumstances. It is a novel.

[Anna] It is.

[Anna] A very dark novel. There is crime. Tell me what it is. Tell me what book it is.

[Anna] The first book that I chose is Morven Callar by Alan Warner. It was Alan Warner's first book, and you are correct. It is a very dark book. It contains very serious topics but also it is a very ... book, there are lots of funny pieces even although the book is, there are very dark topics in it too. It is about a young woman who woke up at Christmas time and she found her husband's body. He had taken his own life in the house and what she did after that and she didn't do perhaps something that I would say is usual. She took the body and she cut up the body and she went up a mountain with it and then after that she used money that he husband had for a piece of work that she had written to go on holiday with her friends.

[Anna] What do you make of Morven's character? What sort of woman is she?

[Anna] A disturbed woman, I would say. Certainly you notice that she has had an unusual life but at the same time she is just a young girl in a Highland village too, and you notice that, that there are lots of things that, you yourself recognise, that ..

[Anna] Did you recognise the town? Did you recognise the place?

[Anna] I didn't know Oban when I read the book but I recognised lots of things about the, from my own life in Inverness and just villages in the Highlands. I recognised that there was lots of stuff that made sense to me. That everyone knew everyone else and that, even her style of speaking in the book.

This programme, Leugh Mi, was first broadcast in 2015.