TELLING the truth can cost you friends and family, an author found.

After publishing her book chronicling a lifetime of lies, Scottish author Miranda Doyle was met by a wall of silence from her family and friends.

The Book of Untruths author told a Swindon audience yesterday: “My big brother is speaking to me but virtually no one else in my family. No one in my family, a lot of my friends. I thought I was being so kind to everyone.

“I think they feel that it’s perhaps too truthful or too uncomfortable.

“I was really surprised. It’s not as if anyone’s said anything to me, but it’s like everyone’s crouched down and I can’t see anyone.”

Speaking with Swindon Festival of Literature founder Matt Holland, Miranda spoke about her 2017 memoir; tales of growing up told through 72 pen portraits of lies she was spun or spun herself.

She said that the book had even attracted active abuse. One aunt drove for hours to a talk Miranda gave at a literature festival in Scotland, only to hurl abuse from the back of the hall.

Asked by an audience member if publishing the book had been worth it, Miranda replied: “I genuinely don’t think it is.

“While I was writing this at night and enjoying myself I wasn’t aware of the audience, whereas I think if somebody’s a big person in the media they will be aware of their audience and that will have an effect on what they write. I was totally free, it wasn’t going to be published.”

The creative writing teacher, whose novels had failed to win her a publishing contract, added: “I have to admit, the idea of saying for so many years I want to be published and not making it just got me down. I reached a desperate place, when I said yes when it got taken on.”

“My brothers all think I’m a huge drama queen.

I think particularly my younger brother, he would say that my childhood was different to the way I would see it.

I think he’s a huge self deceiver. He doesn’t want to live with the fact that his childhood was quite scary.”

The book won her praise from festival founder Matt and an appreciative Swindon audience. The mixture of in-depth research and personal recollection resulted in a more engaging memoir, said Matt.