What actor, author Meg Tilly reads for balance

Meg Tilly first gained fame as an actor in the 1980s for her performances in such films as Agnes of God and The Big Chill. Tilly, 59, is also an accomplished writer whose novels include Gemma and Singing Songs, stories that take on pedophilia and are based on her own experiences as a girl. She also writes the Solace Island series of romance-thrillers. We caught up with the author from her home office in British Columbia on the eve of publication of her newest book, Hidden Cove.

What’s on your nightstand?

I have Evie Dunmore’s Bringing Down the Duke and Jill Shalvis’ Wrapped Up in You. I love her characters. She also wrote The Lemon Sisters. Her characters get through the muck of life. They have real challenges, but it is not all doom and gloom.

With the Solace Island series, you are often called a romance novelist, but I don’t see your stories as light.

Honestly, I think life can be real scary, but don’t get me wrong, you need a balance. There are challenges, but don’t lose the beauty. I remember an editor who wanted me to take out the darker aspects of a story, and I didn’t want to. People grow when they persevere.