FAQ

Yes, with the caveat that if I’m really busy with deadlines, I might have to say no or delay it. Send me a line on the contact page.

I’m often open to guest posts on here, providing they make sense with the theme of this blog, which is primarily books and publishing. If you’re someone who interacts with me a lot on social media especially, don’t hesitate! I’m happy to do my part to boost other books and projects. I don’t accept sponsored content.

I only receive a few ARCs and finished copies of my books. Occasionally, I hold giveaways through social media, so if you follow me on the various outlets and keep an eye out, you might have a chance to win a copy there. My giveaways are always international.

Outside of that, though, I cannot offer books for review. If it’s for an upcoming release, you’re better off contacting the publisher directly or, if you’re a blogger especially, looking out for it on Netgalley or Edelweiss. Once the book has been released, please don’t contact asking for review copies, as it is now available for purchase or can be borrowed at the library. Publishing is such a numbers game–sales make all the difference for an author so we can keep writing books for you to read!

MANY. A selection: Robin Hobb, Patrick Ness, Tana French, Amy Alward, Kim Curran, Leigh Bardugo, Elizabeth May, Julia Ember, Claire North, Zen Cho, Neal Stephenson, Mo Hayder, Katherine Locke, William Gibson, Corinne Duyvis, B.R. Sanders, V.E. Schwab, Ray Bradbury, Wesley Chu, Lauren Beukes, Holly Black, Malinda Lo, Sarah Waters, Becky Chambers, Marie Rutkoski, Kirsty Logan, David Mitchell, Francesca Haig, Stephanie Perkins, Virginia Woolf, Gene Wolfe, Jessie Burton, James Oswald, Juliet Marillier, Marissa Meyer, Kate Forsyth, Elliot Wake, Cat Winters, Sarah Waters, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkein, Neil Gaiman, Scott Lynch, Margaret Atwood, Adam Nevill, Iain Banks, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Zoe Marriot, Tom Pollock, Alfred Bester, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Scott Westerfeld, Dodie Smith, Cat Valente, Ted Chiang, and I’m always finding more!

As a teenager, I went through a few years where I read Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, and Anne McCaffrey almost exclusively.

By selling my soul to a crossroads demon, like all other authors.

More seriously: I worked hard and hoped for the best. This was my journey.
1. Submitted a book to an Open Door month, so I didn’t need to have an agent.

2. Received a full manuscript request from Angry Robot Books. Tried to get an agent, but my cover letter was not great and the book needed more work.

3. ARB agreed the book needed more work and gave me a revise and resubmit, AKA a chance to make it better.

4. I revised and resubmitted.

5. Book was taken to acquisitions and I also found my awesome agent as a result of a better book & cover letter.

6. Got a book deal! Yay! Pantomime was out in February 2013.

7. Wrote the second book in the contract. Shadowplay was out in January 2014.

8. Third book rejected. Nay! Imprint later went under.

9. Wrote other stuff–self-published short stories, commissioned short stories, wrote the third book in the trilogy anyway and another book, a sci fi thriller.

10. That book sold, along with an option book. I quit my day job.

11. Rights for first trilogy returned. New publisher, Pan Macmillan, bought those.

12. After a little over a year and a half of being a full-time writer, I started teaching part-time at Napier University on their Creative Writing MA program.

13. I’m still writing and hoping my next books find a home!

This is not a question. Also: you do not need to tell me you pirated my book. I’d really rather not know. If you did pirate the Micah Grey books while they were out of print then, well, okay. They can now be bought on e-book anywhere in the world and in print in most countries (though you may have to order through Book Depository), so please consider buying a copy of the new versions, or buying a copy for a friend or as a gift. Leaving a review on a site like Goodreads, Amazon, B&N and more also helps. Sales are so important for authors–it really can’t be overstated! A pirated copy of a book can have a very real impact on writers’ careers, especially if they’re a mid-list author like me. I love writing books and want to keep sharing stories with you. For that, I need your help through sales & word of mouth.

Ah, the question writers hear a lot! And it’s never easy to pinpoint. Inspiration can come from many places. From reading fiction or nonfiction, while watching films or documentaries, from going to museums and seeing artefacts from the past and from around the world, from an overheard conversation, or an article read on a lunch break.

I can pinpoint a few inspirations, though:

Pantomime, Shadowplay, Masquerade: I’ve always been interested in gender and sexuality. I loved going to the circus as a kid and developed a bit of an obsession with magicians. I also liked the idea of history starting over again, but with advanced tech left behind by a previous generation.

False Hearts: I read an article about Daisy & Violet Hilton, who were conjoined twins who did vaudeville back in the 1920s. I started thinking about how little privacy you’d have as a conjoined twin, how you’d know them better than anyone else, and how awful would it be if your literal other half committed a crime, and you weren’t quite sure if they were innocent or not?

Shattered Minds: What if a serial killer deliberately grew addicted to dream drugs so she only killed people in her imagination? What if she was forced to come back to the real world?

I do offer editorial services. If you’d like me to look at your work, please drop me a line and we can work out a fee in line with Society of Author rates. My qualifications: I have an undergraduate degree and a Masters in Literature, both in Creative Writing (with honours), I currently teach on a Creative writing MA programme, and I’ve written over 600,000 words of published or soon-to-be-published fiction. Spaces are limited, but I offer a discount for work with diverse characters.

The answer is: only if your library is very, very under budget and donations are the only way you can get new books. And even so, it may be a no depending on availability. Otherwise, please order through the usual channels.

The answer is: maybe I can visit! Check my Visits & Events page for more info, and then send me a note through my Contact page for my availability.

I will occasionally do donation visits, but there is a max of three or so a year, and priority is given to charity events who really do not have the budget for an honorarium. Otherwise, I do charge fees for events, whether they are in person or online via Skype. Preparing a school visit, for example, takes a fair amount of time, requires my specialised knowledge, and usually means a day away from writing and thus earning potential. So the fees balance that out, plus are very helpful to keep me going in between advance or royalty payments, which can be very infrequent. I make sure my fees are fair and in line with the Scottish Book Trust and Society of Authors.

For conventions, I know a lot of the time there isn’t a budget to cover flights and hotels unless you’d like me to be a guest of honour (note: I’d totally love to be a guest of honour), but perhaps consider offering a comped membership if you’d like me to do several panels. I’d be very grateful.

I’m pro fan fiction. I grew up reading a lot of it (Harry Potter), and know how great it can be for keeping the love and excitement of a series alive. I don’t think there’s any out there yet, but I’d be happy if it did appear. For legal reasons, I can’t read any fan fiction based on my characters or my world, so please don’t send it to me. I also feel like fan fiction is for readers, not me. So go forth and have fun, if you’re so moved!

I’m super excited by fan art. Please do feel free to make a piece of art inspired by my books. You’re welcome to send it to me either via social media or the contact form, and I’ll link to it on my Fan Art page.

I tend to do signings around release times, and if I’m coming near you, I’m happy to scribble on any copy you place in front of me! Occasionally, I do giveaways for signed books as well–follow me on social media to keep an eye out for that. Lastly, you can order signed copies of any of my books through my local independent, Transreal Books, which ships worldwide.