Visits & Events

I am regularly in attendance at visits and events throughout the year. If you’d like to invite me to do an event, please contact info@mushens-entertainment.com.

A note that I cannot often do unpaid events unless it’s in support of a charity, and even then, my slots are limited. Events are great fun, but they do take time away from my writing, and so I ask for fair compensation in accordance to the rates set out by the Society of Authors.

I am available for: school, library, and community centre visits, chairing events and bookstores, corporate events, such as writing as team building exercises, and very limited private mentoring and editing. I am a book coach at The Novelry.

I am on the Scottish Book Trust Live Literature Database.

Note: I struggle to remember to update this page regularly—please see Instagram or Tiktok for upcoming events.

2023 Events

Jan 26th, 7.30 pm: Chairing the launch of Hannah Kaner’s Godkiller, Argonaut Books, Edinburgh.

April 14th-16th: Les Intergalactiques, Lyon, France.

April 29th, 4 pm, Instagram Live with Goldsboro Books.

May 2nd, 7pm: Waterstones Princes St, Edinburgh, w/ P.M. Freestone.

May 4th, 7 pm: Waterstones Sauchiehall St, Glasgow, w/ Kat Dunn.

May 6th, online event TBA.

May 8th, 6.30: pm Waterstones Piccadilly, London, w/ Samantha Shannon.

May 9th, 7 pm: Super Relaxed Fantasy Club, The Star of Kings, London.

May 10th, online event TBA.

May 22nd, 7 pm: Edinburgh Bookshop, Edinburgh, w/ Hannah Kaner & Anya Bergman.

May 25th, 4,30pm, Fantasy in the Court, Goldsboro Books, London.

May 26th, 3pm panel. MCM Comic Con Writing Epic Fantasy w/ Saara El-Arifi, Natasha Bowen, Michael R. Miller, Samantha Shannon, Sebastien de Castell, ExCel Centre, London (signing after).

May 27th, 7 pm: Blackwells Rebellion Series, Oxford, celebrating Hannah Kaner.

June 4th, 3.15pm: Of Gods and Monsters Event, Cymera Festival, Edinburgh, w/ Aime Kaufman, chaired by P.M. Freestone.

June 27th, 7.30pm (doors open 7.10pm): Event at Toppings, Edinburgh.

  • 2022 Events

    January 21: Seven Mercies launch with Elizabeth May, chaired by Eris Young, in conjunction with Cymera and Blackwells Edinburgh. Zoom event, 7 pm GMT.

    May 28: Writing a Science-Fiction/Fantasy Novel, New Writing North. Zoom Workshop, 7 pm-9pm BST.

    May 22 to 28: Launchpad Astronomy Workshop, University of Wyoming. This was a non-public facing residency where I learned astronomy science with a group of other authors in Laramie, Wyoming. With thanks to SFWA and Napier University for funding.

    June 3 to 5: Cymera Festival, Edinburgh. I was on a panel with C.L. Clark and Tasha Suri and also did a reading for Shoreline of Infinity.

    July 21: Chairing Juno Dawson for the launch week of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, Toppings Edinburgh

    September 2: Chairing R.F. Kuang for the launch week of Babel, Waterstones Sauchiehall, 7 pm BST. Tickets.

    September 17 & 18: Fantasycon, Heathrow, London. Schedule can be found here.

    October 29 to November 1: Les Utopiales, Nantes, France.

  • February 19th: In conversation with K.B. Waters, Orbit Crowdcast, 7 pm GMT.

    February 24th: In conversation with Becky Chambers, Waterstones, 7.30 pm GMT.

    March 26th: Oops . . . Science as Problem and Solution. Wondercon@Home, San Diego. Event on Youtube.

    March 27th: Gollanczfest @ Home Events. London. Events on Youtube: Part 1 & Part 2.

    June 6: The Price of Freedom with Everina Maxwell, Elizabeth May, and Laura Lam. Cymera, Edinburgh, 2.30 PM BST.

    June 6: Space Marauders with Becky Chambers and Stark Holborn [Chair]. Cymera, Edinburgh, 7.15 PM BST.

    September 26: Writing Science Fiction, WOW Con, 5-6 pm BST.

  • March 12: International Womens’ Day Event Horizon, Shoreline of Infinity, Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh, 7.30 pm.

    April 28th: Inverse Happy Hour on their Instagram. 5 pm EST / 10 PM BST.

    April 30th: Instagram live on my Instagram with P.M. Freestone. 6 pm BST.

    May 5th: Orbit Crowdcast event with Ann Leckie. 3 pm EST / 8 pm EST

    May 6th: Second Life Book Club Panel with Anne Charnock, Antoine Wilson, and Yvonne Battle-Wilson, 10 am SLT.

    May 7th: #OrbitTavern with Creative Director Lauren Panepinto via Orbit’s Instagram, 5 pm EST.

    May 8th: Cymera event through the BBC Big Books weekend with Temi Oh for Culture in Quarantine. 1 pm BST.

    May 14th: Science Panel with Dr. Heidi DeBlock, Dr. Sinead Collins, and Dr. Peta Freestone, in conjunction with Cymera. Event on Youtube.

    June 6th: Cymera event: When Does Good Advice Become Bad Advice? Building Resilience & Innovation as a Creative w/ P.M. Freestone, 12 pm BST.

    June 7th: Cymera event: Using Climate Change in Secondary Worlds. 11 am BST.

    June 20th: Tubby & Coos virtual event, 6 pm BST. You can still watch it! Event on Youtube.

    July 29th & 31st: Worldcon NZ events. See schedule here.

    August 6th at 7 pm BST: Seven Devils launch with Elizabeth May and Eris Young. Event on Youtube.

    September 1st, 9 pm BST (UK) / 4 pm EST (US): Instagram Live with Daphne from Illumicrate.

    September 5th, 2 pm EST / 7 pm BST: Fountain Bookstore event.

    November 4th, 6.30 PM UK time: Remaking the Future with SFX: Peter F Hamilton, Laura Lam & Stephen Baxter (Crowdcast)

    November 16th, 8 pm: Book Week Scotland: The Future is Queer: In Conversation with Sister Carmen Eileen from the Order of Perpetual Indulgence

  • Universities: MA Creative Writing, Napier University (02/13); Distinguished Writers Series, CSUEB (01/14); English Senior Seminar, CSUEB (01/14); English 1001, CSUEB (05/14); English 1001, CSUEB (10/14); MA Creative Writing, Napier University (02/15); Introduction to Science Fiction & Fantasy, University of Wisconsin-Waukesha (02/15), MA Creative Writing, Napier University (03/16)

    Secondary Schools: Hayward High School (02/13); Hayward High School (01/14); Kincorth Academy (09/14); Harlaw Academy (09/14); /12); Dollar Academy (2 sessions) (06/13); Keith Grammar (06/13); Gordonstoun School (06/13); Hayward High School (01/14); St. Machar Academy (10/14); Keith Grammar (2 sessions) (02/15); Robert Gordon’s College (10/15); St Margaret’s School for Girls (2 sessions) (11/15), Doon Academy (02/16); Kemnay Academy (2 sessions) (03/16); Milne’s High School (2 sessions) (03/16), Kemnay Academy, (06/16); Advanced Highers Conference, Edinburgh Secondary Schools (09/16); Kemnay Academy (11/16); The Bridge, Inverness (12/16); Inverness High (12/16); Grampian Childrens Book Award MC, University of Aberdeen (04/17); Keith Academy (06/17); Advanced Highers Conference, Edinburgh Secondary Schools (09/17), Glenrothes Academy (11/17), Dollar Academy (11/17), Glenrothes Academy (12/17), Berwickshire High (03/19), Lasswade High (09/19); Woodmill High (2 sessions) (09/19), Liberton High (2 sessions) (11/19)

    Libraries & Community Centres: SJCPC Library (04/13 via Skype); Tillydrone Youth Centre (09/14); Northfield Library (09/14); Cummings Park Community Flat (01/15); Central Library workshop for Journalism students at SchmuFM (02/15); World Book Night, Rosemount Community Centre, Aberdeen (04/15); 4 linked workshops at the Central Library (09-10/15); Gilmerton Library (11/16); Editing Your Manuscript, Rosemount Community Centre (09/17); Dunochter Library (10/17), Woodburn Resource Centre (11/19)

    Conventions, Festivals & Bookstore Events:

    2013-2015: Inverness Book Festival; Writing LGBTQ+ Characters in SFF, Nine Worlds; Aberdeen International Youth Festival workshop at the Lemon Tree

    2016: Storycon, Glasgow; LGBT YA event, Festival Theatre, BBC Radio 2 Book Club, multiple bookstore visits for False Hearts‘ launch

    2017: Inspiration Point Literary Salon, Aberdeen; Waterstones Argyle St, Nasty Women Launch; Shoreline of Infinity; Waterstones Aberdeen Masquerade Launch; Waterstones Princes St, Nasty Women Launch; Aye Write, Glasgow; SFX Weekender, Wales; Dutch Comic Con; Super Relaxed Fantasy Club, London; Waterstones Princes St False Hearts Paperback Launch with Elizabeth May; Teen Author Smash, Paris; London Comic Con; Forbidden Planet Newcastle; Waterstones Aberdeen Shattered Minds Launch; Waterstones Argyle St Shattered Minds Launch; Storycon, Glasgow; Linlithgow Book Club; YALC, London; Helsinki Worldcon; Borderlands Books, California; Shoreline of Infinity, Edinburgh; Bookish Games Night, Golden Hare

    2018: Shoreline of Infinity, Edinburgh; From Idea to Book, Blackwells Edinburgh; Storycon, Glasgow; Waterstones Newcastle with Alice Oseman and Mari Hannah; Waterstones Argyle St, Glasgow with Sasha Alsberg, Elizabeth May, Alexandra Cristo; MCM Comic Con, Glasgow; Cooler Lumpur, Malaysia; Waterstones Princes St, Love Stories Panel with Noelle Harrison, Tracy Gow & Sandra Ireland, chaired by Dawn Howie.

    2019: Chairing several events at Waterstones Argyle St or Princes St for authors P.M. Freestone, Alice Broadway & Samantha Shannon. Two Love Panel events at Waterstones St. Andrews & Blackwells North Bridge with Noelle Harrison, Tracy Gow, Laura Lam & Sandra Ireland. Chairing Laura Bates for Aye Write. Two Scotland in Space events at the University of Edinburgh. Four events for the Cymera Festival. Worldcon Dublin. Craigmillar Book Festival, Gollanczfest, London; Scotland in Space Book Launch, Edinburgh; Writing Workshop for Editors at Headline, London. Secondary schools & teen events visited (via Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature programme): Berwickshire, Lasswade, Woodmill (x2), Westburn Resource Centre, and Liberton (x2).

    Mentoring: Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award (mentored from 2017-2018); What’s Your Story mentor to two teens in 2018, private mentoring in 2019 & 2020.