13 Questions shine Operation Awesome's Spotlight
on this
2022 Debut Author
Will and The Whisp by Ross MacKay
1- Why did you decide to set the unfortunate incident in the boy’s toilet?
It was always a big myth at my primary school that when you went up to secondary school, you would get your head flushed down the toilet. I always thought that sounded awful - so naturally I wanted to put my hero through the process.
2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?
Give your head the chance to dream and solve story problems away from the desk. Don’t feel guilty for taking a walk. Short breaks give space for your brain to find new paths to explore.
3- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?
I would love it if my readers came a way with a sense of hope. Really I want my readers to feel their imaginations ignited. I want them to want to dive back into the world and to dream.
4- How did you get into kayaking?
I began on a holiday and just fell in love with it. I love being out there on my own. It really connects me to nature. My wife bought me an inflatable kayak that I love. I love getting out onto the water for an hour or two and just gently paddling away.
5- Would you share a picture with us of your book somewhere fun?
Here I am with my first school visit with the book.
6- How do you support your fellow debut authors and have any of them supported you?
I am a part of the 2022 Debut Authors group. It has been so supportive- celebrating each other’s wins and sharing books on Twitter etc etc. The thing I was proudest to do was to give away a residency I won. I won a week writer’s residency that I couldn’t attend due to my health but I was able to give it to another debut author. I was so glad it went to good use.
7- Time to double-down on social media! What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?
Also, can you please recommend a favorite #bookstagram account profile?
Yes - @shellymackbooks and
@achapteratatime
8- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?
I also work in theatre as a director. I love being in a rehearsal room making shows.
9- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks
Will has a mental health disability like me. His anxiety is profound. I have chronic anxiety and depression. Although it is an invisible disability, I thought it was important to really reflect it in Will.
I love having a diverse range of books on my shelf. Currently Elle McNicoll’s A Kind of Spark is my go to recommendation.
10- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime? #WriteGoal #BucketList #WriterBucketList
I would love to see my book in a bookshop window display. Might seem small but it would just give me so much joy.
11- What was the query process like for you?
Mine was all over the place. I got signed in a really unusual way and I had an agent before this one. But I am so happy with the agent I have now. My book was very initially picked up by Twitter Pitches. So although it might seem like screaming into the void it does work.
12- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?
What is the one book you got rid of, loaned out, lost, which you wish you had back?
13- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?
Ross was the recipient of the William Soutar Award for Poetry 2020.
His debut novel and picture book were released in 2022 in both the UK and USA.
His plays have been performed across Scotland and his adaptation of Treasure Island will premiere in Cumbernauld this Winter.
Ross previously worked in theatre as the artistic director of Tortoise in a Nutshell. His productions toured across the world. His shows have received numerous prestigious awards including a Scotsman Fringe First for New Writing and a Critic’s Pick from The New York Times.
@RossC_MacKay
Facebook: Rossmackaystories
Website: http://Rossmackaystories.com
EXCERPT
1
THE NIGHT CHASE
The Whisp hurtles down a side street and then spins to the left.
Faster and faster, as fast as she can.
She hears heavy boots on the damp cobbles and the howls and whoops behind her. A glance back shows some of the Hunters grasping electric spears, running them against the granite walls. The sparks crackle in the air as they singe the old stones black. The rain lashes down onto the old slate roofs making the whole city bristle with noise.
Amongst all this chaos, she keeps running, tries hard to concentrate on the sound that beckons. It's fragile, like fine thread unwinding from a spindle. She knows if she loses it, inside the noise of the chase, it might never be found again.
The sound is hope.
The Whisp propels herself forward. She has never heard the song of the Thresholds until this night. She didn't even exist when they were last open. But if a Threshold was open and singing to her, then there was a chance ... A small chance, she might escape with her life.
The city is woven like a tightly gnarled knot through
which she twists and turns, doubling back on herself when she comes across another squad of Hunters in the alleyway ahead of her. They are systematic, cutting o streets, encircling her, trying to pen her in. She works fast to plot a new route in her mind, turning towards the sound whenever she has the chance.
The Hunters are like a pack of wild dogs catching the scent of prey in their nostrils. They will not lose her. She is quicker than them, but they are relentless. And while she may be invisible, the lashing rain runs down her body, making her shimmer.
They are swooping upon her, again and again. Each trying their best to seize the Whisp in their talons. But agile and quick, she darts across a city square into another crumpled heap of side streets.
The Whisp tries to turn another corner but misjudges the pivot and crashes hard into a wooden door that rattles on its hinges. Trying to correct her balance, she slips as the wet gravel beneath her gives way. Landing in a heap, she looks up and notices a looming shadow in front of her.
The only humans ever out at this time of night are Hunters.
She scurries upwards, grabbing the nearby lamppost. The wet metal squeals with her grip. She freezes as he turns and smiles.
She knows what he sees: the raindrops are not falling through the air as they should but running down her transparent frame. The outline of her shape is like the film of a bubble, and he aims to burst her wide open.
The Hunter grips his stinger with both hands and thrusts it forward with force. There is a hellacious crack. With a flash, she is no longer invisible, appearing instead as a stark blue outline of a girl that shines bright in the night air.
Will and The Whisp by Ross MacKay
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