I had a new article out this week in Writers Digest on writing historical fiction!
Would you like to write historical fiction? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of research, or unsure how to get into the mindset of a character from a different era? Maybe one of these tips will help. You can read the full article here!
I had such fun putting together this list for the blog Largehearted Boy’s awesome “Book Notes” series, where authors highlight songs that influenced the writing of their book! I got to talk about some of the songs I listened to on loop while writing OHP, and also share my full writing playlist. (Spoilers: there are a lot of film soundtracks, lol.)
You can read the full article here, or listen to my full (seven hour long, whoof) writing playlist for Our Hideous Progeny here!
I recently had a Q&A come out in Writers Digest! ✏️ I talked about the writing process, the publishing process, & bringing OHP from its initial stages as my final year project in university to a finished novel. You can read the full interview here!
I had another article come out recently, this one from Literary Hub!
Do you like pictures of dinosaurs? What about real old pictures of dinosaurs? Want to hear how said pictures inspired my Frankenstein spin-off novel, Our Hideous Progeny? Read the full article here!
I have a new essay out from Crimereads today! I had tremendous fun writing this one, exploring some of the queer history of Frankenstein/horror in general, and how that informed my writing of Mary in Our Hideous Progeny.
(And of course, I had to touch on Susan Stryker’s legendary essay “My Words to Victor Frankenstein Above the Village of Chamounix: Performing Transgender Rage“!)
You can read my essay for CrimeReads here. And don’t forget – Our Hideous Progeny is finally out today in the US, available in a bookstore near you!
It’s weird, it’s queer, and it’s here in bookshops near you! OUR HIDEOUS PROGENY is my debut novel, a spiritual sequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and a love letter to women in science and the fascinating history of Victorian paleoart.
Are you a fan of Victorian mad science? Gothic gays? Women who are angry, and ambitious, and covered in blood? Then OHP may be for you!
Note: Our Hideous Progeny is a Gothic novel, and may contain content that is distressing to some. View the trigger warnings/content warnings here.
Evocatively and compassionately, Our Hideous Progeny seeks a way to tell the stories of those ‘whose tales cannot fit in one book, those poor creatures who remain lost or forgotten’.
the new yorker
This immersive blend of historical and science fiction brims with surprises and dark delights. . . . An incisive exploration of women’s rights within the field of science. . . . The setting, too, feels wholly authentic, making it easy to get sucked in. Readers will revel in Mary’s personal and scientific discoveries and root for her to succeed in an unfair world.
Publishers weekly ⭐️ starred review
Our Hideous Progeny is a worthy successor to Shelley’s ground-breaking science fiction masterpiece.
autostraddle, best queer books
Compelling and utterly absorbing, Our Hideous Progeny is an artfully crafted debut that echoes the dark essence of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein while maintaining a fascinating originality all of its own.
Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
Exquisitely written, brimming with imagery both beautiful and shocking, this daring debut makes the rivalries of the Victorian scientific establishment thrilling and urgent, bringing us a story worthy of Mary Shelley.
Sean Lusk, author of The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley
A fantastic read: I felt everything about Mary, her simmering anger and her intellectual delight, so very clearly.
Freya Marske, author of The Last Binding trilogy
A gut busting adventure to escape into. I loved it. Loved the setting, the characters, the high stakes. What an exceptionally talented writer. Can’t wait to talk about this to everyone.
Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days
This is no typical revisiting of Shelley’s iconic tale… This is a post-Gothic treat, an enjoyably moody, fog-drenched fictional commemoration of women in science.
Booklist ⭐️ starred review
Fans of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and historical horror with a queer feminist twist will not be disappointed… In this immersive, richly detailed novel, Mary is an enthralling heroine with whom readers will empathize, and owing to assured, luscious prose, whose plight they will champion.
Library journal ⭐️ starred review
A wonderful book; dark, passionate, multilayered, and rich with enticing detail.
Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat and The Strawberry Thief
Our Hideous Progeny takes inspiration from Mary Shelley’s masterpiece along with the Victorian fascination with scientific innovation and the prehistoric world. This wonderful debut evolves into a gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue.
Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship
Darkly brilliant and sumptuously gothic, this atmospheric debut left me reeling.
C. J. Cooke, author of The Lighthouse Witches
Witty, dark and sharp as a scalpel… brilliantly captures what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world.
LIZZIE POOK, author of MOONLIGHT AND THE PEARLER’S DAUGHTER
Our Hideous Progeny opened its glorious mouth and swallowed me whole. I absolutely loved it.
Joanne Burn, author of the hemlock cure
Had the chance to visit some lovely local bookshops around Scotland for some proof drops! (I.e., giving out free advance copies of OHP to bookshop staff in order to woo them and convince them to order a billion copies for their shop when the book comes out… 😉 )
My lovely publicist Izzie guided me through my very first round of proof drops down in London, and I have to admit I was pretty surprised at how they work – essentially, one just shuffles up the nearest cashier and… hands them a book. (And then you chat with them about it for a while, of course, depending on how many customers are waiting.) But it’s really funny seeing the moment when a bookseller’s face changes from “Why won’t you hand over that book you’re holding so I can scan it?” to “OH! Wait! You’re giving ME a book!” 😂
Thank you so much to the lovely booksellers at Waterstones Stirling, The Book Nook, Waterstones Falkirk, and Waterstones Livingston for the warm welcome, and I hope you enjoy OHP. Happy reading!
Earlier this week, I had the absolute delight of going down to London to visit my UK publisher, Transworld, and participate in a few very cool book events! I’ve been to Transworld before, for a very short whirlwind visit last May, so it was wonderful to see everyone again and spend some more time with the fabulous team publishing OHP.
On Tuesday, I did an internal Q&A for some Transworld staff with my lovely editor, Kirsty. Then we went on to an amazing venue called Mr. Fogg’s Society of Exploration for a blogger/Instagrammer/book reviewer event – we gave out goodie bags and proofs, had some fabulous custom cocktails, and I had the pleasure of chatting with a bunch of super talented book reviewers (whose photos of the event turned out far better than mine! 😅)
The next day, I went out with Transworld’s wonderful press officer, Izzie, to visit a number of different bookshops around London, dropping off proof copies of OHP (and packets of Cadbury’s mini eggs…;) )
All the booksellers I met were so nice and welcoming, and a couple of them had even pre-ordered copies of OHP already! Daunt Books was especially pretty (and gave us a lovely free tote bag!), as were the beautiful Goldsboro and Hatchard’s; and to finish off the day, I spend about 2 solid hours wandering around Waterstones Piccadilly, the largest bookshop in Europe!
I’m so, so grateful to all my publishing team at Transworld for arranging this trip, and I can’t wait for all the other fun events leading up to OHP’s publication. Goodbye for now, London!
— CEM
Apparently Barnes & Noble is having a pre-order sale right now! 👀 American folks, this is your chance to pre-order my weird, queer, Frankenstein spin-off Our Hideous Progeny 25% off!
Here are some 2023 releases that I’m excited for…
Weyward, by Emilia Hart
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The Crane Husband, by Kelly Barnhill
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A House with Good Bones, by T. Kingfisher
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Hell Bent, by Leigh Bardugo
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Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh
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The Archive Undying, by Emma Meiko Candon
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A Restless Truth, by Freya Marske
Happy New Year, everyone! Extra proud of myself today, because for the second year in a row I managed to hit my New Year’s Resolution to read 100 books!
It was a bit of a struggle there towards, the end, but fortunately I’m firmly of the opinion that comics and graphic novels count as books (and… are considerably quicker to read than the non-graphic sort 😂). I also read about 2/3 of these as audiobooks, which is honestly my favourite way to read, because I can get chores done at the same time!
I’m so thankful that I actually had the time to reach this goal this year — I still vividly remember the grim days of college in which I hardly had the time to read anything at all besides the books I was required to read for classes. After I graduated and dove into writing nearly full-time, I read an interview with an author I admire in which she said that she’d read 100+ books a year since 2016 and had noticed a considerable improvement in her writing skill ever since.
I have a notoriously love-hate relationship with my own writing, so I can’t say objectively whether devouring this many books has made my writing better, but I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in my motivation and creativity. It’s almost as if writing too much in a short period of time drains my brain of words, and the best way to fill it back up again is to take a break to read!
Wishing you all a fabulous 2023, and don’t forget — my debut novel, Our Hideous Progeny, comes out in May! You can read more about my weird, queer, Gothic baby on Goodreads or pre-order it wherever books are found.
— CEM
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