This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ross MacKay will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I mean what a brilliant world Narnia is. I read all 7 books, more than once. I loved them. I remember enjoying going to the houses of older relatives and I could not resist sneaking a look in their wardrobes…just in case. I can’t imagine anyone reading that book and not wanting to have a look.
Tell us about your current book in 10 words.
Will has a voice in his head. It's not his…
Do you have any bad book habits?
Oh goodness gracious, yes. I am a terrible procrastinator. I often have several books reading at once. I often take big breaks when reading a book. Leaving it for a couple of weeks then picking it back up. I go back over chapters because I need reminded of what has happened. Basically, I read in a chaotic way. It definitely is not the best way to read a lot of books. My TBR pile is massive. But what I do love about it – is that sometimes all the books collide in my head. It is amazing how much sometimes moments and characters and scenes might resonate across multiple books. I really love those surprise connections I can make in my mind.
One book at a time or multiples?
Multiples squared. I have some on the kindle. Some paperbacks. Maybe the occasional hardback. And always an audiobook on the go too. The book in my bag to read on the train is seldom the book I read in my bed. I love having a lot on the go. For me, I read a bit like I watch TV shows, dipping in and out of lots of different ones over the course of one week.
Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)
I always intend to bookmark but then last thing at night I can never find them again. So unfortunately, a wee fold is the best solution. I would never do it with a book that has been loaned to me though. I’m not a philistine!
Favorite place to read?
Probably in my bed for an actual book. But for an audiobook I love being in my garden. Someone a long time ago really loved my garden but it’s a bit overgrown now. I have to do a lot of weeding and chopping things back to keep it in order. And in amongst the big weeds and winding paths are some of the most gorgeous flowers that still bloom every year. I love sticking my headphones on and getting lost in a world as I work. I listened to the whole of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy and it was superb.
Favorite genre?
I wish I could say I had a genre I go too. But I don’t. I am more drawn to an author’s voice than the genre. I love John Le Carre’s attention to subtle shifts in character. He must have been a keen people watcher. No one builds a world like Frances Hardinge. For big ideas it is Umberto Eco every time. So, as you can see, I jump from spy thrillers to YA fantasy to historical novels, all the time. I don’t really have a favorite. Although when I write, I love the world building that can go into creating a fantasy.
Favorite book to recommend?
This changes a lot. But probably Brian Selznick’s Hugo. Simply because when I read it, I had never read a book like it before. It’s like a mix between graphic novel and children’s novel and I think it blends the two forms pretty magically. I am a very visual thinker, so this captured my imagination.
Re-reader or not?
Yes. I re-read. Even though my TBR pile is huge. But only the very, very, very best gets a second pass. It has to have lingered in my mind for years for me to want to pick it up again. I have been known in the past to go to my bookshelf to get a book only to realize I gave it to a charity shop years ago. On those occasions I do buy the book again, because by that point I am desperate to read it.
The Whisp is a fugitive. Living in between worlds, she flees from veteran hunters and the General who wishes to corrupt her power. For Will Devine, nothing could be worse than someone else knowing his thoughts. When an unfortunate incident in the boy’s toilet mysteriously binds the two souls together, Will is horrified to find he is no longer the only voice inside his mind. With no way apart, the two of them must work together to find a solution.
But with one teacher dead and another student’s life on the line, can they survive long enough to escape from each other?
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 of 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 off 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.
Ross MacKay lives in the village of Aberdour in Scotland with his wife and young son, Noah.
Ross previously worked in theatre as the artistic director of Tortoise in a Nutshell. His productions toured all over 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.
In 2020, Ross was the recipient of the William Soutar Award for Poetry and a Tom McGrath Trust Maverick Award. He has been commissioned to write poetry for libraries in Fife, to open a festival in Perth and for two books published by Tippermuir.
Ross’ first picture book, Daddy’s Bad Bed Day will be published in 2022 by Curly Tale Books. The book has been created to help young children with parents with poor mental health. Research for the book has been supported by numerous children’s charities in Scotland.
When Ross isn’t writing or making shows, he spends his time in his inflatable kayak, trying to steer it as best he can. He loves gardening and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with a collection of snails who seem to love the rhubarb and potatoes just as much as Ross.
Website: https://rossmackaystories.com/about
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rossc_mackay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rossc_mackay
Facebook: http://facebook.com/rossmackaystories
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BBDB7V9S
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Thanks for hosting. Brilliant Blog and great questions, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your interview, bio and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading Will and the Whisp
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog, great questions and answers, and now lots of other books recommended to add to my TBR pile!! Can't wait to read Will and and Whisp
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