Q&A with Xena Knox

Welcome to our wee Q&A with author Xena Knox.

You can find Xena on Twitter Instagram or Tiktok.

You can find my non spoiler review of Sh!t Bag HERE and it is out to buy from Amazon now.

Now, enjoy our author interview:

Q1. Tell us a bit about yourself, Xena

Just a wee bit - I’m Scottish. I’m straight talking, passionate, fair (I like to champion the underdog) and sometimes a bit scary if you get on the wrong side of me. I don’t just write. I’m good at getting my hands dirty (my nails are awful) digging in the mud growing flowers or mucking around with my horses. I love writing with humour and about gritty reality.

Q2. What made you decide to write your debut

SH!T BAG - my debut YA novel - is an up-close and very personal story about life with ostomies (poo bags in this instance). It’s based on my own life experiences and so the story is a reaction to public negativity or misunderstandings around what it’s like living with an ostomy. I wanted to educate, yes, but in the main, I wanted to change attitudes towards ostomies and people with them (ostomates) by placing the reader in the body of the main character looking outwards. So that they could really feel what it’s like to be judged, degraded, mocked … for something that’s quite literally life or death, or living.
And this includes medical professionals - just because someone technically knows what an ostomy is, works with ostomates or even creates them. This doesn’t mean they have an automatic comprehension or empathy (from a personal and human pov) of what it’s like to live with one day-in-day-out, every waking and sleeping moment.

Q3. The protagonist is 16, why did you choose to write it from the view point of a teenager?

A couple of reasons.
Based on my own interactions, I feel teens don’t have the squeamish preconceptions about ostomies that older parents and grandparents do. So, it felt important to educate and inform (readers) at an early age before misinformation and negativity can creep in.
And, I first became ill at eighteen, so, although I was a little older than Freya, 16 feels an incredibly pivotal age, stepping across the threshold of life from child to adult. It felt ‘right’ to have Freya that age. And I have a tendency to be quite edgy in my language so I really think any younger than 16 and I wouldn’t have been able to have Freya speak in her ‘unique’ voice.

Q4. The book deals with so many important issues, not just ostomies but body image and relationships – was that important for you?

Definitely.
Writing is a funny thing, though. My characters are alive in my head. They’re incredibly complex and nuanced. I know exactly what they ‘would’ and ‘wouldn’t’ do. And so, it can sometimes take until after multiple redrafts before I’m aware of the themes and ‘issues’ (for want of a better term) I’ve addressed or included in my story. They bubble to the surface after placing those ‘real’ characters in certain situations/environments etc.
But to label a couple of those ‘messages’ -
No matter how I repackage them in different characters and stories, I appear to consistently champion respecting other people for being their unique selves. And empowering individuals to define their boundaries and voice them.

Q5. Did you have to do a lot of research for your book and if so, are you are happy to discuss some of it?

Research was minimal and mostly checking for new treatments etc. Like most IBD sufferers (whether you’ve had a bowel resection/ostomy or pouch…) I’m an ‘expert’ on this through sheer crappy luck of having lived it as my life since I was 18, and being educated by surgeons or reading or sharing experiences with others going through similar or worse. I’ve had many, many surgeries, things go wrong, or malfunction, or had to develop my own coping strategies…
You’ve heard it here first – a SH!T BAG exclusive – both Freya’s experiences AND Mel’s, are my lived experiences.

Q6. If readers only take one thing away from reading your book what would you like it to be?

You know yourself and your own body.

Q7. What is next for you?

I’m working on book two. It’s a standalone - so not a sequel to SH!T BAG. It does follow my core values - respecting other people for being their unique selves. And empowering individuals to define their boundaries and voice them.

Q8. Anything else you would like to add?

Ummm, yes!
I have a question for you, Lainy:
Your review of SH!T BAG was bang-on what I was trying, and hoping, to convey. So, I think you get me quite well, so far. What sort of material would you like to see me address in a future novel?

I would keep the same format style, important issues - especially health issues where you are giving the condition(s) a face, a chance for people to humanise and see how careless remarks/behaviours can have such a huge impact. I think it also gives a chance for people to empathise and really relate to something/someone that they maybe otherwise wouldn't. For example the "nickname" and the huge impact/knock on affect it had and things like that, a cheeky remark or "it was just a joke" can really impact someone.

Thanks so much for reading SH!T BAG, championing it and inviting me to this Q&A!
Much love!
Xena Xx

Happy Halloween - Q&A with author Mary Hallberg with giveaway

Happy Halloween you guys, as you may have noticed if you follow my Instagram or the FB page you will know I love Halloween and have wee decs around the house. So I know I did a Q&A with Tracey Sinclair and a wee giveaway, I have another for you. The lovely Mary Hallberg has taken some time out from recovering, get well soon Mary, to answer some questions about her book.





Hello and welcome to So Many Books, So Little Time – thanks for taking the time out to stop by and answer some questions.








What is State of Emergency about, without spoilers obviously.

STATE OF EMERGENCY is about a girl named Dallas who loves zombie movies. One night while she’s backstage at a concert, she witnesses the beginning of a real zombie outbreak and knows she has to get to safety.


Is this your first book and if so what made you go Zombies?

It’s the first book I’ve ever published, but I think it’s the fourth or fifth I’ve actually written. Up until a few years ago, I never found zombies very scary. Then one night I had this nightmare about being trapped in a room with a zombie horde on the other side. So I thought it would be cool to write about a zombie outbreak, but do it a little differently. Most zombie novels and movies today just gloss over the beginning of the outbreak, then drop us into a character’s life twenty years later or something. But I think the beginning is the scariest part, when you’re watching everything around you go from normal and familiar to complete chaos.


What made you choose the location?

I grew up in south Mississippi, so I go to New Orleans a lot. It’s the perfect place to set a horror story because there’s so much supernatural lore attached to the city. And of course the mountains are a great place to hide from zombies because they’re hard to get around in, so I knew the characters would need to go to northern Alabama or Tennessee.


I felt the book could have been so much longer (always wanting more with zombies) what made you go novella?

It was initially a little longer, but I trimmed several major scenes because all the initial readers I had giving me feedback said they didn’t make sense. I have them available as deleted scenes for my newsletter subscribers.


Will there be a follow up book?

Possibly. I’ve got some ideas for where a sequel could go.


Do you have a favourite character and why?

I really like Pierce, just because he’s been through so much and I feel for him, but also because, even with everything he’s going through, he still cares immensely for Talia. He and Dallas clash a little bit at first because she sees him as this dude trying to take her baby sister away from her. But ultimately, they both have the same goal: To protect Talia.


Are you reading anything just now?

I just started FINAL GIRLS by Riley Sager. I really like it.


What is next for Mary?

I’ve got a short story coming out next month, maybe a couple more in 2018, and a novella in October 2018. I’ve got tons of stuff in the pipeline but no official release dates yet.


Where can fans find you?

My website is www.maryhallberg.com. I’ve got a contact page there with all my social media, as well as a newsletter people can sign up for if they want all the latest news on what I’m up to.


Anything else you would like to say?

I’ve got plenty of stuff to release, so if you enjoyed STATE OF EMERGENCY or just like horror in general, be sure to follow me for more. I hope people enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoyed writing it.


And if all that isn't enough, I am offering up my pre-loved copy of Mary's book (only the book in the photo I am afraid).





As always, enter using Rafflecopter. The more entries you complete the more chances you have, good luck guys.


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Q&A with author M Jonathan Lee

Happy publication day for Broken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee. You can read my review here.

In order to celebrate I invited Jonathan for a chat and I am also offering up my pre loved copy up for competition.





Thanks for taking time to stop by and chat with us. Congratulations on the release of your new book Broken Branches.

Tell us a bit about the book.

Broken Branches is a story about families, about grief and loss. It’s really a study of the effects that loss can bring on a family and how it affects so many generations. It’s also based on the true story of my great-great-great-great grandfather who allegedly set a curse running through my family by his mistreatment of a dog!


What do you hope readers take from the book?

I hope that readers will firstly enjoy the journey that Ian takes to ultimately find the beginnings of light from perpetual darkness. I also hope that readers will follow the story only to find that things aren’t exactly as they appear.


There are some heavy themes to Broken Branches, mental health being one, what made you choose this for the book?

Mental health is a major theme in my life, I lost my brother to suicide and I do feel that drawing people’s attention to the struggles that others suffer can only be helpful in removing the stigma attached. As a by-product of my brother’s suicide, I was also affected with depression and some of the characters in Broken Branches also suffer difficulties due to events out of their control.


Has any of the book been drawn from personal experiences or situations/people in your life?

Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I discovered the alleged curse in my own family when looking at the geneology of my family. Is it a curse though?


Is any of your other books like this, in regards to themes?

It depends what the question means. All of my books have twists in them. Tricking (or at least encouraging) the reader to think one thing and then uncovering the reality beneath. So, yes, I love Roald Dahl, I love his Tales of the Unexpected. My third novel (A Tiny Feeling of Fear), deals candidly with mental health, but is a story of hope. It has the most unexpected twist of all time in my opinion. I loved writing that.


Are you writing anything currently?

I’ve finished “How Was I Supposed to Know How It Would Be?” my fifth novel. A story which looks at the dangers of the old adage of “the grass is always greener”. I’m about half way through my sixth novel, currently called “The Devil, Idle Hands and a little thing called choice.” Guess what? They all have twists…


What is next for M Jonathan Lee?

We’ve just released a documentary short called “Hidden” which is based on A Tiny Feeling of Fear. You’ll find it on youtube if you search for M Jonathan Lee Hidden. I’m currently heavily involved in setting up a local mental health facility to help people in my locality. That aside, I’m lucky to be writing as much as I am just now.


What does the M stand for in your name? (sorry I am so nosey)

Ha! When I first got a publishing deal we were threatened by the publishers of another author called Jonathan Lee. They advised that we should use a different name to differentiate. I came up with M Jonathan Lee. The M standing for ‘meaningless’… true story.


Where can fans find you?

Okay, so we have www.jonathanleeauthor.com. There is a /mjonathanlee facebok page @mjonathanlee on twitter and I think my publishers say a bit about me on their site. I also write for the Huffington Post regularly.


Anything else you wish I had asked or you would like to highlight or talk about?

Not at all. Thanks so much for having me. Feel free to tell the world about Broken Branches whenever you have the chance…(!)


As always, to enter the competition please use the Rafflecopter below, the more entries you complete the more chances you have.

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Mary's The Name by Ross Sayers - Blog Tour

Welcoming Ross Sayers to So Many Books, So Little Time and today is my turn on the blog tour, apologises the post isn't as early as I had hoped, we ran into some internet gremlins but we are cooking with gas now. You can find my review for this lovely wee book HERE.






Ross very kindly took some time out to answer some questions about his new debut novel, Mary's The Name.

What made you pick Mary specifically as the protagonist, her age, being a girl etc?

I had been experimenting a lot with child narrators, working out what makes them believable. I wrote a lot of stories about young boys, so to get out my comfort zone, I chose a girl for the story I had in my mind at the time. Turned out the story had legs! I was quite nervous to show my early drafts to female readers, but thankfully, I seem to have picked a winner in Mary. Making her eight years old is helpful from a story point of view; she understands a good amount but isn’t quite clever enough to work out what’s really happening in some situations.

Why Scotland?

The more Scottish stories the better! They say write what you know, so I started the book in my hometown of Stirling. When it came to finding a more remote location for the rest of the book, I knew I wanted one of the islands. It really was a bit of a random pick, but I loved visiting Portree and hope to get back very soon.

How did the idea come about?

It was a case of the story coming to me bit by bit. Once I had Mary, I wanted a unique relationship for her, so her Granpa came into the story. Then I wanted an unlikely place for her to go, so I chose to have Granpa work at a bookies, where she goes to help. Once I decided on a robbery happening at the bookies, the rest of the story came from there…(no spoilers here!)

It was very well constructed, is this the first novel you have written?

That’s very kind, thank you! It is indeed. I have a story structure I like to use, to ensure the story is complete and satisfying. However, if an idea comes to me which disrupts the structure a little bit, I’m happy to go off-track and wing it!

Tinder, we have to talk about that, what made you come up with that idea?

So, having used Tinder before, I knew just how many people are on it, and how easily you can have your profile pop up on their phone. I hadn’t heard of anyone doing it before, so I set up my profile as the book’s cover, as well as a bio about how I would only talk about Mary’s the Name if I matched with them! Most girls thought it was funny and I had lots of fun chatting to them. I was a bit embarrassed, to be fair, but knowing I would get a good story and blog post out of it made it easier. There was a great reaction online, thankfully!

What is next for Ross?

I’m currently planning out novel number two! It’s looking likely it’ll be set around where I live, more specifically in the Bannockburn area of Stirling. It’ll feature some high school pupils getting into trouble with the law when they should be in class!

What is your favourite book of all time?

I don’t know if I have a definite number one? It’s too hard to choose! But given how much I love humour in books, I’ll give a special mention to two which made me genuinely laugh out loud: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, and True Grit by Charles Portis.

What are you reading?

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon. I’m really enjoying it so far, and the little girls in the story remind me of Mary!

Where can fans contact you?

You can find me on Twitter (@Sayers33), Instagram (Sayers33), and I have a Facebook author page too. There’s also rosssayers.co.uk, where I blog about my experiences as a writer, and you can find the Tinder blog there!

Anything else you would like to add?

Just to say thank you so much for having me, Lainy! I’m really glad you enjoyed Mary’s the Name, and I hope your readers will too! 



And if all of this wasn't enough for you lucky lucky people, I have one paperback copy to giveaway, as always use the Rafflecopter below to enter.



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