Our judges Alice and Rosie were “immediately hooked by the distinctive voice and use of dialect” in your novel – can you tell us more about how you created Fiadh, your central character, who was stitched together from parts of mythical creatures by the very wicked Ma, and which was your favourite character to write?
I was halfway through a writing a different, high fantasy novel when Fiadh arrived. I say arrived because she swept unannounced into my head one day and I just couldn’t shake off her image. I've long been fascinated by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the idea of this girl, raised against the backdrop of a rugged coastline, wild and windswept and not entirely human, completely captivated me. I developed Fiadh’s dialect through a hybrid union of my Devonshire upbringing, and my curiosity at how someone might develop a unique way to express themselves, living in almost isolation with little influence to help shape the development of their language. I had read Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker and Will Self's The Book of Dave. Fascinated and intrigued by them, I sought to put in just enough dialect to create Fiadh’s quirkiness, yet not quite enough to interrupt the flow of language. It’s like music with its lyrical flow and rhythm. I love to play with it and always read my writing aloud to hear it.
Because I love writing fantasy, of course Fiadh had to be part human and part ‘other’! Inspired initially from Frankenstein, I had great fun deciding which other fantasy beings Fiadh would be stitched from, and changed my mind endlessly! In the end, I settled on lesser-used beings because I was tempted by the opportunities that provided for further exploration. The challenge I then faced was using those beings successfully in the plot. It is an aspect of the writing that I still feel needs work in the next draft.
From Monsters Made is my second completed novel. So far, my main character has knocked on the ‘mental’ front door of my mind first. I already have a new character waiting in my mind porch for my next book! I think it’s so very important to have a strong, fully realised protagonist that a reader can root for, they have to feel as real as you and I.
I have loved writing Fiadh, but I had so much fun writing the character of Graithon, who doesn’t appear till later in the story. He has such a simple outlook on life but has a very stubborn streak, and to top it all off, he has no shame! I enjoyed writing someone who lacked inhibition in such an innocent way.
We loved the way that your imagination ran riot throughout From Monsters Made – do you enjoy the free rein that writing fantasy offers, and what inspired you to write your novel?
Would you believe me if I told you that I held back from some of my more outlandish ideas?! I absolutely love the free rein to simply create, and I’ll admit, by the time I am halfway through an MS, I have managed to convince myself that what I’m writing IS actually real, which is somewhat concerning!
It sounds silly saying Fiadh inspired it, but really, that’s where it all began. The desire to create a story out of this image of her in my head. Like Frankenstein’s monster, so new and naïve to a cruel world, she grew up knowing nothing but cruelty and hardship, without the knowledge of how one should really deserve to be treated. Her personal journey is one where she metaphorically opens her eyes to a new world with possibilities, where she can experience love and make choices, decide her own fate. Where she can learn to understand that she is of worth and value to others. Believing in yourself does not come naturally and it is easy to lose faith. I wanted to convey that empowerment is possible for everyone, no matter how their journey begins.
I grew up absorbing The Magic Faraway Tree, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, creating lands of my own I could visit, rewriting well-known fairytales with my best friend, wishing I had a wardrobe door behind which I could visit Mr Tumnus. Magical books like these stay with you and shape your imagination, and since then, I have never lost the magic of reading. Now, I suppose I am trying to create a little magic of my own like that, I hope so anyway!
The emotional core of the novel - Fiadh’s journey towards belonging, was borne from my continuing fascination to explore mental health and the impact it has upon a person, a family, a community. With Fiadh, I asked, what sort of person would she become, when finally aware that her upbringing was a cruel one without love? Would she ‘fly or die’ as Ma says in one of the chapters? Would she show resilience and strength of character, and hope, or would she become cruel and vicious, caught up in a cyclical pattern of abuse? I won’t tell you the answer to that!
What have been the most rewarding and the most challenging parts of writing From Monsters Made, and what does a typical day of writing look like for you?
I went through many variations of changing Fiadh’s ‘voice’. I wanted her dialect to flow and not be a chore to read. This took a lot of trial and error and I dug myself into a literary hole multiple times! I do feel rewarded by the end product, I feel it characterises her perfectly and I cannot imagine her any other way. The most challenging part without a doubt, was, and still is, holding all of the parts of the story together. With four narrators and four different stories to hold, and all of their personal journeys to consider… Many a time, I would hold my head and think – where do I go with this?! To help, I have many documents stored on my laptop - chapter arc outlines, conflict sources and how they escalate, continuity (Chekhov’s gun), character motivation, and so on. These all help me find my way when I begin to flounder.
I wish I could say I have a routine, but even if it were possible, I’m not sure I would abide by it! Most of the thinking and planning is done before I even sit down at the laptop, so when I do sit down to write, that part comes easily. I used to write all of my ideas down constantly for story progression, but now I have learnt that the forgotten ones are almost always not worth keeping. I try to write for at least an hour each day, whatever time I get to it. And if I am too tired then I make myself look at continuity, or develop my characters, or go through my notes on edits that are needed. I work best when I spend time in the story every day. A week away and I lose the threads and it is hard to get back into the flow. I also have the most wonderful pair of noise-cancelling headphones and have trained myself that when they go on my head, it is time to get down to business! I dream that one day I may be blessed enough to become a full-time writer, but then I’m not sure I would ever make it out of my pyjamas!
What made you decide to enter the Caledonia Novel Award 2026 and how important do you feel writing competitions are to unpublished writers?
Writing competitions are a fantastic way to put your work out into the wider world. Whether it be through poetry, flash, short story or longer prose, the opportunities are wide and far-ranging. I have been entering competitions for a little over a year now, and before this, had a small measure of encouragement with a couple of longlists and a shortlist. The important thing about writing competitions is that they require you to be productive - to write, to rewrite, to spend time reading and learning and honing your craft. All of these things ultimately shape you into becoming a better writer, and also help you to believe that you CAN do it. Determination is key!
How long did it take you to write From Monsters Made, and how different from your first draft is the version that you sent in to the Caledonia Novel Award 2026?
It took around a year and a half to write from the beginning to where it is now, and I still have lots of ideas on how I can further improve it! I do get a little stuck on the definition of a draft. How do you define when one draft is finished and you start in on the next? That differs from person to person. I tend to work on one document only, and open another two that I title ‘cut text’ and ‘notes’. From there, I can happily chop and change and alter to my hearts content, knowing I am cutting and pasting everything discarded, and it is not lost forever. I find I am more ruthless that way. For me, this feels a less confusing way to work than labelling multiple drafts. Writers all work so differently!
Are you a member of a creative writing group? If so, did you find it helpful to share your work with other writers before submitting it?
I belong to two wonderful creative writing groups, both began from writing courses that I had attended. I am more proactive in my smaller group as we took our master’s degree in creative writing together and are all travelling along on the same journey. They are four incredibly talented writers and I am always so grateful to be able to share all of our highs and lows with each other. Support from other writers is incredibly important, not only to share ideas and research, or provide feedback for each other, but to share the more vulnerable side of writing that we all experience. The days when you don’t feel good enough, or you ask yourself why you are spending every hour free at your laptop with imaginary people when you should be out spending time with real people. We hold each other up and I think that’s a marvellous thing.
Which novelists have influenced you, and which novel - if any! - do you wish you’d written?
Oh my goodness – what a question! I have a wide taste in reading and am a magpie when it comes to gathering books on my shelves or my kindle. Margaret Atwood, Leigh Bardugo, Rachel Gillig, Naomi Novik, N. K. Jemisin, Susanna Clarke, Samantha Shannon, Naomi Alderman, I could go on and on! Such powerful female writers. Oh, and I am desperately excited to read the new Bonnie Garmus novel that has just been announced – it took me a long time to finally read Lessons in Chemistry, but when I did? Wow!
I wish I had written so many novels! All these wonderful people with so many wonderful ideas, if only I could bottle them! But I think the goddess award has to go to N.K. Jemisin and The Fifth Season. That book truly astounded me and I feel like I have been reaching for its lofty heights with the tips of my fingers since then.
Which debut novels have you enjoyed recently, and do you have any go-to recommendations?
I am currently reading Emilia Hart’s (a previous Caledonia Novel Award success) debut novel, Weyward. I already have her next novel, Sirens, loaded on my kindle and ready to go. I am adoring the multiple narrators and the way my mind is busy ticking along, wondering how the three stories will come together at the end – no spoilers please! Before Christmas, I read A Little Trickerie by Rosanna Pike and was utterly enchanted by it. I had finished From Monsters Made and was interested to see how another author had approached the use of dialect in their book – Tibb Ingleby is such an endearing character.
Go-to recommendations – If you have never read The Handmaid's Tale, you absolutely must! It is non-negotiable. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, The Fifth Season (of course!), All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. I could go on but I should probably stop now!
And finally, what words of encouragement would you give to anyone thinking of entering the Caledonia Novel Award 2027?
Go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! The process of becoming a writer is not only about the obvious - writing - but also about sharing your work with a wider audience. It is such a subjective thing, reading. What may be tart medicine for one person may be a glorious elixir for another! You will never know unless you put yourself in a position to find out!
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