be guid tae yer mammy

Hello, lovely pledgers!

I just wanted to drop a quick line to keep you all in the loop. 

Be guid tae yer mammy in written in Scots, and last month, I made the difficult decision to pull it from the printer so that it could be proofread again to ensure that no inconsistencies slipped through into the published manuscript.

Scots is incredibly hard to proofread as there are no traditional spellcheckers…

Hello, everyone!

It's been a long time coming, but be guid tae yer mammy will finally be released next month (albeit not in the way I'd have planned thanks to Covid). I am super excited, but also quite nervous too! 

There are lots of exciting things happening in the lead-up to the launch, which will be hosted over Zoom by the Scots Language Centre - so no matter where you are, you're more than…

Hello everyone!

I hope 2021 isn't treating you too badly so far, even though we're still a while away from normal life. 

There are just 10 weeks to go until be guid tae yer mammy hits bookstores, and in the meantime, it's been making an appearance in a few new places!

Firstly, it was in the spring edition of the Bookseller, which was amazing to see, and it's now available to add to your …

Hello, everyone!

I hope the *third* lockdown isn't being too hard on you and that you're tentatively hoping for some light at the end of this Covid tunnel.

If you're at a loose end in lockdown this Friday, the latest anthology to feature my writing, Sending Nudes, is having a free online launch and tickets are available here. 

Or, if you'd simply like to buy the anthology, which is being…

Hello, everyone, 

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and (hopefully) a better New Year. It's been a difficult year for just about everyone, but hopefully, better days are just around the corner. 

If you're stuck for a festive pastime over the holidays, my latest Scots short story Lookin Up is featured on this podcast being performed by the wonderful…

I was recently asked by the amazing Scots Language Centre to write a poem for the festive period. So, without further ado, this is my fun look back at the shitshow that was 2020 in Scots! 

https://www.scotslanguage.com/poetry/5766

Better Days

“It’s a war,” Mammy said.

Nae wan knows whit goes oan behind closed doors.

Stay at hame. Protect the NHS. Save lives.

We’ve fought oan aw fronts

And ah’m tired …

Hello, everyone!

I hope you're all safe and well as we continue through this crazy year. Over at Unbound HQ, I'm working with a designer to get be guid tae yer mammy's cover perfect, and hopefully, I'll be able to share it in the not-too-distant future!

I've also got some more extremely exciting Scots news to announce in due course, as well as more fiction for you to read as you await the novel…

Hello, everyone!

Last night, the brilliant Lois Tucker brought my short story BigThick and Sally's Gnashers as part of Liars' League's online Women & Girls event. 

You can listen to her rendition here, or if you're simply wanting to read the story, it's also been published on the Liars' League website. 

Best wishes,

Emma

P.S. A little birdy at Unbound told me that be guid tae yer mammy…

Hello everyone! 

I'm chuffed to say that my Scots short story about an online dominatrix is being performed by an actor at Liars' League London's 'Women and Girls' event on August 11 at The Pheonix, Cavendish Square.

Tickets are £5 online or on the door, and I can guarantee a good laugh if you come along. 

However, don't worry if you're not in the area, the actor's reading of my short story…

Hello everyone! 

I hope you're all holding up okay during this difficult time. I wanted to give back for your patience in waiting for be guid tae yer mammy, so I've attached a short story inspired by my experience of coronavirus symptoms. Hopefully, it will get a few laughs!

A huge thanks goes out to Sheena Scott for providing me with a relative's letter from 1850 that also helped inspire the…

Hello, lovely people!

I hope that you're all safe and well during this extremely difficult time. 

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic is affecting every industry including publishing. This means that Unbound has made the difficult decision to push some of their titles out to give them the best possible chance in the marketplace.

Be guid tae yer mammy's publication date has now been rescheduled…

It's Burn's Day tomorrow, and I wanted to write a little update about the Scots language, and how the process of crowdfunding has helped me to embrace it for what it is - a language in its own right.

When I first started toying with Scots back in 2014, it came to me naturally, but at the time, I saw it as nothing more than a dialect. It was unfortunate because I wanted to be bilingual without realising…