Onwards to the Question – remember to sign up for the wee blog if you haven’t already to find out. And also, don’t forget to sign up for the Wee Mailing List to find out what the Eighth question will be.

Tendu is not the first of your books to have an Autistic character at the forefront – the main character of Sisters at the Edge of the World, was certainly heavily on the spectrum. Though because of her time period she would never have been diagnosed as such. However, Amalphia is the first of your characters to be outright stated in the narrative as Autistic, and it effects many aspects of her life within the pages of Tendu.

From friendships, to relationships, to her placement in her original dancing college; all the way up to her involvement in the mysterious and, slightly sketchy, research of the unsettling Michelle. Obviously, her Autism is not a minor element of her character. Or the story itself.

So, tell me what was the inspiration for this particular character choice? Was this the plan from the start, her Autism diagnosis, or did it come about naturally through writing the character?

It was while writing these books that I found out that I,myself, am on the autistic spectrum. Though Amalphia is a very different person to me, I realised that she was neurodivergent too, and the discovery added a richness to the writing of her character and adventures. I suppose it made it all more intensely personal.

But do remember that she’s not me, with all that’s to come; she has way more energy!

Well noted 😁

If you’ve enjoyed this small glimpse into the next publication of my good friend Ailish Sinclair why not check out her blog here, along with her Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok, Goodreads, Facebook , YouTube, and Kofi. If you’ve enjoyed this very mildly pretentious question of mine, follow the wee blog if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Threads, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok, Goodreads, YouTube, Facebook and Kofi.

Instead of my usual closing remarks I shall leave you with these words…

Tendu is out now, buy your copy today.