I love Lindz McLeod’s writing, so I’m happy to feature her work in MicroVerse! You’ve seen several of her stories in my Flash Roundups, including, “Against the Grain,” and “The Brides, The Hunted.” Her writing isn’t limited to flash, though—her collections, novels, and short stories are also amazing. I hope you’ll check them out.
Thanks to Lindz for talking with me!
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Myna: You have a wide variety of published stories and writing-related activities. Tell us about your work. Are there themes or characters you frequently explore? What inspires you?
Lindz: I tend towards characters who’re struggling with some internal conflict, and often aren’t keen to admit it to those around them—usually this pushes them into making unsound choices, which makes for interesting stories.
Myna: How do you know when a story will be a short story versus a novel?
Lindz: I do often develop my short story ideas into longer work when I feel there’s more to explore in that world; some of them feel ‘complete’ as they are, and some maybe just haven’t ‘hatched’ yet in my brain. With my best ideas, there’s usually been some underlying premise that warranted more investigation.
Myna: Do you enjoy a specific length or style more than another? What’s your favorite kind of thing to write?
Lindz: A blinkered character; someone morally flexible or who makes bad decisions and then has to deal with the consequences of those choices. I prefer a reluctant hero to a willing one.
Myna: In general, when a reader finishes one of your stories, what emotion will they be feeling?
Lindz: Judging by what I hear most often, sadness or amusement!
Myna: Do you practice any special habits or routines while writing?
Lindz: Although I do prefer to write in one particular room at home—in relative silence accompanied by a large mug of coffee—I try not to get too comfortable in a routine, because I won’t always be able to guarantee I can provide it for myself. Being able to write under a wide range of circumstances is helpful, because I often have other demands on my time and therefore have to grab any moment I can.
Myna: Have there been any surprises or problems along the route to your writing career?
Lindz: Last year, my agent told me she wanted me to try writing romance as a genre. She pointed out that a lot of my work features love in all shades anyway. She was right (she often is) and I was surprised by just how easily the genre switch came; we sold a romance book on my very first proposal! The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet ended up being one of the best, most tender books I’ve ever written.
Myna: What’s your favorite thing about writing?
Lindz: Each story idea feels like a miniature Big Bang—one moment there’s nothing, the next there’s a whole new universe waiting to expand and be explored.
Myna: How do you stay motivated?
Lindz: I genuinely love the craft of writing—there’s always some new technique to learn or experimental form to discover. Also, I’m horribly ambitious.
Myna: Tell us about a recent accomplishment or share some happy news with us!
Lindz: I’ve been absolutely thrilled by the blurbs for Sunbathers, my erotic sun-vampire novella, which is coming out in September from Hedone Books—people have been so, so kind and I’m incredibly grateful. Also, I’ve been touring wedding venues with my wonderful fiancée (the talented and gorgeous writer Z.K. Abraham) and I believe we’ve picked our favourite now…
Myna: Tell us about your awards, nominations, etc. Don’t be shy!
Lindz: My debut short story collection, Turducken, won the ‘best New Weird collection’ award from Tenebrous Press last year! I’ve also been nominated for Best Small Fictions, Pushcart, and Best of the Net.
Myna: Which mode of transportation would you prefer: electric seahorse, cyborg dragon, raven-starship hybrid, or something else (explain!)?
Lindz: I’d quite like to ride a dinosaur, actually. Something like a carnotaurus—bipedal, relatively light compared to a T-rex, and with top speeds of around 30-35mph. Plus, the little horns on its head might make for perfect handlebars.
Myna: Would you rather live in a haunted forest, an advanced urban high-rise, an enchanted underwater city, or a complex alien world? Or do you have another perfect living space in mind?
Lindz: A city in the clouds would be really fun.
Myna: Do you have a pet, or other non-writing hobbies/activities? Show us a picture!
Lindz: I live with cat-models Fitzwilliam Darcy and Dane! I also play guitar and have two cinema memberships, as watching films is a helpful enforced break from a day’s work. In what little spare time I’ve had over the last year and a half, I’ve been teaching myself Gaelic.
Myna: What do you wish I’d asked?
Lindz: I really want to ramble on about An Honour and a Privilege, the collaborative craft anthology I’m developing; I picked 12 amazing writers and over the course of 12 months, we’ll be working together to create one piece of fiction and an accompanying piece of non-fiction with each of them. My hope is to create a unique kind of craft book—one that explores different techniques but showcases them by showing the entire ‘big picture’ of a story, not just a portion or paragraph. It’s been incredibly fun and challenging so far.
Myna: What’s next for you?
Lindz: More longer form work! I’m also in the second year of my PhD in Creative Writing, and next year will (hopefully) be my last.
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Lindz McLeod is a queer, working-class, Scottish writer who dabbles in the surreal. Her short prose has been published by Apex, Catapult, Pseudopod, and many more. Her longer work includes the short story collection TURDUCKEN (Spaceboy, 2023), as well as her books BEAST (Hear Us Scream, 2023), SUNBATHERS (Hedone Books, 2024), THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET (Harlequin, 2025), WE, THE DROWNING (Android Press, 2026), and the collaborative anthology AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE (Stanchion, 2025). Her work has been taught in schools, universities, and turned into avant-garde opera. She is a full member of the SFWA, the club president of the Edinburgh Writers’ Club, and is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing.
Lindz’s website
Sunbathers is available in ebook and paperback, with an audiobook version to follow. Cover art by Evangeline Gallagher
Myna Chang 