Roz MacLaren

February, for me, always feels more of a fresh start than January. Unlike its predecessor, February does not last for 356 million days, the days are longer than ever and there’s the faint feeling that, maybe, we’ve left the dark and cold behind for another year.

The Boy With Wings For Hands took flight

My standalone YA sci-fi novel, The Boy With Wings For Hands, came out on 27 February with Evernight Teen.

Only the Kindle version is available now, with the paperback to follow shortly.

Here’s the blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Sparrow has never known freedom. An alien from the planet Mykzon, she’s caged and forced to perform in Obsidian’s Travelling Show of Rarities and Fascinations.

That is, until Felix crashes into her world. He’s human, reckless and has wings where his hands should be. And when Felix’s arrival attracts powerful enemies, Sparrow’s world is thrown into chaos.

As Sparrow is drawn into a rebellion she never asked for, she must choose between staying hidden or risking everything to fight back.

Because Obsidian doesn’t just want the spotlight.

She wants the world.

Ready to dive into a world of aliens and intrigue? Snag yours now.

Back to Mirrordom

I received the first round of edits for Flame and Phoenix back from my amazing publishers. Unfortunately, I’ve been riddled with germs ever since and even putting on a fitted sheet proved to be too complicated for my meagre remaining wits. Today was actually the first day I felt well enough to tackle writing and trust it might make some semblance of sense.

I’m now at the stage where I’m getting excited about it, which is always a good sign. I’m still overwhelmed by how well-received The Mirrordom Legends has been and I want to make sure everyone who has read the first three books receives the best possible fourth book that I can create.

One of my favourite things about this book is the complete absence of romance. Flame and Phoenix have a relationship that’s more like siblings than anything else. I enjoyed this because it felt more realistic; just because you have two people the same age suddenly crossing paths doesn’t automatically mean they’ll be a good fit for each other – and I wanted my book to reflect that. However, what the characters lack in romance, they make up for in banter.

The majority of Flame and Phoenix is set on Mirror Island. This gave me the chance to answer a lot of (my own) questions about the culture there. And questions like “Why don’t the Mirrors just swim off the island?” “What happens if two Mirrors have a child?” “Do they have their own set of laws?” “What about a religion?” And also one question from a particularly eagle-eyed reader: “Why, on page 12 of Venom and Blaze do you describe Venom’s mother as having navy eyes when only the Mirrors have navy eyes?”

Good question. And it gets answered.

Brace yourselves. It’s going to be a bumpy (penultimate) ride back into Mirrordom.

Here’s the blurb:

In a world where everyone is Good—unable to steal, lie and kill—Flame always believed she was the same. But her world shatters the day she discovers she’s capable of killing. Now, she knows two things. The people who raised her have deceived her. And that her real parents are out there somewhere.

Flame sets out to uncover the truth of her origin, and find the family she was never meant to know. She crosses paths with Phoenix, a Mirror boy determined to avenge his mother’s murder.

As Flame and Phoenix search for answers, they soon learn that some secrets are meant to stay buried…

Visiting the Isle of Skye’s newest bookshop

I wrote a whole blog post about the brand-new and shiny Waystone Books in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.

Deceptively small from the outside, once you get inside, the shop is a treasure trove. Packed to the brim with books and yet, somehow, not feeling at all cramped. I’d definitely recommend giving it a visit next time you’re in the area.

Discovering Ruby Roberts

I’m proud to say I listened to Maisie Peters before she became a household name. I liked LYRA before New Heights namechecked her. And I discovered Ruby Roberts, who I’m certain will go on to do (even more) amazing things.

Her ethereal voice and dreamy style feels like Lana Del Rey meets Pink Floyd – a magnetic combination. Ruby’s debut EP has just come out and I’m already excited to see what she does next.

How was your February? Are you keeping to your New Year’s Resolutions, if you made any? Leave a comment to let me know.

The team behind Waystone Books reeled me in long before I set foot in the shop. I’d followed their journey on social media, watching in admiration as they renovated what was previously a cake shop.

Yesterday, I paid the Waystone Books a visit and was immediately hit with the reassuring smell of new books (markedly different from the reassuring smell of old books, but both equally relaxing in my opinion).

Waystone Books has an incredibly welcoming feel to it. Quirky items, sprinkled among the wall-to-wall books, add intrigue. I was very impressed with the amount of different book genres, including YA. The team also had a wall dedicated to books they recommend, accompanied by typed notes on what they liked.

Dunvegan is on the Isle of Skye (and it features heavily in my upcoming dark YA romantasy series), so it’s always nice to explore the village and try and imagine what my characters make of it. I love the fact it now has its very own bookshop – especially one run by a team who are determined to give back to their local community and plan fun events.

And, of course, I came home with a new book.

I read Graeme MacRae Burnet’s other book, His Bloody Project, and loved it – so bought this purely on the fact that it was written by him (and, having a quick flick through the opening page) seemed at first glance to be roughly along the same lines. I’ll have to wait until I can dive in as I’m doing my #IndieReads2026 challenge.

Have you any plans to visit the Isle of Skye? What’s your favourite bookshop that you’ve ever been in? Leave a comment and let me know.

Kicking off the new year with a new reading challenge – what could be more fun?

#IndieReads2026

I’ve started a new reading challenge for this year – all about indie books.

#IndieReads2026 is my way of slowing down, paying attention and celebrating stories that might otherwise slip past us. There’s also a points system and the person with the most points at the end of the year wins a prize.

Everyone’s welcome to join in – just click the link below and join my Instagram group chat so I can keep track of your reads and add up your points.

Venom and Blaze character art

My Street Team saw it first – but this gorgeous depiction of Venom and Blaze came out in January. The ultra-talented Abeer Malik worked on it all winter and I’m so impressed by the finished piece. Every time I look, I see a new detail!

(Psst. Want to be first to hear the latest news and see character art? Join my Street Team.)

The Boy With Wings For Hands

When I was on one of the indie author panels at YALC, a member of the audience asked us all what our goals were and what was on our To-Do List.

I had two: finish editing The Boy With Wings For Hands (I’d just had my first round of edits back and my wonderful editor had picked out a zillion plot holes that I needed to sort out. It was exactly the feedback I needed – but I knew I had my work cut out to make the book the best it can be.)

After months of hard work (and tireless patience from Jesterbell Editing), I can confirm this book is the best it can be. You’ll be able to judge for yourself very soon.

The Ruined Skye trilogy

Second on my list was finishing up my Ruined Skye trilogy.

Maybe it’s the fact that YALC is in November (my least favourite month). Or maybe it was that I’d just finished the second book in the trilogy, told myself it was terrible then put it aside and never looked at it again. Whatever the reason, my enthusiasm and energy were running low.

Until this month. I edited Book Two and realised it wasn’t the ghastly pile of dross I’d remembered. In fact, I quite liked it.

I’m doing something a little bit different with these two books. Where my other series, The Mirrordom Legends, was written completely chaotically (Book Three was written first. Book One was written second. Book Two was written third. Book Five was written fourth. And, obviously, Book Four was written fifth.), I’m working on the final two books in the Ruined Skye trilogy side by side. Tweaking Book Two while writing Book Three. Almost treating them as one giant story, just split into two. And I’m loving it.

I’m currently 20,000 words into the last book and it’s all I can think about. I love the characters and their journeys. I also want the third book to end the series in a way that completely satisfies. My characters, and readers, deserve nothing but the best.

Forgotten Skye, the first in the trilogy, is out this year.

Out of all the books I’ve written, Forgotten Skye is one of my favourites. I’m so proud of the story and the characters – and, best of all, many of the places where the action takes place are real. (Note to self: do a full blog post about that closer to the book’s release.)

How has your year started? Let me know all about it in the comments.