In collaboration with eleven writers, including The Handmaid's Tale screenwriter Lynn Renee Maxcy, Sunday Times bestseller Thomas D. Lee, and Nebula/WFA finalist Eugenia Triantafyllou, award-winning author Lindz McLeod delivers original works of fiction and accompanying pieces of non-fiction, demystifying the craft techniques used in each story, as well as discussing the many facets of collaborative work.
From the Forward by Dr. Graham Robert Scott
"I spent a while trying to figure out how to classify An Honour & a Privilege. Viewed through one lens it might not seem an important question: classification is mostly helpful for shelving decisions. But genre also dictates how one reads a thing. Whether you think of this book as an anthology (many authors), a collection (one common author), or a craft book (the reflective duets) may affect your perception of the whole. I struggle to compare this work to any of those three genres. The project in front of you reveals more about its craft than other anthologies. It's more authentically connected to strong exemplar material than other craft books. It's more heteroglossic than any collection I recall. The best way to think of An Honour & a Privilege may be to regard it as a genre all its own, one which depends significantly on its many interconnections, one which marks both an occasion and an invitation, one which offers us both a testimony as to what can be done together and a guide on how to do it."
This is a craft writing book unlike any other. All orders include a complimentary An Honour & A Privilege bookmark.
Paperback with perfect-bound spine.
228 pages.
Published: 2 December 2025
ISBN: 979-8-89692-799-0
About Lindz McLeod
Lindz McLeod (she/they) is a queer Scottish writer, editor, and poet whose short work has been published by Apex, Catapult, DIVA, Nightmare, and many more. Her longer work includes the award-winning short story collection Turducken, her books Sunbathers, Queen O’Nine Tails, and The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet, as well as the forthcoming We the Drowning and The Miseducation of Caroline Bingley. Her work has been taught in schools and universities, turned into avant-garde opera, and optioned for television. She is currently in her final year of a PhD in Creative Writing. You can find Lindz waxing lyrical about books, cats, and films on Bluesky at @lindzmcleod, and examples of her work can be found on www.lindzmcleod.co.uk.
Advance Praise for An Honour & A Privilege
"Equal parts engaging and instructive, An Honour & A Privilege presents a theory and practice of collaborative fiction writing that will inspire deeper craft and community in your own work. A must read for any writer interested in the creative process."
— Michael Wheaton, publisher of Autofocus Books
"An Honour and a Privilege is a book that feels like being invited into a creative trust circle. Lindz McLeod joins forces with 11 other writers to make a set of stories, each one paired with a short nonfiction piece that shows how the story came to be. It feels a bit like watching bonus footage after a film, only here, you get to “sit” with the writers as they talk about the spark, the struggle, and the moments that surprised them.
The idea behind the book is simple but powerful. The stories are full of life: funny, strange, moving, sometimes dark, and always engaging. And the nonfiction sections don’t just explain the stories; they deepen them. They add layers that make you want to go back and reread with new eyes.
What really stays with you is the honesty and closeness of the project. You feel like you’re in the room with these writers, hearing what pushed them, what scared them, what delighted them. By the end, you feel energized, either ready to sit down and write something of your own, or simply grateful that you got to witness so many creative paths unfold on the page."
— Somto Ihezue