Zealot Script

C K Galloway writes stories about rebellion, transformation, and the cost of freedom. Flight of the Aura is her debut novel, born from eight years of learning the craft and asking questions like, “what if angels weren’t the good guys?” When she’s not writing about the distant future and political deities, she lives a quiet life, working at a rural Scottish farm shop, walking her Brittany Spaniel, and spending time with her family. She’s currently working on the second and final book of the Sayyora duology and already plotting her escape into the next story.

What’s your favourite part of the lifestyle of an Author?

Writing dialogue in my head while riding my bike by acting both sides of the conversation out loud. Sometimes I touch my ear so people think I’m on the phone. Sometimes I just let them think I’m mad.

What made you start writing?

Stories pop into my head relentlessly, but when I’m busy, I can ignore them. When I lived in Egypt for two years without a job, the ideas got loud. That’s when I discovered the only way to quiet the stories was to write them down, no matter what time of day or night it was.

Is there an Author that you consider your inspiration?

Margaret Atwood, fellow Canadian, brilliant writer and fountain of wisdom.

What’s your number one tip for an aspiring Author?

Don’t let fear of failure get in your way.

What type of book do you like to read and does this differ from the genre that you prefer to write?

I read a wide range of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, biography, horror, romance, philosophy, memoir, history, and anthropology. I prefer to write science fiction because I like to create worlds that could exist in our reality.

Which one of your characters would you most like to spend time with?

I’d love to spend time with Hive, for his wisdom, Rokayya for her encouragement, Zed for his comfort and Yael to spice things up a bit.

Which book do you consider a must-read?

1984 by George Orwell. It’s my Roman Empire.

What’s been the hardest edit that you’ve had to make? Why did you want to keep the material in?

I wrote a long metaphor comparing sins of the soul to parts of the egg (which is why I know what an albumen and a vitellus are), which I thought was brilliant when I wrote it, but it was actually pretentious sludge.

If you could live in a book, which one would it be?

Rise of the Seraph (Book Two in the Sayyora series, which I am currently editing). I’d live with the Nomas in a tree house, gathering herbs for Vitur and writing (with pen and paper) about a strange planet where people stare at rectangles of light all day.

If you could pick an Author to write your biography, who would it be?

Margaret Atwood, of course. It would be insightful and unflinching, and it would mean she knew I existed.

Is there any conflict between what you want to write and what you think your readers will like?

Nope. I hope readers will like my work but I learned early on that the only way I get words on a page is to write what I want.

What effect can a review have on you, if you read them at all? Both the good and the bad.

I try to have the courage to learn from helpful reviews and ignore unhelpful reviews, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Can you sum up your life story in ten words or less?

Searched the world for home, and finally found my people.

What’s exciting you about your next project?

I’m writing the second draft of book two in the Sayyora series, and I’m one of those weirdos who love editing, so I’m excited to spend hours with several cups of coffee and my laptop making the words pretty.

And finally, you have one quote to be remembered by, what is it?

What if it all works out?

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You can find out more about C K Galloway, Flight of the Aura and the sequel, Rise of the Seraph, on her author website:

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