Frequently asked questions

Don’t see an answer to your question here? Get in touch.

WHO IS YOUR AGENT?

My literary agent is Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency. For film/TV rights, I’m represented by Brian Lipson at IPG.  

WHAT ARE YOUR BOOKS ABOUT?

Find out more about my books, including content warnings, via my BOOKS page.

WHEN IS YOUR NEXT BOOK COMING OUT?

My next publication will be a short story in READ, SCREAM, REPEAT – a middle grade horror anthology due out in August 2023.  

I’M WORKING ON A NOVEL, WILL YOU READ IT AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK?

I’m afraid I can’t offer to read your work or give feedback on it, but I highly recommend finding a critique group or critique partner you can exchange feedback with.

CAN YOU PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH YOUR AGENT?

You don’t need me to! If you’d like to query Molly Ker Hawn, here’s information about what Molly’s looking for and how to submit to her.

I’M A BLOGGER/REVIEWER! CAN I GET A REVIEW COPY OF YOUR BOOK?

As my novels are all out in the world, there are no longer review copies BUT I often run giveaways in my newsletter, so sign up to hear about upcoming giveaways.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?

It varies from book to book. My first book, Blackfin Sky, took about 6 months to draft. Harrow Lake took the longest of my books so far – I worked on that for 4 years, on and off. I think the shortest was around 4 months.

I SAW THAT YOU LIVE IN WALES. CAN YOU SPEAK WELSH?

I can! I was born in Wales and went to Welsh-language schools growing up, though I speak English at home.

WILL YOU EVER WRITE A BOOK IN WELSH?

I don’t think my Welsh language skills are quite up to the task, but I’d love to see a Welsh translation of one of my books.

WILL YOU EVER WRITE A BOOK FOR ADULTS? OR YOUNGER CHILDREN?

I’m interested in writing for adults and for middle grade readers at some point in the future, though probably not for much younger readers.

IS KAT ELLIS YOUR REAL NAME?

Yep.

HOW MANY NOVELS DID YOU WRITE BEFORE GETTING PUBLISHED?

Blackfin Sky was the third manuscript I wrote, and my first to be published. Purge was the first manuscript I ever wrote and it was my third to be published. The second manuscript I wrote is now languishing in a drawer, never to see the light of day.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

I’m currently working on a couple of different projects, and hopefully I’ll be able to talk about them more soon!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK?

This varies a lot depending on my mood, but some of the books which inspired me to become a writer were Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Gone by Michael Grant, and Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse.