BFS Online: Writing and Mental Health – Mental Health and a Writing Career

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Mental Health & A Writing Career: Being a creator can be stressful, especially if it’s not your only job. How do you keep your mental health in check while slogging away at the writing desk? How do you handle lone working and negative reviews? And where do you turn when you need help?

Join moderator Lauren McMenemy and panellists V. Castro, Kirby Ezekiel, and Lucy A. McLaren to answer these questions. Find out more about our panel below.

V. Castro (she/her): V. Castro is a two time Bram Stoker Award nominated Mexican American writer from San Antonio, Texas, now residing in the UK. She writes horror, erotic horror, and science fiction. Her books include The Haunting of Alejandra, Alien: Vasquez, Mestiza Blood, The Queen of the Cicadas, Out of Aztlan, Las Posadas, Rebel Moon (official Netflix film novelization) and Goddess of Filth. Her forthcoming novel is Immortal Pleasures from Del Rey. Find out more on her website or connect with Violet via Instagram and Twitter. She can also be found on Twitter, Bluesky, Goodreads and Amazon. Read her book review on the BFS blog.

Kirby Ezekiel (he/him): Kirby is a game Writer and Narrative Designer aspiring to combine psychotherapy and video games. “Video games and the experiences they portray hold great significance for me, having helped me become who I am. As such, it’s my passion to work on games that can tap into all aspects of our life — where emotions, morality, and the human experience intertwine.” Kirby loves exploring fictional worlds, telling stories with friends, and shared social experiences with other’s imaginations. He hopes to help turn the narrative for games to be a positive force for our mental health. You can follow Kirby on Instagram and connect with him on LinkedIn. Find out more about Kirby on his website.

Lucy A. McLaren (she/her): Lucy A. McLaren is a fantasy author and professional counsellor, passionate about writing stories that include a realistic representation and exploration of mental health issues. She is a lifelong fan of fantasy stories, and enjoys reading, writing, watching and playing them. When not writing, she can be found spending time with her husband and attempting to wrangle her son. Find out more about Lucy on her website. Or follow her on Instagram or Threads. Buy Lucy’s books here and here.

E.M. Faulds (she/her): E.M. Faulds is a science fiction and fantasy author who lives in Scotland. She knew she was a writer for as long as she could write and, early on, decided speculative fiction would be her weapon of choice. Her first novel, Ada King, came out in 2016 and since then she has had short stories published in various SFF magazines, including Shoreline of Infinity and Strange Horizons. She loves how speculative fiction can be a mirror for our own lives or an escape from them. They can show us the best and worst of ourselves, or help us to exceed the boundaries of our own experiences. At their heart, the best speculative fiction stories are about people, the choices they make, and how they live with them. Find out more here. Or follow her on Bluesky or Instagram.