Want to reach out to me?

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Please consider the disclaimer below required reading...

If you are looking for me on social media, go to my LinkTree URL. But first read this disclaimer about reaching out...

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Please note I am a disabled, one-person team. So the best thing you can do is be patient, and if I say no or don't get back to you, it's nothing personal. I just have to choose how I spend my time quite carefully to get anything done. I don't have the capacity or resources to sub-contract work to other people. I also live with both a thyroid condition and a form of neurodivergence that forces me to manage my energy and mental health carefully.

 If this is an urgent inquiry, tell me what your deadline is and I will prioritise you accordingly. Otherwise, give me a minimum of a few business days and if you don't hear back, bug me again!

All calls and meetings require at least 48 hours notice to properly accommodate my neurodivergent way of thinking and need to plan ahead to properly process what's expected of me. To understand a little bit better how best to work around my chronic conditions, check out my access rider page before reaching out.

Currently I alternate my time between Marrakech (Morocco): GMT+1, and my hometown of Toronto (Canada): EST/EDT. I only answer emails between the hours of 10 AM and 5PM (on weekdays not during internationally celebrated holidays unless it's an emergency) in both time zones. 

​Before contacting me, keep in mind that I do not​ offer any of the following:

• Ad space, affiliate endorsements, or freelance work opportunities.
• Advice on disability advocacy, starting a freelance business, or pitching publishers or editors.

Other common questions

Can I "pick your brain" about your areas of expertise?

I am flattered you find my opinion worth seeking, but that is not something I have the capacity for. It's normal for me to juggle multiple projects at once and being disabled is expensive, and energy and time consuming. Consider budgeting in my writing, editing, or speaking services into your consulting budget, or see if a past media appearance, article I have written, or passages from my latest book covers some of topics you're curious about.  

Do you do brand partnerships?

Back when my personal blog was active, I did occasionally look into affiliate and brand partnerships, but that's no longer realistic for me since most of my current content is for other peoples' websites and magazines. Most editors have quite strict rules about sponsored content, so I can't "just" tell an editor to insert a reference to a specific brand, app, etc, and I am longer in a position to accept deals such as these.

Will you be a source for an article or another form of media I am working on?

If you're a good fit then yes. I pretty much make the "who is a good fit" decision based on how my knowledge aligns with what you're looking for, random information I can find out you and the outlet you work for, and my availability at that point in time. Reach out either way, and tell me about what you need and by what deadline, and we'll figure it out from there.

Can I quote you or an expert from something you have previously written?

Since I have written for outlets in multiple countries, it's important to do so while keeping the copyright laws of the country where that publication is located in mind. The most important question to ask yourself is to consider if the passage and context of the quote is a form of fair use, a legal loophole in copyright law that allows you to quote passages from intellectual property under certain circumstances. When in doubt, contact the media outlet where my article was published to see what their rules are around quoting passages from published articles in other forms of media.  On a much more personal level though I don't mind the following:

• People citing my articles in academic papers.
• People citing short passages from my articles on other platforms if the original link is included, along with my name.

Please reach out to me through email if you want to:

• Republish more than two paragraphs of something an article I wrote in print or online. Do not modify the original contents and always credit me. 

For my book the rules are fairly specific. As an author of a book published through a Hachette UK affiliated press, the instructions on quoting passages from my book legally on other platforms is available through their contact page (look for the section marked "permissions"). Please note that there are some circumstances where you might have to pay for the rights to do so, and the rates may vary. Copyright compensation goes directly back to me through the Author's Licensing and Copyright Society (ALCS).

Will you write an endorsement for my book?

For me, this is a values decision above all else. A few hints: I love neurodivergent and disabled stories and perspectives that are both positive and realistic, and will never endorse anything that endorses medical treatments tht are harmful to the well-being of neurodivergent or disabled people. I am a quite long-term The Guardian reader, several members of my family have previously been part of or are currently part of workers' unions, and I like stories with a social model of disability message. But...sometimes I will just say no based on availability alone. The only way to know for sure is to reach out.

Any writing advice...?

If you're disabled writer, you should read my article on the complexities of monetising your lived experience for advice specific to writing and disability. Although my much more general advice is the following:

• Don't write alone: ultimately, a lot of what sets apart hobby writing from professional writing is your willingness to seek out people for everything from mentorship to professional relationships. Be proactive about building these relationships however you can. What that might look like depends on what networking opportunities are available to you locally and internationally.
• Make rejection your friend: The word no doesn't define how good of a writer you are, so don't feel discouraged by it. See every no as a cue to try someone else with different tastes, outlooks on life, and interests than the previous person. No amount of nos are a cue for just giving up. With my first book for example, I queried over 90 different publishers and agents in total before getting two offers to choose from.

On a selective basis, depending on my availability, I am open to being contacted about the following:

• Freelance writing, editing, and public speaking work you want to commission me to do, not for "exposure", as a pro bono thing, etc. The only pro bono work I do these days is for the advocacy groups I am already involved in.
• Press engagements for all media outlets relating to my subject matter expertise as an author, speaker, etc in the form of journalists and content creators wanting to feature me in something. This is not something I will do as a pro-bono media voice for companies, charities, etc. All endorsements of certain causes are based on my own opinion, not upon request.
• Promotional event invites for my book. E.G: readings, signings, Q&As, etc.

Once you have read all the above, reach out via the form below or email me directly if that's a much more accessible option for you: