The Second Draft

Exploring Books and Culture: Insights by Emma

About The Second Draft

The Second Draft is where I write about books, culture, and the things I can’t stop thinking about.

I’m Emma. I read a lot, think too much about it, and then write about it here.

My novel The Death and Times of Mac Munro won the John Constable Silver Stag Award (Scottish Association of Writers, 2023), and my short story The Man with the Red Eye was published on The NoSleep Podcast in 2025.

This is where I keep that going.

You’ll find:

  • ARC reviews that say what I actually think
  • Writing and reading, figured out in real time
  • Cultural takes that tend to circle back to books
  • Occasional millennial nostalgia I refuse to let go of

What I’m Working On

Alongside the blog, I have a couple of longer projects in the background.

The Death and Times of Mac Munro is a surreal literary novel told from the perspective of a corpse. It’s the one I’d like to see properly out in the world, and I’m currently querying it.

Then there’s Northern Link, a cyberpunk/feminist work in progress that leans more into the kind of stories I naturally write here. It’s sharper, more contemporary, and closer to where I’m heading.

For now, this blog is where I keep showing up and doing the work.

If You’re New Here

Start with:

Find Me Elsewhere

Instagram: @emmaseconddraftblog
Goodreads: Emma Sinclair

#Ad – gifted copy #Ad | They Do Things Differently Here by Owen W. Knight Today I am accepting no negative vibes. Read it, kindle it, audio book it, listen to it being read to you through a bathroom door while you pee. However it works for you. This made me laugh. My friend was helping me film me reading a bit and then a man walked past. He was surprised and said sorry. I told him not to say sorry, it was a public space! How much of ourselves ends up in the people we invent? I'm hooked. I'm collaborating with @whobywater.music who has released a song inspired by East of Eden by John Steinbeck. As serendipity would have it, netflix has a series out in case you haven't read it (Florence Pugh is standout for me). I love Audrey Hepburn. I also love Kim K. I love how these women are strong and have figured out how to use thier voice. They both have a distinctive style. I had a core memory unlock. I remember my mum getting magazines with free books and realised that The Christmas Star was exactly that type of book. I wasn't the target market per se, but I knew exactly who was. It's banned book week! I was searching up books that have been banned internationally and realised I've been a bad, bad reader. I've been engaging in crimes against literature!

Latest Posts

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