Juliet E. McKenna Interview

October sees the launch of the first volume in a new series - The Aldabreshin Compass - from fantasy author Juliet E. McKenna. So we scooted down to Oxford to pose her a few questions amidst the spires and students.

Mostly, it's exciting. Starting with an almost entirely clean canvas is extremely liberating. For a start, I'm not writing with previous books bristling with strips of post-its beside me, to make sure I maintain the internal consistency of what's gone before. On the other hand, I don't have those same books as a security blanket, so it's also a bit scary. The world building, cultural notes and character studies have already generated a thick file for me to refer to.

Rather paradoxically, that helps me focus on the central story rather than get diverted into irrelevant background. Finding a fresh voice for my central character was the main initial challenge. Once I had that, I could really pursue the new ideas that have brought me to the Aldabreshin Archipelago and that is taking the thrill of writing to a whole new level.

The new book is set in the same world as the Einarinn books. Do readers need to have read those other novels, or is this an opportunity for McKenna virgins to give your work a try?

I'm writing this series on the basis that people won't need to have read the earlier books to enjoy them. I want to get out from under that weight of continuity for one thing. As a reader myself I also know how daunting it can be to find an interesting looking book and then realise you've got half a shelf of backlist to tackle first. That's not to say there won't be added value for folk who've read the Tales. We saw various aspects of life in the Archipelago in The Swordsman's Oath, so that's the one book I've got to hand with post-its sticking out of it. There are some cross-overs into Southern Fire and there'll be more in subsequent books but only where they arise naturally out of the logic governing the Aldabreshin Compass series.

What new treats are in store for your existing legion of fans?

I wrote each of the Tales determined not to repeat what I'd done before, and that applies even more so with a whole new series. In terms of the plot, I'm exploring a couple of ideas that have been intriguing me since I first sketched out the Archipelago. In general, why are these people so opposed to magic and what does that mean for them in a world where magic undeniably exists?

In particular, what do the Aldabreshi do if magic turns up causing trouble? Combine that with another interesting question, namely what if all wizards aren't as urbane and civilized as those of Hadrumal, and the scene is set for some dramatic conflict as well as increasingly hard choices for our hero.

Stylistically, I hope the fans will enjoy the change from blending first and third person points of view to a wholly third person narrative which enables me to integrate background and scene setting into the flow of the story which gives it quite a different feel.

What can new readers expect from the series (in a nutshell)?

Fantasy adventure in a tropical climate with its roots far from the northern European staples of the genre. Engaging characters facing mayhem that brooks no compromise as well as insidious dangers on every side.

How many novels do you have planned for this story arc?

Four. Once I'd finished kicking all my ideas around, I found there were four stories offering reasonably complete episodes within the overall narrative. Given various aspects of Archipelagan culture tying those four books to the cardinal points of the compass was both appropriate and satisfying.

So it's a pretty serious epic, then?!

Well, it's not Ben Hur - though there are a lot of galleys... I don't know. Epic's a word for other people. I'm not setting out to write something weighty and portentous. On the other hand, I am dealing with some darker issues in this series, with people who don't have the option of just walking away from these problems. Life certainly gets deadly serious for them.

What were you reading during the time you were working on Southern Fire?

In terms of research for the series? All kinds of things from David Attenborough's Zoo Quest books to the Lonely Planet Guide to Indonesia to serious histories of the Middle East and the Ottoman and Mughal Empires. I can now also bore for England on exactly how the different types of classical and medieval galleys work and have a shelf of books on astronomy, astrology, divination and superstition.

What about novels? Did any of those influence your work?

It was the usual mixture. Contemporary whodunnits from the UK and the US, ranging from the tongue-in-cheek comic to the scarily psychological, as well as classic Noir, interspersed with novels of varying degrees of seriousness from Booker prize winners through historicals to mass market schlock. I generally save up fantasy and SF books for school holidays when I'm not working as intensely and can enjoy them properly.

As far as direct influence goes, when I'm writing I read fiction to get away from my own work, so hopefully not. In general terms, I find a focus on the narrative drives the books I enjoy most so I try to maintain in my own work.

What else has impacted on your writing?

Apart from what I read? There are the things I see. I visit a lot of museums and galleries, often to look as specific exhibitions or collections relevant to what I'm writing. I find the more vivid something is in my mind's eye, the better I can convey it in words. There's also a lot of what I hear. I'm always interested to meet new people and hear their experiences, whether or not they're directly related to what I'm working on at the moment. Radio 4 often throws up fascinating facts and characters.

On a day to day basis, the inescapable fact of being a mother of two under-tens impacts on my work. I can write when the kids are at school, when they're in bed, or when my husband's around to be Duty Parent. With my writing time so tightly timetabled, I don't want to waste any of it, so I multi-task things like housework and ironing with thinking ahead to what I'm going to be writing next. This certainly helps me avoid too many false starts and blind alleys.

When can we expect to see volume two?

Well, I'm 75,000 words into Northern Storm and as soon as I'm done here, I'll be getting back to it. The summer holiday hiatus means I pick up the work in progress at the start of September and spend a week smoothing out the lumps and rough edges that I immediately notice. Then it's head down and writing non-stop till it's done, hopefully sometime in January. Bearing in mind all the editing and proofing stages, the finished book should be hitting the bookshops around this time next year.

Thanks to Orbit Books (and Ben Sharpe) for permission to post this interview. For more details of their SFF authors and books, visit Orbit at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

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