The Importance of the "F" Word by Sara Grant

This is proving to be a busy week on this blog. First Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick provided a guest blog and now it's the turn of our old pal Sara Grant.

This is Sara's second blog here. Last time it was for her dark YA fantasy, Dark Parties. This time Sara is talking about her latest books for younger readers which I will be reviewing here very soon.

And now over to Sara!

 

The Importance of the “F” Word

Writing a series can be a complex tangle of details and deadlines. At one point I was writing the storyline for the fourth book while editing the second draft of the third, reviewing illustrations for the second, and checking the proof for the first. I was endeavouring to create a world and develop characters with unlimited story possibilities. I had to consider the overarching story that would weave through all the books while crafting a satisfying plot for each. I had to discover that intangible something that readers would find in each book – but somehow have each story be fresh and original.

As I wrote, I developed a ‘bible’ for all the details to make sure I was consistent. It included – among other things – a cast list, floor plans, a map of Little Witching, a history of Trix and Holly’s friendship, the rules for the Sisterhood of Magic, rhymes for a variety of spells, and ingredient lists for potions. (What magical spell uses Dalmatian dog slobber?) And then I obsessed over every word as one does when polishing any manuscript. How many times can you use the word ‘sparkle’ in one book, for example? 

Phew…

Yes, writing my new series for young readers Magic Trix was all that, but it was also an absolute joy!

Magic Trix follows the adventures of ten-year-old Trix, who discovers she has the gift of magic. With her invisible familiar – a crazy, sparkly kitten named Jinx, Trix trains to become a fairy godmother. But her first attempts at magic go horribly and hysterically wrong. The first two books in the series – The Witching Hour and Flying High – were published on World Book Day. The next book – Birthday Wishes – is out in early May.

Magic Trix couldn’t have been more different from previous work. My debut novel Dark Parties is a dystopian tale of rebellion. My next novel for teens – titled Half Lives – is an apocalyptic thriller, published by Orion this May. I love the challenge of crafting these dark, edgy tales for teens. Could I get in touch with my magical sparkly side? Did I even have a sparkly side?

Creating Magic Trix has reminded me of the importance of the “F” word – FUN! When deadlines threaten and your inner critic keeps you awake at night, you can lose sight of this fundamental ingredient for creating fiction for children.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I was eight years old when I wrote my first story just for the fun of it – and I have been writing ever sense. But when writing becomes your job, if you aren’t careful, you can let the magic of storytelling be usurped by the business of publishing. I never for one minute forget how lucky I am. I have the best job in the world. I get to do what I love and have a blast doing it!

I hope my amusement comes sparkling through in the pages of Magic Trix. I loved creating Trixibelle Morgan with her wacky view of the world. I also adored imagining part of the story from the point of view of Trix’s scatty and delightful familiar Jinx Jingle Jangle. They reminded me that the reason I write – the reason I’ve always written – is for the pure unadulterated joy of storytelling.  

  

Many thanks to Sara for sharing this with us and I can't wait to get on with reading the books!

Researching HAGWITCH, Guest blog by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Following on from my review of Marie-Louise's book yesterday, today I get to host a blog from her too. So for all you fans here's a real treat:

Researching HAGWITCH

One strand of my novel Hagwitch is set in Tudor London – a great excuse for indulging a favourite hobby of mine: historical research. 

I’m sure my old history teachers would be very surprised to see me throw myself into studying every time I begin a new book but the research I do is all about the details of how people lived and what they ate, how they spoke, what they believed in, how they entertained themselves. It's not the mind-numbing lists of dates and battles, causes and consequences that had me staring out the classroom windows indulging day-dreams of Starsky and Hutch and David Essex back in the day.

TV, books, the Internet, maps, movies, museums –  for Hagwitch I used all of the above to fill my head with things Tudor, London, and theatre until I could see my way around my characters’ world. Once I was able to visualise it and move about it easily inside my head, I was ready to write. 

I like to do so much research it finds its way into the story almost of its own accord. I want the reader to see what I’m seeing but I don’t want anything to get between the reader and the characters. I'm careful not to plonk big wodges of information into the narrative. I love when research sort of threads itself between the lines and nearly becomes invisible.

 

First stop for me when researching a new book is the library and the bookshop. Lucy Worsley and Amanda Vickery are among several historians writing books and making programmes which are fantastic resources for writers of historical fiction. And factual children's books are great because they're full of useful illustrations and good basic information.

Setting a story in the world of Tudor theatre was a great excuse to rewatch these movies, though this time there was no slouching on the couch. I had work to do, so I watched with notebook and pen in hand.

I spent a few days in London visiting various museums, the New Globe and ...

... the excavations of the Rose Theatre.

I had a few bevies in the courtyard of the George Inn because it features in the book. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I’ve filed beer and pie under research but maybe not the last!

The Internet really comes into its own when looking up details.

How long would a quill last?

What was the ink made of?

How did Tudors write the date?

What were typical names for boys? Girls? Beer?

Which colours could ordinary folk wear under the Sumptuary Laws (rat grey, yes; crimson, no.)

Which years were the theatres open and which closed because of threat of plague?

Which plays had Shakespeare definitely written by 1596?

Then there’s language. 

How far should I go to replicate the way English was spoken in the late 16^th century? How do I strike a balance between the way folk actually spoke and what the reader will find acceptably atmospheric (as opposed to obtrusive and distancing)? 

At least I can try and keep the actual vocabulary true to time. www.etymonline.com is my go-to site for staying on top of which words were used when, and what they meant at that time.

Hagwitch is about things Tudor and theatre and also things puppet and canal. Now I'm about to start a new novel so I’m at it again. 

Researching.

The first thing I’ve done is browse the Internet and order some books on the subject. The other day I got an emergency call from VISA, worrying about 'unusual' activity on my card. It wasn't the act of buying books which had alarmed them, it was the books themselves! I could only laugh as the guy called out the titles one by one. I assured him that they were genuine purchases and there was no problem. 

What were the titles which had raised the concern? 

Now, that would be telling!

Many thanks to Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick for sharing this with us.

Hagwitch by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Celtic legend, a malevolent faery queen and Shakespearian London was how Hagwitch was first described to me and after that billing, how could I possibly not want to read it?

 

The story opens in the modern day with 'water rat' Lally, her father, and a small coterie of odd-ball, friendly characters who accompany them on their theatre barge's travels up and down London's canals and help them stage their traditional puppet shows. It's a rural idyll until the barge gets caught up on an ancient piece of timber. Lally helps free the barge and her father insists, against the better judgement of his colleague,s on pulling the timber on board and carving a new puppet from it. From then on, Lally's father becomes more and more obsessed with the puppet, his plays become darker and Lally becomes increasingly suspicious that puppet, and the log from which is was carved, harbour some mysterious and sinister secret.

But before we get to that stage, the print font switches to italic, the voice becomes first person and the setting is the 16th Century. Now we are with Flea, a young lad from Chiswick, who is assistant to a not-so good playwright. Flea's master and his small troupe of players are not doing too well. They've been excluded from London's major playhouses - the plays are too poor and the players are pretty getting close to leaving. But the playwright needs a log for his latest play and the players find one, thinking it will probably be the last thing they do for the man. Flea sees the log as they bring it in and begs them not to. It's hawthorn, and being a country lad he knows what that means: they'll all be cursed if it is brought into the house.

As the book progresses, it cycles between Lally's and Flea's stories and we soon realise that it is the same hawthorn log in both.  In each story the log endows its owner with fantastic creative powers. They write, and write, work and work, day or night with barely any sustenance, increasingly secretive and all the time becoming paler and weaker. At first, the creativity brings advantages. Flea's playwright starts to produce truly powerful plays. Lally's father produces an exquisite puppet, scintillatingly beautiful and extraordinarily fearsome at the same time. But then it all goes wrong.

It's curious, but I was struck while reading the book that in reality it was a metaphor for the creative process. The power exerted by the hawthorn over its victims is not unlike the creative muse, and that need to keep at it, regardless of bodily needs, is familiar to many an artist, writer or musician.

Of course, this might not be at all obvious to the youthful reader. What will come through is the lyrical quality of the writing, the mystical and magical descriptions of weather and setting and the haunting images of the barge and its puppets. In truth, I found the ending a little disappointing. I was expecting something a little more dramatic, especially given the run up to the end in both stories, but maybe it had to be like that.

That aside, this is a story that stays with you and that's the mark of excellent writing.

The lovely folk at Orion Children's Books sent me my copy. If you want one for yourself, please click through the link below. Then Amazon will make a small contribution to the upkeep of this blog. Thank you.

The Complete Alcatraz by Brandon Sanderson

I have to confess that when this weighty tome thumped onto my doormat I groaned. I sort of gave up on reading novels that long after Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy damaged my shoulder muscles and tested my concentration skills too. But I needn't have worried. This book might be a bit on the heavy side, physically speaking, but there's nothing heavy about it in the enjoyment sense of the word. Well, unless you believe the central conceit....

I am not a good person.

My purpose is to show you the truth about me, and to prove that I am not the hero everyone says I am. 

In the Hushlands - those Librarian-controlled nations such as the United States, Canada and England - his book will be published as a work of fantasy.

Do not be fooled! This is no work of fiction, nor is my name really Brandon Sanderson.

I know the events of my life may seem wondrous and mysterious.

I will do my best to explain them, but please remember that my purpose is not to entertain you.

My purpose is to open  your eyes to the truth.

This is my story - the story of a selfish fool.

The story of a coward.

The story of Alcatraz Smedry.

And there you have it. This is the story of Alcatraz Smedry, told over four books (which were originally sold separately) in a wonderfully snarky and knowing voice that guides us through the anarchic events that follow his thirteenth birthday and the receipt of a bag of sand that his father has sent him.

Alcatraz has reeled from foster parent to foster parent, never making attachments with any, always accused of destroying things and plagued by the constant attention of his 'social worker' Ms Fletcher. Then the aforementioned birthday comes and all hell is let loose. He meets the grandfather he never knew he had, along with a crew of oddball relations and a thirteen year old girl-knight, called Bastille, who all claim to have come from the Free Kingdoms to retrieve the sand and rescue him. Unfortunately the sand has already been taken by Ms Fletcher which leaves Alcatraz, Grandpa Smedry, the uncles and Bastille with the task of retrieving them.

You may ask why all the fuss over a bag of sand. But, as Grandpa reveals, these are the Sands of Rashid, which Alcatraz's father had risked his life to collect and their value is immense (although we only find out why later). Grandpa also reveals that Ms Fletcher is Librarian and that she almost certainly wants the sands for her own nefarious purposes. 

So off they go to infiltrate the downtown library, take on the librarians in their stronghold, and retrieve the sands. And en route Alcatraz discovers that being a Smedry is special. He's sort of royalty in the Free Kingdoms, but more importantly, like all Smedrys  he has a talent. He breaks things. Grandpa arrives late. Uncle Sing trips over.

Of course, talents aren't that simple. As the books progress, Alcatraz discovers more and more ways of the talents can be bent to advantage. In the first book, Sing, for example, trips immediately before something dangerous is about to happen, which gives everyone warning to duck or hide. Grandpa's lateness means bullets can't hit him which is very useful when librarians are shooting at you. And Alcatraz's own breaking talent turns out to be the most powerful and versatile of all.

As that little explanation of talents might indicate, this is a totally bonkers, riotous quartet of books. The moment one bizarre climax is over, the next occurs leaving the reader breathless and forever turning the page. And the whole text is shot through with asides to the reader that are eclectic, weird and sometimes just plain funny and tell you more about Brandon Sanderson, I suspect, than they do about Alcatraz.

All of which makes me wonder quite who this book is aimed at. It's published by a children's publisher (Orion) and the fast pace, hilarious situations and utterly mad set of characters and plot will please many a 10 to 12 year old with an off-beat sense of humour. But by the author's own admission, the series started life as a writing exercise and the knowing voice seems to speak to writers everywhere and adults more than children. So maybe it's one of those weird things called cross-over books.

But whatever it is, I loved it. I had more fun reading this than anything else I've read for a long time. So thank you, the nice ladies at Orion, for sending me this doorstop sized wonder. And if a fifth book ever does get published can I have it, please, very pretty please?

As I mentioned the lovely people at Orion sent me this copy. If you want one for yourself please click below and Amazon will make a small contribution to the upkeep of this blog. Thanks.