When Children of the Shaman was published by Orbit in 2001, Jessica Rydill’s novel received plenty of praise. Starburst called it ‘A very accomplished debut’. David Gemmell’s endorsement ‘An enchanting story blessed with genuine magic’ captures Jessica’s world nicely. SFFWorld even had a few words to say on the matter. Kristell Ink are to expand on the two books released by Orbit and publish all four books of the Shamans Land series. They have even hired the BFSA winning Italian artist Daniele Serra to capture the magic of Jessica’s novels with this:
Welcome back to SFFWorld Jessica. How do you feel about Daniele’s evocative cover?
Thank you, it’s lovely to be here! I’m over the moon about Daniele’s cover. I think he has really caught the eeriness of the story and the interaction between steam technology and mythical, visceral magic. Which is perfect.
Annat and her family have a pronounced Russian influence. Where does that come from?
My sister, the writer Sarah Ash wrote an opera based on The Knights of the Golden Table by E.M. Almedingen, which featured characters like Prince Vladimir of Kiev and Baba Yaga the witch. We also had the Larousse Encyclopaedia of mythology with a section on Slavonic myths and legends, and I loved Russian and Czech classical music. We also have German ancestry on my father’s side, and Jewish on my mother’s, so there is this slight foreign influence. One of my favourite books is A Legacy by Sybil Bedford, which captures the atmosphere of that kind of family – warm but also very argumentative, and with lots of undercurrents.
You collect Asian Ball Jointed Dolls, many of which are based on your characters. Does that help visualise the characters as you write?
To be honest, it’s the other way round. I have a pretty clear idea what my characters look like. Getting the dolls right has been rather hit or miss over the years. I know I’m not the only BJD collector who does this. Some dolls are based on manga or anime, other people have their own characters or “charas”. I say the dolls are avatars of my characters. It can be slightly unnerving having them sitting around the place.
You’ve taken it upon yourself to invite the new neighbours to dinner. (No, not the Hannibal Lecter kind of dinner!) You neglected to tell them who the most outré guest will be, or that your special guest will be late. Who have you invited?
Oh gosh! If I’m allowed imaginary people, I would love to invite Granny Weatherwax from the novels of Terry Pratchett, though she might spend a lot of time glaring at everyone. Or Thorin Oakenshield, as long as he agreed to leave his sword in the porch. I often think Tolkien’s characters would be fun, if slightly challenging, dinner guests. And you couldn’t ask them if they would mind smoking outside!
Kristell Ink is already committed to publishing the fourth book in your series, currently titled Winterbloom. Will there be a fifth?
I’ve started writing again. The trouble is, every time I finish a book, it seems to leave some unanswered questions. It would be wonderful if Kristell Ink wanted to publish it! I often change things a lot before finalising the plot, but this one may be called Tunguska and may involve changelings. (Tunguska is the site in Siberia where there was a massive air-burst meteor explosion in 1908, which devastated large areas of the Taiga).
Thank you for answering my questions Jessica, I’m sure the new covers will catch the eye of many readers looking for something a little different. You can follow Jessica on Twitter, and keep up to date with happenings on her website.
Children of the Shaman will be available from Kristell Ink later this year.
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Interview by Shellie Horst – SFFWorld.com © 2016
