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(1999-01-01)This Interview has been provided by Orbit, and is printed with their permission. It's always exciting to be publishing new writers, and we have two fantastic debuts by British authors in the bookshops now. In December we published Ice Mage by Julia Gray, who Maggie Furey described as 'a spellbinding new storyteller'. And in January we're publishing The Thief's Gamble by Juliet E. McKenna, a magical tale which J.V. Jones has called 'a wonderful debut'. We asked both authors to tell us a little about themselves and their writing. Who or what inspired you to write fantasy?
Juliet E. McKenna
Fantasy's been part of my life from my first introduction to Narnia at about six years old, and I've always written bits and pieces. Deciding to make a serious attempt at a novel, I opted for fantasy as something I knew I had the resources for in terms of imagination and information readily to hand; I have a lot of books.
Julia Gray
I know it's a cliché, but in fantasy you're only limited by your imagination - and I've got a very vivid imagination, even when I'm asleep. My dreams come in very handy sometimes. For a writer, fantasy is the best of all possible worlds. How would you describe your novel, in less than 10 words?
Juliet E. McKenna
Compelling adventure, following engaging characters through a richly coherent world.
Julia Gray
A BIG adventure, with magic, humour, romance - and volcanoes. What will follow your debut novel?
Juliet E. McKenna
My second novel, The Swordsman's Oath. It takes forward the key ideas and questions from The Thief's Gamble, with some of the same characters and some new ones, seeing the action through Ryshad's eyes - the Tormalin sworn man Livak meets in Inglis.
Julia Gray
There's a sequel, Fire Music, which is already written and which will be published by Orbit in July. Then there'll be something new - either a stand-alone novel called Isle of the Dead, or the first volume of a big new fantasy series I'm working on now. If you could write your own quote for the front cover of your novel, what would it be?
Juliet E. McKenna
Just because it's fantasy, doesn't mean it can't feel real.
Julia Gray
'Funnier than Pratchett, more romantic than McCaffrey, more involving than Tolkien - the book that sold more copies than Lord of the Rings.' Seriously, I don't think I could do better than the quote from Maggie Furey that actually is on the cover. What advice would you give to budding fantasy authors?
Juliet E. McKenna
Learn to recognise valid criticism; better yet, go and seek it out. Friends who say, 'Gosh, it's wonderful, I loved every page,' are good for the ego. The ones who say, 'The third chapter dragged a lot and anyway, I wouldn't cross the road on that wizard's say-so,' are good for your work.
Julia Gray
Hook your readers early. Make sure your characters are real to you. (If you don't laugh and cry with them, no one else will.) Hear the dialogue. Don't make your plots too rigid; that way you can head off in unexpected directions when it feels right. Trust your intuition. But most important of all: just do it! Coming up with ideas is relatively easy. It's shaping them into a coherent whole that's the hard part - and unless you finish something, you're going nowhere. 
Copyright© 2002 Orbit. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. The interview has been provided by Orbit and is printed with their permission. | 
