“For ten millennia, the leaders of the Overland have been Selected by the Machinery, an omnipotent machine gifted to their world in darker days.” Gerrard Cowan is the author of The Machinery and we’ve talked to him about the book and his future plans for the series.
First of all can you tell us a bit about The Machinery? What do you feel is unique about your story?
Thanks for having me! The Machinery is about a country whose leaders are chosen by a machine. This has brought great success for ten thousand years, but there’s a problem – the Machinery is breaking. I think the focus on this strange political system is pretty unique, but I also think there’s a general feeling of weirdness in the book (for eg, masks that allow the wearer to see into the souls of others).
A world where the rulers are chosen by a Machine. How did you come up with the idea in the first place?
I had the original idea for the book about seven years ago. I can’t exactly recall the thought process behind it – so far as I remember, it just hit me out of the blue! I have always been interested in history and politics, however, so I was probably thinking about how different political systems worked etc.
This is the first book in a trilogy and it’s quite a complex world you’ve created with mystical powers and much still shrouded in mystery as the first book ends. What can we expect in the next book and do you have the whole trilogy mapped out already?
I do have the whole trilogy mapped out, but I find that certain things change as I write; a character’s importance can grow, for example, depending on how well they are coming across. For that reason, I like my plans to be flexible. I’m almost finished the second book at the moment. I don’t want to give anything away, but it will explore much more of the world and concepts of the book, including other countries that are not seen in book one.
Your characters range from the godlike Operators to the rather mixed set of Tacticians. From the weak to the strong and sometimes even odd characters (in a positive sense). Can you tell us a bit about your characters and how you deal with writing such diverse characters? Which are your personal favorites?
Thanks a lot! That’s what I was going for – I really wanted to have a diverse set of characters. This first book very much focuses on the powerful figures in society, so those who have been selected by the Machinery or have climbed their way to the top. They all struggle in their different ways to cope with the fact that the Machinery is breaking – it has directly or indirectly made their careers, and now it is falling apart. I was pleased with how the character of Canning turned out. He’s been selected to run the Overland’s military, but he is no hero; he totally lacks confidence. That’s something that can happen in a system where literally anyone can be selected to rule. I think he comes across pretty sympathetically.
Getting published by a major publisher has to be every author’s dream. Can you tell us a bit about the process that led up to The Machinery being published?
I still can’t really believe it. I always wanted to be published so when I found out I had a book deal I almost fell out of my chair! I came to publishing via an unusual route. About three years ago now HarperVoyager opened their doors for two weeks to authors without agents. I had finished The Machinery and had been sending it to agents, though without much success. I sent it into HV, truly not expecting to get it, but thinking it could at least help me gauge if I was on the right track, if say it got through a couple of rounds. I found out about a year and a half later that I was one of 15 picked by the UK branch.
What goals might you have set for yourself when writing The Machinery and how do you feel about the end result?
The only goal I had was to finish the book to a decent level. It took me a while to get into a proper writing routine, where I was working on it a bit every morning. I am very pleased with the end result – it has of course really benefitted from the fantastic editing process at HV.
What is it with Fantasy you find fascinating?
The sheer scope – it’s only limited by your imagination.
How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurred you on?
I always wanted to be a writer. When I was a kid I loved fantasy books like Lord of the Rings, and I especially enjoyed playing Games Workshop games! I always knew it was the genre for me. As I said before, it wasn’t easy for me to get into a proper routine. I had the idea for the book in 2008, but I kept doing a little bit here and there, and it wasn’t really working. It was only when I forced myself to work on it 5 or 6 days a week at a certain time period that I started to see results.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process, and why?
My favorite is writing the first draft, as you see your ideas come to life. My least favorite is trying to turn that first draft into something readable through the second, third, fourth (and so on) drafts!
What kind of books do you read, any favorite authors?
My favorite fiction author is Mervyn Peake – I love the Gormenghast books. Aside from that I actually read a lot of history and politics books, especially biographies.
So what do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
Reading! To be honest, my day job, writing, and two young kids keep me going!
I guess we already know the answer to what’s next, but what are your hopes and dreams for the future? Do you now have a grand plan for your writing career?
I’m just sorting through Hollywood offers at the moment. Not really! Of course I would love the writing to be as successful as possible, but it’s all upside from here on in, no matter what happens. I have ideas for other books after this trilogy is complete, so I’ll keep hammering away at the keyboard and see what happens!
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015
