Writer Interview Saturday: Sharing our support for authors, and the books we love
*Sarah comes through the metaphoric doors of the cyber world*
Hi Sarah!
*chorus of ‘Hi Sarah’s*
Okay, here’s Sarah!
Did you notice Sarah’s been written four times already, without counting the title of this post? Oops, five now.
Hi!
And she wrote, this lovely:
The other day, when I was having tea with the queen and tweeting the Pope, I also sent her an email in order for her to be here today.
I wanted to know…
What sparked the idea of How the Wolf Lost her Heart?
Well, for one thing I’m a big fan of wolves. I’m also a huge fan of shape-shifting. And if you’re wondering as to whether I have engaged in frequent fantasies about transforming into wolf and possessing the same abilities as the characters in the book, then the answer is yes! The thought has crossed my mind – on a daily basis – *looks around shiftily.* Truthfully, I love the idea of anthropomorphism, and many of my stories (including my children’s ones) feature this as a common theme. How the Wolf Lost Her Heart was the first YA novel I ever wrote and I wanted the idea of humans being able to transform into animals to be prevalent in the novel – I honestly just wanted to try my hand at writing a romance with shape-shifting, dystopia and paranormal aspects in it. Thus, this story was born!
What do you think are the most important themes of this story?
There are a number of themes riding through the novel, but for me the most important ones are the social observations and also the insecurities of the main character. In the book, law and order has completely broken down in the City of London – that’s quite a horrifying prospect! In Chapter Six, in particular, I touched on a number of social and political issues that have been recurring for several years; in my mind, I conjured the explosive consequences due to a direct result of what is widely considered to be errors within society. It will resonate with some, and not with others, but either way it was interesting to envisage a future world born from a previous one according to my own personal reflection and imagination. As for the insecurities of the protagonist, I don’t think there’s a single person in this world who hasn’t suffered from insecurity at some point! Insecurity can bring out a sense of worthlessness, doubt, jealousy and envy; it can cause the rational to become irrational and it can have some seriously detrimental effects on individuals as a whole. My main character is riddled with insecurity, but throughout the novel she does her best not to succumb to it. This is what I feel is important: not the elimination of insecurity, for this is impossible for many, but methods on how to deal with it so it doesn’t succeed in bringing you down.
How do you write? Do you outline, or just write and hope for the best?
Usually I just write and hope for the best. I never try to plan my stories detail by detail as I find I lose my enthusiasm for the novel. Being led into the unknown is part of the excitement for me! All writers are different, of course, and I have a profound respect for any writer who can plan their novel from start to finish before writing the story itself. I tend to find that I only know how the story is going to end when I’m halfway/three-quarters of the way through. Generally, I have an idea of what the story’s about, but from there it’s pretty much a case of arming myself with the laptop and throwing myself into the great abyss of story-telling, conjuring whatever ideas possible along the way.
What traits do you consider you share with the main character of your book?
Haha! I would be lying if I said that Skye and I don’t share several traits. She’s insecure, fiery, strong-willed, paranoid and stubborn – your average guy’s nightmare! However, to Skye’s credit, she’s a lot more level-headed than I was at 18 – and far, far better at holding down a job!
Can you mention a few authors that have played an important role in your interest in writing?
Oscar Wilde has had a huge impact on me as a writer. Reading ‘The Happy Prince’ when I was 7 struck such a chord with me; my writing tends to emulate depth and passion, two common themes of Oscar Wilde’s short stories. J.K. Rowling, of course, has been a huge influence, as have Tom Sharpe, Richard Adams, C.S Lewis and Robin Jarvis.
What hobbies do you like to do, besides writing?
I like to eat – a lot (does that count as a hobby?) I’ve got a soft spot for sashimi. I’m also an enormous fan of the Japanese RPG series, Suikoden, which I usually play at least once a year. I love singing on the karaoke (not that I can sing; it’s just hilarious fun) and every now and then (about 3 times a day) I enjoy ranting to my best friend about absolutely anything you could think of – she’s the epitome of how ‘patience is a virtue’.
Of course eating counts! And hooray for Karaoke! I spend a questionably productive part of my days singing with the Sing app o.o.
I’ve read some good stuff about your book, especially about the world-building. What are your tips for other writers in this area?
I would probably say just to take every aspect of a new world into consideration. Who rules it? What is the social atmosphere like? What possible changes could there be decades, centuries down the line compared to the world we live in now? For example, I figured cigarettes are on their last legs and it’s only a matter of time before they’re banned. Still, your stressed-out office worker is going to need something to alleviate them and the first thing that sprang to mind was bubbles. Blowing bubbles. Why? I have no idea! I would advise writers, whether it’s a futuristic world or a completely fictional world, to just imagine yourself there – what you would like to see, what your daily life would be like and what are some common aspects of this new world you envision
Good advice!
And now, just because she’s cool like that, Sarah will let you in on a piece of information that isn’t common knowledge.
I’d like to let my readers in on a little secret. There will be a sequel to this story, but How the Wolf Lost Her Heart is also a sequel in itself. The book where the morphing truly begins is hidden away in the depths of my files, a children’s/YA story which focuses entirely on Skye’s ancestor, the Experiment, how Morphers came to exist and why. A story where three teens find themselves locked into a crazy new life, all conjured from the brilliant mind of Professor Philopias Polgas.
And one more thing: ‘Polgas’ means ‘fleas’ in Tagalog!
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