When I told an author friend of mine the length of the first Cry Of The Newborn, he said thank goodness for British publishing. Was there any balking at the fact that you had produced an 800-plus page book?
Not really but that’s because I had already written six successful novels and so the risk of it falling flat because of its size was relatively small. Interestingly, my US agent has so far been unable to place it and it’s pretty clear that as a first novel in the US (because The Raven is yet to be published there) it is too big. I can understand that. I suspect that had I rolled up to Gollancz with this as my first novel, I would have received a cooler response. As it is, it has done very well here in the UK.
The concept of the Ascendants, humans who can communicate with natural forces and manipulate them is fascinating. How did you conceive of them? Was it difficult to understand their characters and the experiences they underwent when they began to first come into their power?
It was an idea that came to me in an instant and a theme I have always found interesting. I didn’t want ‘standard’ wizards using mystical force to create spells. I wanted to ground the magic in things we all know. The elements are hugely powerful and the thought that they could be manipulated by individuals is both wonderful and scary. It made the fight with the dominant religion all the more bitter since the faith is very much earth and element based.
The four Ascendants were a tough challenge but one I relished and very much enjoyed. I had to keep in mind that they were just young children coming into their teenage years with all the attendant issues. But on the other hand, they are who they are – they were not normal children who were gifted powers, they were born with them. They don’t know how to feel any other way. What they needed was guidance about how to control their power. But no one could really advise them. They were true pioneers and the knowledge of being unique, of being the first to hold such ability is difficult to handle.
The only trouble with an email interview is you don't get that final couple of moments where you say goodbye and the person on the other end of the line says goodbye and you thank each other. So there's no real way to end these interviews without it sounding abrupt, like it does here. But it does have the advantage of providing an easy way of closing the conversation.
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