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Don't forget - today's the day both Digital Magic and Billibubb Baddings and the Case of the Pitcher's Pendant go on sale at Amazon!!! Go and buy them!
In the spirit of that, Philippa Ballantine, author of Chasing the Bard and Digital Magic, is stopping by to chat...
Your first book, Chasing the Bard, is about a young William Shakespeare. The second book, Digital Magic, takes place 400 years later. Why such a large jump?
Digital Magic is the continuing story of a Fey trapped in the human world when his world has moved beyond his reach. I wanted to give that character and the human world a chance to realize the consequences of that new reality. In Chasing the Bard Fey and to an extent humans can easily move from one to the other, and there is a symbiotic relationship between the two worlds. The human realm does have it own earth magics but without the Fey magic they weaken over time. Four hundred years was enough time for these problems to become apparent. In Digital Magic there is a human who sets out to find the Fey and bring magic back to the world because of a terrible personal tragedy.
Talk to me about Chasing the Bard, which is a fantastic book. How did you get the idea for this? And why a YOUNG Will?
The inspiration for Chasing the Bard came from my studies at university. I took both history and English as my majors, and I have always been fascinated by people in history. Not just the facts, but day to day life. William Shakespeare has because the sheer magnificence of his work, been elevated to sainthood in the ranks of writers. However, he would just have been a guy, a young man making his way in a dangerous world, with no idea that he would become successful. I started off thinking, 'so imagine you're sharing a beer with Will, what would that be like?' As for a young Will, well I have always liked origin stories and there has been much speculation about why Will left Stratford. I mean, he was a country boy with a family- so what motivated him to take such a leap of faith. In Chasing the Bard, he makes that leap because the Fey are trying too hard to use them for their own purposes.
Which book was harder to write, the first or the second? Why?
Digital Magic was probably harder to write, just because there was no historical basis to go on. I have had to project my ideas about what the future holds for both England and New Zealand. Working with engineers, I know one of the issues that people are already concerned about is the availability of fresh drinking water. It is something we take for granted, and something NZ has in abundance- hence the invasion that occurs early in the book. With England, having been a tourist there I can see that parts of it are already very prepackaged 'experiences' for tourists. Penherem, the village that is the setting for a large portion of the book, is a place designed to pander to this trade. However it is only a thin veneer, beneath is a very old settlement, surrounded by remains of old magics. It is a place people go to hide. They are drawn to it without knowing, and consequently everyone has a secret.
What kind of issues (if any) have you had with being a New Zealand author getting published?
With these two books, not many issues. Marketing is of course more difficult, but having the podcast, using social media like Twitter seems to make up for it. Also I seem to be coming over to America every year for conventions and signings. The one issue I have found however is getting a place for my book totally set in New Zealand. My agent took the book to the big publishers of New York City and they said 'American audiences won't be interested in books set in New Zealand.' No one I have spoken to believes that- heck I don't believe that, so next year I am going to podcast my fantasy novel set in 1920s New Zealand (Weather Child), and we'll just see how untrue that is!
You do a podcast as well, Whispers from the Edge. Do you find that podcasting takes away from your writing time? What are the pros and cons to doing a podcast?
Anything you do in life takes time away from writing, it's just a matter of priorities. I have given myself permission to have a break and podcast since I managed to finish a novel in three months last year. If can produce a novel a year, and podcast then that is fine. I find the pros of podcasting far outweigh the time sink. The connection with an audience, the conversations you have with your readers/listeners is very fulfilling.
What else is coming down the pipeline – any hints?
Podcasting; Weather Child early 2009. An experimental erotica short podcast at eroticaalacarte.com starting in September.
Writing; I have two other novels with my agent. One the beginning of a trilogy- and is a very dark fantasy set in a chaotic world full of different races and strange creatures called the Kindred. The second book is called Geist, and is the Exorcist meets Starsky and Hutch. The main cigar chomping female lead is paired up with a young principled partner in a fight against the supernatural.
Of course, the expected author questions: Where do you get your ideas? Do you have a Muse?
Ideas seem to find me in my dreams or on the bus. Or in a bus dream. I do have a Muse and he does indeed keep my imagination fired, but sometimes he isn't subtle about hitting me over the head with his demands.
What was the best advice you received as a new author? What was the worst?
Best advice; Keep pushing forward and don't go back to edit every five minutes. That way lies entropy. Worst... I don't know if there is a worst. There is writing advice that doesn't work for you. I think that is half the battle with advice. Some methods work for some writers, while others don't. You find out what works for you by a process of trial and elimination. Don't get dispirited if a writing book for example says you must do this in this way- learn to trust your own instincts too.
What book/books got you started writing? What had the most influence on you when you started, and do you see that influence in your writing now? How?
My Dad began reading Lord of the Rings and books like Watership Down to me as a young child. I was never pandered to as a kid, so I soon gobbled up his vast fantasy collection. However I think now looking back, those early fantasy influences were moulded later on by my reading English Literature at university. I can see in my style the influence of writers like Keats and the Brontes. I absorbed from them a love of words and my writing has been described and spare but sensual. I'm happy about that description.
What’s on your TBR pile right now?
I snaffle most of my books still from my Dad's collection. Podcasting and writing have taken up such a huge amount of time I look forward to catching up on some reading on the plane trip to America. I have a lot of books by fellow podcasters that I want to catch up with.
What’s the one book that you wished you’d written, and why?
There are plenty of books I admire, but know that however much I enjoyed them I couldn't have written them, because my style is so completely different. However if there was one writer whose shoes I would love to step into it would be C J Cherryh, who has had a long, consistent career, doing a variety books and worldbuilding. She's one of those writers who has not let herself be locked in a golden cage of her own creation, producing nothing but one series. I have a low boredom threshold and there are so many worlds to explore in the fantasy genre I want to get out there and see as many as I can. Providing the Muse is co-operative.
Any final words of advice to the unpublished writers out there?
Writing isn't an easy occupation or goal. You have to be persistent and stubborn in equal amounts, but the rewards are very much worth it. Read as much you can, and don't be afraid of your first draft. Learn to enjoy the delights of editing!
In the spirit of that, Philippa Ballantine, author of Chasing the Bard and Digital Magic, is stopping by to chat...
Your first book, Chasing the Bard, is about a young William Shakespeare. The second book, Digital Magic, takes place 400 years later. Why such a large jump?
Digital Magic is the continuing story of a Fey trapped in the human world when his world has moved beyond his reach. I wanted to give that character and the human world a chance to realize the consequences of that new reality. In Chasing the Bard Fey and to an extent humans can easily move from one to the other, and there is a symbiotic relationship between the two worlds. The human realm does have it own earth magics but without the Fey magic they weaken over time. Four hundred years was enough time for these problems to become apparent. In Digital Magic there is a human who sets out to find the Fey and bring magic back to the world because of a terrible personal tragedy.
Talk to me about Chasing the Bard, which is a fantastic book. How did you get the idea for this? And why a YOUNG Will?
The inspiration for Chasing the Bard came from my studies at university. I took both history and English as my majors, and I have always been fascinated by people in history. Not just the facts, but day to day life. William Shakespeare has because the sheer magnificence of his work, been elevated to sainthood in the ranks of writers. However, he would just have been a guy, a young man making his way in a dangerous world, with no idea that he would become successful. I started off thinking, 'so imagine you're sharing a beer with Will, what would that be like?' As for a young Will, well I have always liked origin stories and there has been much speculation about why Will left Stratford. I mean, he was a country boy with a family- so what motivated him to take such a leap of faith. In Chasing the Bard, he makes that leap because the Fey are trying too hard to use them for their own purposes.
Which book was harder to write, the first or the second? Why?
Digital Magic was probably harder to write, just because there was no historical basis to go on. I have had to project my ideas about what the future holds for both England and New Zealand. Working with engineers, I know one of the issues that people are already concerned about is the availability of fresh drinking water. It is something we take for granted, and something NZ has in abundance- hence the invasion that occurs early in the book. With England, having been a tourist there I can see that parts of it are already very prepackaged 'experiences' for tourists. Penherem, the village that is the setting for a large portion of the book, is a place designed to pander to this trade. However it is only a thin veneer, beneath is a very old settlement, surrounded by remains of old magics. It is a place people go to hide. They are drawn to it without knowing, and consequently everyone has a secret.
What kind of issues (if any) have you had with being a New Zealand author getting published?
With these two books, not many issues. Marketing is of course more difficult, but having the podcast, using social media like Twitter seems to make up for it. Also I seem to be coming over to America every year for conventions and signings. The one issue I have found however is getting a place for my book totally set in New Zealand. My agent took the book to the big publishers of New York City and they said 'American audiences won't be interested in books set in New Zealand.' No one I have spoken to believes that- heck I don't believe that, so next year I am going to podcast my fantasy novel set in 1920s New Zealand (Weather Child), and we'll just see how untrue that is!
You do a podcast as well, Whispers from the Edge. Do you find that podcasting takes away from your writing time? What are the pros and cons to doing a podcast?
Anything you do in life takes time away from writing, it's just a matter of priorities. I have given myself permission to have a break and podcast since I managed to finish a novel in three months last year. If can produce a novel a year, and podcast then that is fine. I find the pros of podcasting far outweigh the time sink. The connection with an audience, the conversations you have with your readers/listeners is very fulfilling.
What else is coming down the pipeline – any hints?
Podcasting; Weather Child early 2009. An experimental erotica short podcast at eroticaalacarte.com starting in September.
Writing; I have two other novels with my agent. One the beginning of a trilogy- and is a very dark fantasy set in a chaotic world full of different races and strange creatures called the Kindred. The second book is called Geist, and is the Exorcist meets Starsky and Hutch. The main cigar chomping female lead is paired up with a young principled partner in a fight against the supernatural.
Of course, the expected author questions: Where do you get your ideas? Do you have a Muse?
Ideas seem to find me in my dreams or on the bus. Or in a bus dream. I do have a Muse and he does indeed keep my imagination fired, but sometimes he isn't subtle about hitting me over the head with his demands.
What was the best advice you received as a new author? What was the worst?
Best advice; Keep pushing forward and don't go back to edit every five minutes. That way lies entropy. Worst... I don't know if there is a worst. There is writing advice that doesn't work for you. I think that is half the battle with advice. Some methods work for some writers, while others don't. You find out what works for you by a process of trial and elimination. Don't get dispirited if a writing book for example says you must do this in this way- learn to trust your own instincts too.
What book/books got you started writing? What had the most influence on you when you started, and do you see that influence in your writing now? How?
My Dad began reading Lord of the Rings and books like Watership Down to me as a young child. I was never pandered to as a kid, so I soon gobbled up his vast fantasy collection. However I think now looking back, those early fantasy influences were moulded later on by my reading English Literature at university. I can see in my style the influence of writers like Keats and the Brontes. I absorbed from them a love of words and my writing has been described and spare but sensual. I'm happy about that description.
What’s on your TBR pile right now?
I snaffle most of my books still from my Dad's collection. Podcasting and writing have taken up such a huge amount of time I look forward to catching up on some reading on the plane trip to America. I have a lot of books by fellow podcasters that I want to catch up with.
What’s the one book that you wished you’d written, and why?
There are plenty of books I admire, but know that however much I enjoyed them I couldn't have written them, because my style is so completely different. However if there was one writer whose shoes I would love to step into it would be C J Cherryh, who has had a long, consistent career, doing a variety books and worldbuilding. She's one of those writers who has not let herself be locked in a golden cage of her own creation, producing nothing but one series. I have a low boredom threshold and there are so many worlds to explore in the fantasy genre I want to get out there and see as many as I can. Providing the Muse is co-operative.
Any final words of advice to the unpublished writers out there?
Writing isn't an easy occupation or goal. You have to be persistent and stubborn in equal amounts, but the rewards are very much worth it. Read as much you can, and don't be afraid of your first draft. Learn to enjoy the delights of editing!
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