Where are you from?
I grew up in the south of England. I was born in London but lived for a while in Whitchurch near Pangbourne by the Thames, back to London once more, and then in Kent from the age of nine. A softy southerner!
Tell us your latest news?
Off on an author tour of the USA next week. Planting out lettuces before I go!
When and why did you begin writing?
When… ages ago. I started slowly. I used to illustrate books for pre-school children. So I began by writing those and worked my way up through the ages. But Septimus Heap has been in my head for a very long time and is what I always wanted to write.
Why… I really wanted to see if I could. I love reading and the more I read, the more I wondered if I could write. There was only one way to find out!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I had finished the first eight chapters of Magyk.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book written in the mid-eighties. It was a toddler book called Monkeys in the Jungle. It was inspired by my daughter and myself painting her bedroom walls with animals and I adapted her style of drawing for the book. But my first Septimus book was inspired by many things: a love of history and the misty magic of Cornwall - where I then lived - and all kinds of daydreamy stuff.
Who or what has influenced your writing?
It is hard to say. I have read so many wonderful books over the years but I couldn’t say which writers have influenced me. I don’t read fantasy now, but when I was about 20 I read the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peak and that stayed with me for a very long time. One day, when I have finished Septimus I shall re-read it.
How did you come up with the title?
The series title was easy as Septimus Heap is the pivotal character of the books. But the individual titles are more complicated. They are one word only and they need to describe the main influence in the book. They also need to be something that is part of Septimus’s personal journey.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Various books at different stages. As a teenager sci-fi and fantasy and lots of classics like the Brontes and Russian writers too. I lived in those worlds (particularly Wuthering heights and Jane Eyre) for weeks on end! Fay Weldon in the late seventies and early eighties … Later on through the nineties, Helen Dunmore and Rose Tremain - particularly Restoration … and so many more than I can’t even remember.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I guess it must be Mervyn Peake. But I remember being very struck at the time by Fay Weldon’s wonderfully direct style of writing – short, and clear and emotional. Reading her books made me wonder if I could do it too.
What book are you reading now?
I have just finished the last of Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Towers series. I have read them all back to back over the last few months. I loved the way the characters came and went, the way the focus shifted in each book and yet one was still in the same world. I have never read them before and they were a real find. But I must stop reading now and get down to writing Septimus book 5.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
My daughter introduced me to Haruki Murakami. He is brilliant.
What are your current projects?
Writing Septimus Heap book five. Seeing how the Sep Heap movie is getting along and building an escape-proof tortoise pen.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
By reading. As soon as I could read I loved books and I particularly loved how I could lose myself in a whole new world. I just soaked it all up over the years. I suppose that after a while I couldn’t help but wonder if I could do it too. I love the sound of words, they way they look on the page, they way they make you feel.
What do you see as the influences on your writing?
I am sure there are many influences – but I couldn’t say what they are. I don’t like to think about it too much as I often feel that I don’t fully understand where it all comes from. There is always the feeling that if I look at writing too closely it may all disappear.
Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I am fickle with favourite authors—often the writer of the last book I read. But overall I would say, in company with many others, Jane Austen. Her work is subtle, funny, exciting and emotional. She writes so beautifully and with such wit. I am also in awe of the fact that she managed to write with only a creaking door between her and the chaos of domestic life.
Do you have to travel much concerning your books?
A fair amount. I have been to the USA on an author tour for every Septimus I book that has come out. I’ve also been to a few book fairs abroad and some here.
Who designed the covers?
I think it is a combined effort. Mark Zug is the illustrator—he paints the covers in oil (or it might be acrylic). I have seen some of the artwork and it is absolutely beautiful. Mark has lot of design input too. My editor and I also suggest things and the art department at HarperCollins USA does a lot of great stuff with more ideas and pulling it all together: the type, the gold foil and all the details. It’s a real team effort.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
As the book gets towards the end I find I get very preoccupied. My head is so full of all the plot lines and characters that I feel a little disconnected from day to day life. It kind of takes over, sometimes a little too much.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just keep on trying! It’s worth it.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I didn’t think so when I started the series but now I realise I do. It’s about life, really. That you have to go and do stuff, and keep on even when it gets tough. That friends see you through, that things don’t always work out how you want but that’s ok, that everyone deserves another chance… and that life is fun—and funny.
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