What kinds of fiction did you read as a child and teenager, and did you have some favourites?
I read voraciously as a child and teenager, sometimes reading a book a day. My favourite authors were C.S. Lewis, Enid Blyton, Susan Cooper, Elizabeth Goudge, Joan Aiken, Diana Wynne Jones, L.M.Montgomery, Lloyd Alexander, Geoffrey Trease, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Jean Plaidy, Mary Stewart, Georgette Heyer.
Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?
Absolutely. I loved reading tales of history, romance, suspense, and magic, and those are the type of stories I now write.
What did you do before you became a published novelist, and how did you come to write your first novel and get it published?
As far as I can tell, I was born knowing I wanted to be a writer. There was no moment of epiphany for me, no moment when I suddenly realised what it was I was meant to be. I just knew. I was hungry for books right from the very beginning – my mother read to us every night and taught me my alphabet and she says even at two I was happy to sit and read a book. I wrote my first novel at 7, and sent my first manuscript to a publisher at age 16. Through my 20s, I was having poems and articles and stories published, and my novel was almost published three times, but the deal always fell through. So I worked as a journalist. On my 25th birthday I had a major quarter-life crisis, quit full-time work and began to freelance, spending 2 days a week on articles and 2 days a week on my novel. I gave myself till my 30th birthday to be published, else I’d have to admit defeat and give up. I laboured over a magic realism novel for about four years, eventually using it as my thesis for a MA in Writing. One night, when I was meant to be studying critical theory for my end-of-year exams, I curled up on the couch with one of those big fat fantasy books that go on for book after book. My husband said, ‘You read those things all the time, why don’t you write one?’ So I thought, ‘why not?’ I spent my summer holidays taking a dream I ahd had many years before and turning it into the beginnings of a fantasy novel. Three months later I had about fifty or sixty thousand words written and a plan for three books. I printed it out sent it and the synopsis to a literary agency. They rang me the next day and said, ‘loved what you sent, how soon can you have a complete manuscript for us?’ Uni was just about to start again but, as you can imagine, I ignored my studies and wrote and wrote and wrote. Two months later I had the first draft of Dragonclaw finished, around a hundred and twenty thousand words. The agent held a bidding war, and before I knew it I had a three book deal in Australia, the US and Germany. with Random House. I signed the contract 2 days before I turned 30.
How would you describe your style of fiction or your approach to writing fiction during your first few novels?
My first six novels were heroic fantasy, my seventh novel was contemporary magic realism, my eight novel was children’s fantasy.
How would you describe your style of fiction or your approach to writing fiction now?
My most recent novel is historical fantasy.
Was your first published novel standalone or part of a series, and what advantages or disadvantages did this present for you?
My first published novel was the first in a series of six, which meant I had no time for Second Book Syndrome!
Did you find writing your second novel easier or more challenging than writing your first novel and why?
No, it was much easier. I wrote my first novel as an impoverished masters student supporting myself as a freelance journalist. I wrote my second novel as an internationally bestselling author whose first book had been widely praised and nominated for several awards.
Who is another novelist whose fiction writing you admire and why?
So many writers I admire! Juliet Marillier, Kim Wilkins, Tracy Chevalier, Joanne Harris, Sarah Dunant, Kate Morton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mary Stewart, Georgette Heyer ...
Pick a series of novels you have written. How would you describe what makes that a cohesive series with strong appeal for readers?
The Chain of Charms’ series is historical fantasy for children, featuring two Romany children and their dog, monkey and dancing bear, in the last dangerous days of the rule of the dictator Oliver Cromwell. Emilia and Luka face all kinds of perils in their quest to find six lost gypsy charms before their family faces the gallows. Each of the six books is a complete adventure, with resolution provided by the finding of the relevant charm, lots of surprises adding to the suspenseful read, and a sense of real danger represented by the true historical period. Because Emilia and Luka are Romanies, they are not as bound by the strictures of a puritanical society, allowing them greater freedom to speak and act than most children at that time.
How would you summarise one of your novels in one paragraph?
‘Bitter Greens’ is a historical novel that interweaves a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale with the dramatic and scandalous life of one of its first tellers, the 17th century French writer, Charlotte-Rose de la Force, who was banished to a convent by the Sun King, Louis XIV.
How would you describe the appeal of this novel to readers?
A novel about desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love, ‘Bitter Greens’ moves from the luxurious and corrupt court of Versailles to the romance and danger of 16th century Venice.
How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?
Charlotte-Rose de la Force was a woman who longed to write, but was forced by birth and circumstances to live at the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, at a time when his secret police were hunting down suspected witches, satanists and poisoners. Caught using a love spell to try and attract a husband, Charlotte-Rose finds herself a prisoner of the Bastille, facing investigation by the Chambre Ardente, the French Inquisition.
How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?
Describing a true occurrence in Charlotte-Rose’s life, this chapter also brings the sumptuous and sinister world of the Sun-King vividly to life.
Author website: www.kateforsyth.com.au
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