Curtis Jobling.
What inspired the world of Lyssia and the Seven Realms? I’ve been a lover of horror and fantasy from a criminally young age, and knew that if I were to ever get around to writing a novel, then chances were it would be in one of the two genres. Who guessed it would be both? Shapeshifting monsters have always fascinated me, I was a huge fan of Lon Chaney’s Wolfman growing up, and as I grew that affection shifted to American Werewolf and The Howling. Fantasy roleplaying games played a big part in my adolescence too (often it was me who was running them) and that was probably where I learned the craft of storytelling. The world-building side of Wereworld probably comes from that misspent youth, chucking twenty-sided dice and bodging saving throws.
What challenges did you face with writing Rise of the Wolf? It was my first novel and I had an awful lot to learn. My first attempt at novel-writing had resulted in a gothic-fantasy children’s story which never got picked up when pitched to publishers – I could see where the problems lay with the manuscript and it had been a steep and invaluable learning curve. Having had success in different fields (animation and picture books) I was learning a new trade pretty much from scratch and had a lot to prove. The disciplines I had in place from those other creative industries certainly stood me in good stead when I set my mind to working on Wereworld though.
What plans do you have for the Wereworld series? Puffin have picked up four books in the series and I’m hoping I can keep writing stories set within the world of the books. It’s a very broad canvas I’ve created to play with, with the sky being the limit when one thinks of the different kinds of therianthropes one could feature in a story. I’m not restricted to just following the story of young Werewolf, Drew Ferran, either. There’s a large cast of supporting characters to explore as well as some big fat hints dropped into the books as to what other creatures and dangers exist in the wider world…
You are clearly a big fan of the fantasy genre. Do you have any favourite writers or books? Tolkien is still the daddy for me – The Hobbit is the first novel I ever got out from my local library as a nine year old kid and it took me a whole summer and numerous library fines to read it. Of the contemporary fantasy authors writing today one need look no further than George R R Martin, who I’m a huge admirer of. He’s a master of epic story-telling and weaving disparate characters and plots together. Joe Abercrombie is the pick of the British fantasy writers out there for me – I’d love to try my hand at something adult at some point in time, but for the foreseeable I’m very happy to keep exploring Wereworld.
Where do you write? And do you have any unusual ‘rituals’ before you begin a session of writing? I have a fabulously untidy studio/playroom at home where I write, often after the kids have gone to bed. I’m not sure I’ve any rituals to speak of, bar making numerous cups of tea and coffee and procrastinating before getting on with the business of writing.
What book are you reading at the moment? Horns by Joe Hill. Great horror writer, perhaps even better than his old man. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s as prolific, I certainly hope so. Heart shaped box was a thing of genius.
What are you working on at the moment? I’m finishing writing Wereworld Book Three presently – a couple of chapters to complete – and then it’ll be on to Book Four. I started writing a YA ghost story between books Two and Three as well, in the contemporary real world setting, which I’ll get back to as time allows.
Any advice for budding fantasy writers out there? Practice your craft. Don’t ‘settle’ when you’re writing, always try and improve. Seek the advice and criticisms of others – the honest kind, I might add, as opposed to folk blowing smoke up your bum. Criticism is great when its constructive, so surround yourself with like-minded creative souls who can help you towards your goal.
Interview with Andy Jamieson, Editor
To read Andy’s review of Wereworld: Rise Of The Wolf, click here.
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