Joanne Harris Q & A: October 2011

Nov 012011
 

In October I had the opportunity to interview author Joanne Harris. Most of us will know her name due to the Chocolat movie. Of late she has broken into the Young Adult market with her Norse mythology fantasy title, Runemarks (out now, £7.99, published by Corgi). The sequel to that book, Runelight, was released in October (Doubleday hardback, £14.99), and will be reviewed soon on this website.

Andy Jamieson, Editor

 

Andy Jamieson: After all the success you’ve had over your career, what continues to inspire you as a writer?

Joanne Harris: I don’t think success means inspiration has to run dry. If anything, my success has taken me to places I would never have seen otherwise and introduced me to people I would never have had the chance to meet. I find that the more people I meet, the more new things I experience, the more stories I collect.

AJ: With Runemarks and the upcoming Runelight, you have now established yourself as a fantasy writer – what is it about the genre that appeals to you?

JA: I don’t usually tend to think of books in terms of genre. It’s liberating to be able to tap into the world of fantasy – to re-create mythologies, new races, languages, other worlds, magical systems – but I have been writing modern, magical fairytales in my mainstream, “literary” books as well. Superficially, this may seem like a departure, but thematically, I don’t think it is.

AJ: The fantasy genre is a thriving marketplace, particularly for the Young Adult audience. What do you feel sets the Rune books apart from other fantasy series?

JA: I think a lot of fantasy books, especially the ones that deal with mythology, can be quite earnest, even humourless. I’d like to think that my books give back to the myths the comic, irreverent slant they originally had, whilst hopefully retaining some of the important human themes as well.

AJ: What plans do you have for the series?

JA: I don’t know; but I’m having too much fun with these books to stop writing them just yet.

AJ: The Rune books revolve heavily around Norse mythology. What challenges did this provide you with?

JA: The greatest one, I think, was the merging of mythological and linguistic authenticity (runes, language, kennings, original texts and incantations, etc) with pure invention, deliberate anachronisms and contemporary themes. The characters were another challenge; easy to take into a more modern context, as Norse myths are already so accessible to modern sensibilities. But I wanted to make the characters mine, too, whilst retaining their traditional aspects.

AJ: Do you have any plans for other fantasy projects, aside from the Rune series?

JA: Maybe later. For the moment I can’t see that far.

AJ: Do you read much in the way of fantasy, SF, or horror?

JA: Yes, all the time. It’s what I read for pleasure, when I’m not reading as a reviewer or a literary prize judge.

AJ: What was the last book that you read, and why did you choose it?

JA: Murakami’s new book,  IQ84.  He’s such an original, fascinating, idiosyncratic writer. I love his work.

AJ: Out of everything you’ve worked on, is there one particular project that you think would be suited for a movie or tv series (that hasn’t been done already)? 

JA: Depending on the director, I’d love to see THE LOLLIPOP SHOES on the big screen. I see it as a Guillermo del Toro movie; dark; cruel; beautiful.

 

Thank you to Joanne for her time.

Interview conducted by Andy Jamieson, Editor

John Higgins Q & A (Chief Lighting Director, Captain America): August 2011

Oct 092011
 

Last month I had the fortune to interview John Higgins, a vastly experienced lighting engineer in the film industry, and his most recently released work has been on the Captain America: The First Avenger movie, as Chief Lighting Director. The look of the movie is beautiful, with a golden-era Hollywood glow to the scenes (the above scene is a good example). You might not know his name, but John has worked on more films than you know you know… If you get what I mean…  (just check his profile on IMDb)

Andy Jamieson: What challenges did you and your department face with Captain America? 

John Higgins: The challenges on Captain America were many. There were well over a hundred sets to be completed over around ninety days and some of these sets were vast and also involved night work. The exterior Hydra Factory was an old MoD propellant factory in Wales and was a massive planning and preparation task. There were tons of equipment with around twelve mobile generators, Industrial cranes and miles of cabling. A lot of the stage sets were also very complex.

AJ: Did you at any point refer to any of the original comic-books? Were director Joe Johnston and cinematographer Shelly Johnson quite specific on how they wanted the film to look? 

JH: The “look” of the film was determined by Joe, Shelly and Rick Heinrichs the Production Designer whose concept drawings were fantastic. I am not sure there were any references to the original comic books as I never saw any around in the Art Department. Once this concept was signed off on we had a great guide as to how a particular set or sequence should look.

AJ: You’ve worked on an incredibly broad range of movies, crossing many genres, including horror, action, and musicals. Which type of productions do you find the most enjoyable to work on, and why? 

JH: Most films are very enjoyable to work on. It would be impossible to single one out as they all develop their own feeling and dynamic.

AJ: Is there one film in particular, out of all the productions that you’ve worked on, that you are most proud of? 

JH: I suppose the film I am most proud of would be my first 35 mm feature which was 1984. It was technically very complex but that made it very interesting and I learned a lot on that film.

AJ: Out of all the film directors you’ve worked with, are there any that you have been particularly impressed by?

JH: Most directors are very impressive as they have so much call on their time. Every department has questions which in the end can only be decided by the director. One director once told me the most frightening thing is when he walks on to the set on Day 1 and all the technicians are getting their stuff ready and they are all busy but there will come a moment when it all turns to him, a very scary moment. There is one director I will mention and that is Tim Burton. I have done three films with him, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd. He is amazing to work with.

AJ: How was your experience of working on the first Harry Potter film? 

JH: The first Harry Potter was great fun with a really good atmosphere on the set. It had a huge cast of children so the production had to provide classrooms, tutors and chaperones at the studios for the several hundred children.

AJ: How long have you worked in the film industry and how did you start out? 

JH: I started in the business in 1980 and it was by accident. I saw an advertisement in a paper for technicians for a small film studio which was opening and I was working on the oil rigs and had a lot of time off so I thought it would be fun and some extra money. I never returned to the rigs. I did two big films in a very junior capacity and then the commercials and TV dramas. One can learn a lot with that amount of variety. One of the great things about what I do is the variety of work and on every project there is the opportunity to learn more. The format is changing in cameras with a lot of films now shot on a digital format rather than film. There is also the popularity of 3D now with a lot of big budget productions being shot 3D or shot 2D and converted in post.

AJ: What is it you most enjoy about your work? 

JH: I am currently in preparation for the 23rd Bond film and the Director of Photography is Roger Deakins who was the DP on 1984, we have worked together on a lot of films so it is great to work with him again.

Thank you to John for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions. Andy Jamieson, Editor

To read the Geekzine review of Captain America, click here.

Katja From The Punk Band by Simon Logan

Sep 122011
 

 

Katja From The Punk Band by Simon Logan

(published by ChiZine Publications, 2010, TPB, £varies, out now)

Playing like a Cold War thriller with piercings, Katja From The Punk Band is author Simon Logan’s second novel, following on from Pretty Little Things To Fill Up The Void. My first inclination was to think of this novel as Cyberpunk – but that would be misleading as there’s no ‘cyber’ to speak of. The author describes his work as Industrial or Fetishcore fiction. I like the term neo-noir. Set at an indeterminate time, on an Eastern Bloc-style ‘work’ island, this novel is tight, lean and populated by characters looking for a better deal. Katja, a charming punk-ette, is a waitress in a slum diner, who has come across an opportunity (a vial containing a valuable narcotic) to get off the island. All she needs to do is stay one step ahead of her pursuers, who  include her parole officer (Aleksakhina), her former boyfriend (Januscz), a low-life drug dealer (Kohl), and his boss (Dracyev). Along for the ride  is Nikolai, a wastrel junkie, hooked on drugs and arcade games, and slightly in awe of Katja, and her ever-present guitar (used more as a weapon than as a musical instrument). All Katja and Nikolai need to do is get the vial to the mysterious Man in Red, over on the mainland. Like all simple propositions, they never work out simply…

Logan’s prose is present tense, lending it an immediacy that feels fluid and not forced. The story hurtles along, a neat twist being that we get scenes from various character’s perspectives, often in the build up to an event of some kind. In lesser hands this style would feel manipulative and overly technical, but here it pulls the reader into the larger story at work; this is a grim world and all the characters are looking for their own bit of solace. There is a permanent gloom over the island; daylight has no place here. This could be the future or it could be the height of the Cold War. It doesn’t matter, as the style feels timeless, and effortless. The story plays out, in parts, like a classic thriller, chase sequence following and preceding action, often fast and brutal. At other times this feels like a tale of doomed hope (see the fated romance between Aleksakhina and Ylena); the author masterly spins bittersweet melancholy to counter the downbeat grind.

A neo-noir thriller unlike anything you’ll have read before. Find it, buy it.

Andy Jamieson, Editor

Visit Simon’s website: www.coldandalone.com

Simon’s next book is called Guerra and is out late 2012.

Embassytown by China Miéville

Sep 112011
 

Embassytown by China Miéville

(MacMillan, 2011, HB, £17.99, out now)

A criticism often levelled at science-fiction novels is that they’re full of great ideas, but short on story-telling. It’s to China Miéville’s credit, then, that no matter how outlandish the worlds, cultures and artifacts he creates in his books, they always seem to occupy a meaningful place in his absorbing plots. Embassytown is no exception, and in fact can be seen as a masterclass in how to make a complex sci-fi invention absolutely central to the development and resolution of a story, rather than just decorating the backdrop to it.

Concepts like hyperspace travel and crises of alien diplomacy are old hat in the world of science-fiction, but to these familiar tropes Miéville adds a refreshingly original and cerebral take on xenolinguistics, or alien language. On the distant port planet of Arieka, human settlers maintain a peaceful co-existence with the enigmatic natives, truly bizarre alien creatures, the quirks of whose near-impenetrable and peculiar language mean that they are unable to lie. The human colonists can only communicate with their so-called “Hosts” through genetically-engineered ambassadors, whose enhancements enable them to mimick the exotic speech of the locals. The arrival of a new ambassador, unlike any who have gone before, heralds a breakdown in communication and an increasingly desperate situation for the humans now stranded on the very edge of known space.

Like much of Miéville’s work this book is rich with themes, some made obviously explicit and others less so. The use and abuse of language is of course central to the story, as well as its dangerous potential to mislead, confuse and intoxicate – both literally and metaphorically. The progress of linguistic breakdown in the book actually runs parallel with the gradual humanization of the main characters, many of whom begin the story as distant, unsympathethic creations but grow into fully-formed, relatable human beings by the conclusion of the book. This I believe is a deliberate ploy on the part of Miéville, who wishes to show us that traditional structures of language can be as much of a barrier between people as a tool for communication. If we look deeper, we can also discern a more general political theme running through Embassytown, that of the often destructive influence of colonising powers on the indigenous societies they disturb, and of the violent retribution that unchecked hubris can provoke.

One of Miéville’s greatest strengths as a writer is to keep such themes, potent though they are, from getting in the way of telling a good story. Though the book – much like its characters – initially seems to be holding you at arm’s length, it isn’t long before the varied strands of the tale begin to coalesce into a gripping narrative. The truly thrilling thing is to see how the author manages to build the plot itself around his invented theory of alien linguistics, its glorious complexity fuelling the varied developments of the main story. Just like The City & The City before it, Embassytown throws you in at the deep end and doesn’t hold your hand. As such, it may take the reader some time to grow accustomed to this strange new world, but it also completely transports you to a desolate planet on the edge of the known universe, as all of humanity’s carefully-constructed barriers begin to crumble, allowing loneliness and dread to creep in. This ability to perfectly balance the cerebral with the emotional is why China Miéville is one of the finest writers of fiction working today in any genre, and why we can expect many more groundbreaking works from him in the future.

Jim Taylor, Lead Bookseller, Waterstone’s Livingston

Curtis Jobling Q & A (Wereworld): Summer 2011

Sep 082011
 

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.

The second book in the Wereworld series is out in July, Rage of Lions. What can readers expect from this next instalment? Rise of the Wolf ended on a triumphant cliffhanger for Drew, with the reluctant hero facing up to his future as the rightful king of the realm. Rage of Lions sees Drew still struggling with the weight of expectation on his shoulders from not only the people of Lyssia but his fellow Werelords. The moment the opportunity arises to return to the road on a desperate quest, he seizes it with both hands. The story sees friends separated, poor choices, terrible new foes and some pretty immense battles. The peril is ramped up for all the characters: my editor likened Rage to Empire Strikes Back, if Rise was the Star Wars! That suits me fine – I might have been upset if she’d likened it to Phantom Menace…

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.

Follow @curtisjobling on TWITTER

www.curtisjobling.com

John Layman & Rob Guillory Q & A (creators of Chew): August 2011

Aug 282011
 

Chew Volume 4: Flambé by John Layman & Rob Guillory is out September 2011.

 

Kate West: So first off, I would like to ask a bit about Chew’s central character; Tony Chu. To me Tony’s ‘cibopathic’ abilities are central to the great dark sense of humour running through the comic. Who came up with the parameters of his ability? 

John Layman: I figured out the story and the concepts behind it. Several scripts were completely written before Rob came on board. He was instrumental to the characters’ LOOKS, though.
Rob Guillory: Yeah, John had a very solid grasp of who the central characters were by the time I came around. My job was finding the right visual style that matched the people and world that he came up with.

KW: As a follow on to my first question, will your loyal readers ever find out why Tony can’t get any psychic readings from beets?

JL: Probably not. “Origins” are not something I am particularly interested in. Inevitably, no answer would probably be satisfying enough, so why not leave it unanswered.

KW: How do you come up with the names for the characters abilities?

JL: I was an English major in college and particularly interested in etymology, the study of word origins (the only origins I AM interested in, I suppose.) The names of abilities are just a mix of root words, usually a mash-up of Greek and Latin.

RG: And I can proudly say that more recently I’ve helped out with naming a couple of them!

KW: John, how does working on Chew differ from other projects you’ve worked on? Is there more or less pressure to be successful with something that is all of your own creation?

JL: I’ve been a little intimidated by the awards, I think. Usually getting an award freaks me out more than inspires me and I have a few weeks of stage fright and self-doubt between the time I win an award and the time I finish the next issue. Every issue I worry is going to suck, and derail all the momentum the book has built. And then after a few weeks of torturing myself I finish a new issue and find myself pretty happy with it—and then worried about the next issue.

KW: Rob, from what I can gather this is your first major project, please correct me if I’m wrong; are there any hidden Guillory gems fans can search for?

RG: Yeah, CHEW really is my first major comic outing. Everything I’ve done before was way smaller in scale and not as high profile. Check out my work on Ape Entertainment’s Teddy Scares. It was a lot of fun.

KW: Chew was featured in the hugely popular The Walking Dead series which Robert Kirkman has stated he has no intention of ending anytime soon. Can the same be said of Chew? Or do you have a definite idea of how the series will end?

JL: Nope. CHEW is a finite novel and has a definite ending (Issue #60.) I can’t imagine NOT working toward an ending. It would make the book pointless, in my opinion. I want everything to lead somewhere, and have repercussions. And, really, I just like endings. I don’t write anything without having some general idea of the ending.

KW: Speaking of The Walking Dead, it has exploded since it was adapted to a television series and aired on AMC last year. It’s been confirmed that Chew is also to receive its very own T.V adaptation – what are your hopes for the T.V series? How much involvement will you have in the creative process?

JL: My involvement is still being worked out. I’ll be involved as a producer, in some capacity, but I have no idea what that will mean. Both Rob and I recognize the show will not be 100% faithful, but we’re hoping it is faithful to the spirit of the book. And, judging by the pilot script we’ve read, it seems to be.

RG: The script’s awesome. It really captures the comic’s ability to walk a fine line between humor and some really grim subject matter. It’s probably as loyal an adaptation as it could be, given how crazy the book can get.

KW: Rob, you mention Dave Gibbons work  on Watchmen  as something you have studied in the process of making Chew, you must get asked this all the time, but are there any other artists you can name that have inspired you?

RG: Steve Ditko, John Buscema, John Romita Jr., Jim Mahfood, Dave Crosland, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama, just to name a few. My interests are very diverse, from older stuff, to more modern, to more cartoony and anime stuff. It’s all in there.

KW: Another question for Rob: one of the things I love about Chew is the use of colour; the muted pastel colours are so aesthetically pleasing and make for a great contrast to some fairly grim events. When I think of this contrast I usually flash to Tony being vomited on in the first Chew compilation, Taster’s Choice. Do you use a particular set palette of colours for a desired effect, or are they colours you just lean towards naturally?

RG: I use whatever feels right. I tend to think of different scenes in terms of color. If it’s a really intense scene, I tend to turn the saturation up to match it. And likewise, I turn it down for less intense scenes. I’m very experimental, and just have a pretty keen eye for what works and what doesn’t.

KW: John, are there parts of your own personality that you’ve passed onto the characters of Chew? Is there any character that particularly identify with?

JL: I like to think I am the most like Colby, but maybe I just say that because I find him the most fun to write.

RG: I’m definitely Tony Chu. A fairly normal guy, surrounded by a bunch of weirdoes, and thrown into outlandish situations.

KW: If you could both be one of the characters, who would you be?

JL: Colby. Again, he’s the most fun, and he seems to HAVE the most fun.

RG: I’d be Toni. Just a really fun, carefree character. I tend to be overly serious in real-life, so it’d be a nice break.

KW: Much as I love Tony Chu and John Colby, I have to admit I particularly look forward to Mason Savoy. His particular vernacular is really enjoyable to read. I enjoy the juxtaposition of his slick speech with against his dubious moral standing and readiness to often brutal violence. Are there certain characters that you enjoy writing more than others, and if so, why?

JL: Mason is the hardest to get a handle on, especially if I go a couple of issues without writing him. It takes a while to get him just right. Colby and Toni are my favourite. Again, they are the most fun, but they are also the most surprising and unpredictable.

KW: Do either of you have other projects that you can tell us about, or are we just to be spoilt with Chew goodness right now?

JL: I just finished a Godzilla series for IDW, but mostly I am just concentrating on getting a good several issues ahead of Rob, at least until I see how the TV show shakes out.

RG: I’ve got a few creator-owned things that I’m toying with, but who knows when they’ll be done. And I’ve got a few small projects for other publishers that I can’t really talk about yet. But CHEW is my full-time job, and will be for the next 40 issues.

KW: This is gonna be my final question…. You were at the San Diego Comic Con recently, was this your first time at the SDCC? Did you have a chance to go out and about and explore?

JL: I’ve been going to San Diego every year since 1991. The first time I went I drove downtown during my lunch-hour at my day job, parked on the street nearby, and saw the entire hall in an hour. Show has grown a bit since then. I don’t plan to EVER miss an SDCC.

RG: This was my sixth or seventh SDCC. I tend to wait until the last day to walk around, since I’m always working there. It’s a blast, but can be very overwhelming. I always enjoy it, but inevitably need a gigantic nap afterwards. HA.

Interview conducted by Kate West, Bookseller, Waterstone’s Edinburgh George Street

To read Kate’s review of the Chew series, click here.

 

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