Today I have a guest on my blog.
Angela Slatter is an Aussie author of dark fantasy and horror with a slant of mythology thrown into the mix.
The second book in her Verity Fassbinder urban fantasy series has just been released, and I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy. It's quite the mythological ride.
The second book in her Verity Fassbinder urban fantasy series has just been released, and I was lucky enough to read an ARC copy. It's quite the mythological ride.
Hi Angela, and thank you for popping in today!
Thanks so much for inviting me, Yolanda!
I read VIGIL last year and really enjoyed it. I was hooked! So I couldn't wait to get stuck into the second book, CORPSELIGHT. How did you come up with the concept of old myth and legends co-existing with humans in an Australian contemporary setting?
It’s very much founded in ideas about how we bring our mythologies and legends with us, and that a lot of us have these tales from our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, etc, that are handed down … even though we’re no longer living in the countries that spawned us! I’m quite fascinated by how stories and our ghosts travel with us, and then change when immersed in a new atmosphere, rather like humans change when they shift and travel to a different place, and stay there for a time.
Verity's adventure began as a short story, didn't it? At what stage did you realise there was enough story to become a novel-sized series/trilogy?
Ha! When my friend Jonathan Strahan said “This would make a great novel!” and then publishers started asking “So, where’s the novel!?”
It was a big process of mental evolution to get myself into the headspace where I could think differently about the story and how it might look in a larger setting. That took a while!
What came first: Verity, the world, or the plot?
Verity. It’s always characters with me, I get their voices in my head, they start talking to me. Then I start thinking about where they fit in the universe, what environments they bounced around in … and then I start thinking about how to make life difficult for them.
I'm a huge fan of urban fantasy because it mixes the best parts of so many different genres. And reading a series set in Australia is always extra awesome. What was it about Brisbane that made it the perfect setting? Did you always plan to set it in Brisbane?
I think that for me, having been away from Brisbane for four years, it was really interesting to see the city again and to view it with new eyes. I also use public transport (I don’t drive), so that’s a really good way to see things in a different fashion, you’re not separated from other humans in quite the same way (of course, that’s not always a good thing!). And because I was also walking a lot I was seeing and exploring places I normally wouldn’t, or wouldn’t have paid attention to … and I’m kind of naturally inclined to imagine weird things in ordinary places anyway!
And lastly, is the world of the Weyrd open ended, or do you have a set number of books in mind for Verity & Co?
Well, as with every series it depends entirely on how the books are received by readers as to whether or not a publisher decides to go ahead with other books. I have a second trilogy plotted out, but whether or not I will write it is another matter! I wrote the first trilogy to be self-contained, but there are definite possibilities. I’d love to take Verity back to Europe to investigate her family there, but we’ll just have to see what happens.
Thank you so much for answering all of my questions, and I look forward to reading more of your books.
You’re more than welcome!
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There you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading the Q&A as much as I did.
I'd once again like to say thanks to Angela for stopping by today and answering all of my questions.
I look forward to reading more of her books.
Plus, I'd also like to thank Jessica from Hachette Australia for sending me an ARC, and passing on my questions. :)
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