By The Way...

Friday, December 8, 2006
5:13:00 PM EST
Hearing Nothing at the moment.
We've reached the final installment of Author interview week, and today we're taking a trip down under to chat with Australia's Sean Williams, whose multi-hemispherical writing career covers both fantasy and science fiction, original work and work in Star Wars universe. William's latest (here in the US, at least -- more on that in a minute) is The Blood Debt, the second in the Books of the Cataclysm series, in which magic has replaced much of physics in a future earth. Today Williams goes into detail about the book, why which book is his latest depends on where in the world you live, and the value of collaborating with your friends.

1. Quick! Tell us a little about yourself and The Blood Debt.

"Quick"?  Don't know the meaning of the word. :-)

The Blood Debt is a fantasy adventure novel set in a world quite different to the one found in The Lord of the Rings and its descendants. Its landscape is very similar, in fact, to the one I grew up in, and where I still live: that out of South Australia, where big rivers are unheard of, the mountains are ground-down stubs, and it hardly ever rains. The Blood Debt is as much about this world as it is about the characters, since it chronicles the after-effects of a terrible disaster that turned our world into one where statues walk, bodiless spirits roam free, and a kind of magic is practised by people who don't always get along. It's a hostile world in lots of ways, but it's also a very beautiful one.

The book is simultaneously a chase novel and a romance, with various people trying to rescue family members and maintaining or starting relationships along the way. Love strikes us in the oddest places sometimes, and at the most awkward times. Its perversity is what makes it so addictive, I think. If it always came when and how we wanted to, where would be the fun in that? I'm getting married next year, to a wonderful woman who, like me, thought she would never tie the knot. That we're both willing and eager to do this thing that we've resisted for so long, with other people, is testimony to the amazing transformations that love can wreak, for good or ill, on the unsuspecting. To a certain extent, The Blood Debt is also about that.

As for me, I still live in South Australia, in my home town of Adelaide. It's a great place for writers: a low cost of living is matched by a disproportionately high standard of living, with excellent food, wine and beaches everywhere you look. I'm heavily involved in the local writing scene, popping up on boards and committees for such institutions as the SA Writers' Centre (the oldest in Australia), the Big Book Club (a national reading initiative acting in partnership with mainstream media and community libraries), and various writers' festivals.  Life is busy, and very, very good.

2. The "Books of the Cataclysm" series, of which The Blood Debt is a part, was published in Australia before it was published in the US. Talk a little bit about how that works. As a writer, how does it feel to have that sort of time delay between markets, where your new book here is an established book back home? Does it give you a case of authorial whiplash?

Because I live in Australia and these books have a very Australian feel, landscape-wise, they were sold here first and then on-sold elsewhere.  Hence the slight lag in their publishing schedule in the US.  For some reason, this seems standard with my fantasy novels, as opposed to my science fiction, which always comes out in the US first.

Being out of sync like this can be confusing, sometimes. A couple of months ago I was out and about here promoting The Devoured Earth, book four in the series, while gearing up for the beautiful Pyr edition of The Blood Debt, which is book two (but can also function as book one, just to confuse the issue even more). Last year, my second novel, The Resurrected Man, was published in the US, seven years after it appeared down here.  It's an odd thing, but you get used to it. The Resurrected Man is coming out in France next year, so that will cause a whole new confusion.

What's more complicated, at times, is releasing books in two or even three different series at overlapping intervals, as happened to me a couple of years ago, with a Star Wars trilogy, a previous fantasy series, and a space opera trilogy all coming out around the same time.  That takes real concentration, let me tell you.

3. You've created your own universes, and you've worked in the Star Wars universe, where so much of the universe is already established.  As a writer, what are the challenges of both? Is it restrictive writing in a universe that is not your own, or is it nice not to have to think up all the fiddly details? Likewise, can having to build a world from the ground up be more trouble than it's worth?

All of the above. That's the short answer. I love world-building, but I also love playing in someone else's sandpit, just for a  One of the great things about working in the Star Wars universe was that there were so many threads just waiting to be tied together, and for the most part I was allowed to do what I want. It's such a large, collaborative venture now.  Being part of that is a terrific experience, as was working in the Dr Who universe earlier this year.

I couldn’t, however, only do that kind of work. Not because it's not satisfying, but because my mental palate requires lots of different flavours. I'll keep coming up with new worlds with new rules because that just as much fun as mucking around with the stories I've loved from other people. There are no shortage of ideas.

4. Share a piece of advice you've been given about writing.

Hmmm.  I was told once (by Charles Brown, editor of Locus) that I should give up rather than subject myself and my loved ones to the inglorious spectacle of failing at a career that was unlikely ever to take me anywhere--not because I didn't have what it took, but because the odds are stacked against every new author, whoever they are. He was right, but I determined to prove him wrong. Sometimes a negative incentive (not to fail) is worth as much as a positive (to succeed), and that was certainly the case for me.  Even before I met Charles, I'd given myself ten years to have a book published. If I hadn't made that goal in the specified time, I'd quit and do something else. I was so terrified of having to honour that pledge that I made it in half the time. And I here I am, still writing, still proving Charles wrong, and still celebrating the fact with him every time we meet.

I've recently been trying to devise first principles that would apply to all writers, no matter what field they were working in. There are ten and a half so far. It remains very much a work in progress, and is open to anyone interested in contributing: http://ladnews.livejournal.com/19989.html.

5. You have collaborated with author Shane Dix on a number of books.  How does working with another author change the creative process for you? How do you resolve conflicts and disagreements?

Shane and I are friends first and collaborators second, so we've always had a fairly relaxed approach to disagreements. Sometimes he gets his way; sometimes I get mine. We agreed early on that I would have the final say in any serious conflicts, but I've never had to exercise my veto power, not once in twelve books together. That strikes me as both remarkable and a fitting testimony to our friendship.

I've collaborated with other people, including another Australian friend, Simon Brown, a couple of people in the film industry, some playwrights, and the gang behind the Star Wars novels. Shane and I might have had our names on the covers of the Force Heretic trilogy, but the involvement of everyone behind the scenes was intense. I find collaboration a really creative process, one I miss if I don't do it every now again. It's a challenge, yes, but I think it's very important for writers to challenge themselves and be challenged by others. It keeps me fresh. Nothing's worse than getting stale.

6. Looking at your bookwriting schedule, you're pretty much booked (pun intended) through 2009 in terms of producing work. On one hand, speaking as a writer, it's nice to be busy. On the other hand, do you ever look at your schedule and think "holy cow, I have to write all that?" What do you do to keep up your enthusiasm?

Oh, yeah. The "holy cow" feeling is one I've become very familiar with in recent years. But I know that I can get through it by writing every day and not letting myself be distracted. I love writing, and I love writing well. Given that, it's not so hard to get down to it.  There's nothing else I'd rather be doing.

I'm also aware, however, that I have to have a life, for my sanity's sake as well as to fuel the creative drive. There was a period in my early writing career when I suffered from anxiety and a mild form of agoraphobia. Leaving the house was difficult, so all I did was stay home and write. That time was intensely productive, and served me well in terms of establishing a reputation in Australia as a prolific short story writer, but I was a mess on the inside.

The situation wasn't sustainable, professionally or personally. Eventually I learned that the only way to be productive in the long-haul was to step away from the desk every now and again, to switch off and enjoy the company of friends, to travel, and so on. A happy worker is a productive worker, as the truism goes. I'm my own boss, so while I may still work every day, I make sure I take some time off as well. I've been writing full-time for seven years now, in which time I've written something like twenty novels, so the long-haul is only just beginning...

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You can read more of Sean Williams online, both in his LiveJournal and on his excerpts page, featuring opening chapters of many of his books.



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This entry has 2 comments: (Add your own)

• #2 Comment from monponsett 
  12/9/06 10:56 AM | Permalink

  Hot air balloons probably aren't the best form of Attack against a planet that looks like they have a lot of guys with crossbows around. They would, however, be quite effective against people who haven't discovered Fire yet.
• #1 Comment from princesssaurora 
  12/9/06 12:55 AM | Permalink

  Oooh Very cool!  My son will flip that you interviewed an author of Star Wars books... he has every single one ever in print, so far.  Yes, our house is bursting at the seams with books, always.  ugh
  
  More interviews with Star Wars guys would be cool!  lol
  
  be well,
  Dawn