I also studied the craft of writing quite intensely. This involved writing stories, polishing them, having them rejected and then starting all over again. Before I met my agent, I did however spend years and years honing my craft. I met my agent, he sent my book out to market and I literally had a book deal a few weeks later. How long did it take you to become a published author?Ī few weeks! No, I’m serious. It is again a natural consequence of story maker-uppers.
It took a few detours, and I decided to start writing more seriously after I left university but I think writers tend to be born that way. Telling the stories you create in your head is, I think a natural progression in this case. I’m not so sure about the story telling part, but I do know that I have however always been a natural story maker-upper. Have you always been a natural story-teller? When I read your first novel what struck me most was the energy and enthusiasm that came through the words on the page. That’s a great description which captures the complex essence of the genre. This is how Elle’s world came into being and so I suppose in a way this is why they described the books as Gothic Steampunk. Two sides of the same coin, but in direct opposition with the other. I’ve always been a fan of the 19th century Gothic literature and I love steampunk and so I thought it would be cool to create a world that was bright and technologically progressive on the one side while dark and organic on the other. It is the 19th century’s nostalgia for the romantic ideals that originated in the Dark Ages. Gothic romanticism is more about Victorian disillusionment. Steampunk takes its cue from those intentions. We know today that much of what they did was deeply misguided, but I think their hearts were in the right place. The Victorians had this obsession with making the world a better place, by “civilising” it. It concerns itself with technology and progress. I think steampunk, in broad terms, is the fascination with Victorian optimism. That’s a question that requires a rather long and convoluted answer. To me the combination of history, invention, science, fantasy, romance and thrilling adventure is a magical blend – literally too, as it reveals a deadly game between Alchemists and Warlocks as the creatures of light and dark walk among us.
Welcome, Liesel, and thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions. It was chosen by Random House to launch their SFF imprint (Science Fiction and Fantasy) Del Rey in the UK. I first came across Liesel’s work when I read her debut novel ‘A Conspiracy of Alchemists’, which is an action packed adventure described as “Combining the best elements of Gothic fiction with contemporary Steampunk”. I am delighted to welcome Liesel Schwarz, Queen of Gothic Steampunk to my blog this month.
0 kommentar(er)
