Big 4 with Bec: Paul Collins

Paul Collins has written over 130 books and 140 short stories. He is best known for The Quentaris Chronicles (The Spell of Undoing is Book #1 in the new series), which he co-edits with Michael Pryor, The Jelindel Chronicles, The Earthborn Wars and The World of Grrym trilogy in collaboration with Danny Willis. Paul’s latest book is The Glasshouse, which Jo Thompson illustrated.

He is also the publisher at Ford Street Publishing.

Paul has been short-listed for many awards and won the Aurealis, William Atheling, and the inaugural Peter McNamara awards. He has had two Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards.

He has black belts in both ju jitsu and taekwondo – this experience comes through in both  The Jelindel Chronicles and The Earthborn Wards.

1. Your latest novel, The Slightly Skewed Life of Toby Chrysler, has received fantastic reviews. What was your inspiration for this novel and is Toby based on a real person?

Toby isn’t anyone I know. I’ve met several autistic kids, though. I sometimes wonder if kids I knew when growing up were autistic. Long before we had a name to account for certain behaviour, of course. I rarely write books with anyone in mind, although someone did inspire my current picture book, The Glasshouse.

2.  Paul, you’re not only a prolific writer of books for both adults and children but you also run Ford Street Publishing. You must be incredibly busy! How do you maintain a balance between the two careers?

The fact is, I don’t. My writing has taken a backseat for some time now. I have Maximus Black, the first book in a trilogy, just waiting for final polishing touches, but I can’t get to it. I also have a six part chapter series called Broken Magic that is just sitting here, but I can’t devote the time to do anything with it. All I’ve managed this year are a few chapter books that I’ve been commissioned to write. I think gone are the days I could write on spec. Publishing books is one thing, but publishing successfully is a whole new ballgame. Major publishers have six plus departments to handle every facet of their business, from commissioning through to accounts, but a small press has to be all of those departments rolled into one. The publicity/marketing of books is a full-time job in itself. Having said that, I’m in my element publishing books. There’s less doubt in doing something where you’re in control than doing something where other people dictate whether you’re successful or not. The writer’s life is fraught with uncertainty.

3. You’ve packed so much into your career, including writing, publishing, editing, and running creative workshops. Along the way, you’ve also won a number of prestigious awards and received widespread critical acclaim. Which of your many professional achievements has given you the greatest satisfaction?

I published Australia’s first adult heroic/high fantasy novels back in the early eighties, long before the major publishers got in on the act. Not many people would know that David Lake, Keith Taylor, and Russell Blackford wrote Australia’s first fantasy novels. It was only lack of distribution that saw the demise of my publishing house in the mid eighties.

I think, too, that The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy was another milestone in my career. My contributors and I spent about eighteen months putting that book together, and it stands as a written history of this country’s spec fiction. Last but not least, I edited the country’s first fantasy collection, Dream Weavers (Penguin Books). I look back at the collection and pause to think that back then, I had to look very hard to find fantasy authors to fill it. That book came out less than 15 years ago, but look at the Australian fantasy authors that have sprung up since then. The encyclopaedia would double if anyone were to update it now.

4. Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

I’d choose two, because they have similar characteristics. First I’d go for Sarah, from The Earthborn Wars; second I’d pick Jelindel from The Jelindel Chronicles.

Both of these characters were inspired by Peter O’Donnell’s crime fighter, Modesty Blaise. Both are indomitable, striving hard for justice in very hostile environments; they have their flaws, too, and aren’t adverse to bending the “rules” if needs be.

Like all main characters in fantasy, they start out quite naïve – especially Jelindel – and through trial and error, they finally triumph. During their rite-of-passage, they save their worlds from devastation, but at great cost to themselves and others. Both lose their families, and due to their circumstances they must either grow up really fast, or perish.

These characters fight on against seemingly insurmountable odds. Neither loses her integrity, nor do they take the easy options that are offered. I feel as though both of these characters are real and are people I’d like to know in real life.

Visit Paul’s websites:
www.paulcollins.com.au
www.quentaris.com
www.fordstreetpublishing.com