The Big 4 Interviews – Michael Pryor
Michael Pryor is a best-selling author of fantasy for teenagers. He has published over twenty novels and more than 40 short stories. He has been shortlisted for the Aurealis Award six times, and five of his books have been CBCA Notable books.
1. Your latest book, Time of Trial, is set in the war-torn country of Holmland and is based, in part, on your own historical research. Could you tell us a bit about your research process and where fact and fiction overlap in this book?
I’m a History buff, so I find research both interesting in its own right – and dreadfully seductive. If I’m not careful, I can follow byways and turnings in all directions and find myself far, far away from the ostensible object of my investigations. Having said that, some of the juiciest material turns up in this sideways wandering …
For a series like ‘The Laws of Magic’ I have two types of research. The first research into the general history of the period, including its major events, the parties involved and the outcomes. For ‘The Laws of Magic’ this meant re-looking at the period leading up to the First World War, which resulted in the books having a political flavour that I think adds a layer that is missing from many YA books. I also looked outside the political and military history to the broader history of the time – most particularly arts, sciences, but also social developments like the move towards women’s suffrage and the Fabian movement with its concerns for social justice.
After that, I needed to research the real nitty-gritty of how people lived at this time. It’s paradoxical, but writing fantasy (particularly this sort of quasi-historical fantasy) demands a kind of scrupulous realism. In order to help a reader come to terms with some of the more fantastic elements in the story, having consistently believable, recognisable elements is important. For ‘The Laws of Magic’ this meant getting background details right, such as the sort of lighting in rooms (gas? electricity?), the forms of transport (were they still using carriages? how common were motor cars?), the clothing worn (when were zips invented? what sort of hats were worn in the morning?), the furniture, the food, the forms of address …
It’s endless, and it can become consuming. Not long ago I spent a morning trying to find out how often letters were delivered in turn of the century London, and was fascinated to find that a householder could count on at least four or five visits from the postman each day. I love that sort of detail, and I was able to use it as a neat plot point.
So I do preliminary research before starting a book (or series) but I also have to do ‘On the Spot’ research, as above. Having done all this, however, I am conscious of the failing of so many historical novels – and quasi-historical fantasy novels. Just because I’ve done the research and found out all these highly interesting things, it doesn’t mean they all have to make their way into the novel I’m writing. I wince when authors drop chunks of information into their stories, undigested. I can just hear them saying to themselves: ‘I’ve spent days finding out about this, so I’m going to use it – whether the reader needs it or not.’ Shudder. That sort of thing can bring the story to a grinding halt, and the reader can feel like they’ve lurched into a lecture rather than a narrative.
In ‘The Laws of Magic’, the more I researched the events of the period, the more uneasy I felt about actually setting my story at that time. I wanted more latitude than the historical events allowed me, and that’s why I’ve cast a thin veil over the real world to produce my world where Britain is Albion, France is Gallia, Germany is Holmland and so on. Some readers enjoy the puzzle aspect of making the connection with the real world and its history, but it’s not a mandatory part of enjoying the story – I hope. Broadly, the events are the same: after a competitive arms build-up, certain countries on the continent bring the world to war thanks to a complex arrangement of treaties and agreements. I shift some details, but that scenario remains true – and I add magic into the mix.
2. What are three things that you can’t do without when you’re writing?
I’m a reasonably adaptable writer. I’ve written in many different places, with many different set-ups – usually because of a deadline or two. But some things are essential to my operating at peak writerly efficiency.
1. Coffee. I enjoy good coffee, but I’ll make do with bad coffee if I need to. A top quality espresso and the five minute break that goes with it, keep me going.
2. A run (or walk) in the morning. I take my dog, Darcy, and the exercise clears my head, gives me a bit of thinking time, and sets me up for a day of writing.
3. Clean glasses. I’m very picky about this, and I keep a small bottle of spectacle cleaner right next to my computer.
3. If you could be any of your characters for a day, who would you choose and why?
I’d like to be Sir Darius Fitzwilliam. Sir Darius is the father of Aubrey Fitzwilliam, the main character in ‘The Laws of Magic’, but he’s fascinating in his own right. His back-story is only hinted at in the books (he was a highly awarded military commander, he was a prize-winning yachtsman, a crack shot, a superb golfer – and heir to an ancient aristocratic title that he has given up in order to pursue a life of politics) and is intriguing enough, but in the series he is the Prime Minister of a country that is doing its best to prevent a war while, at the same time, making sure that Albion isn’t unprepared if this war does eventuate.
I’d like to be Sir Darius for a day because I’d enjoy seeing the complexities of running a country in such difficult times, and dealing with all the concerns – political, military, social – that come from being in such a parlous situation. I’d be keen to see how such an idealist manages to maintain his integrity while having to chart a course through negotiations that inevitably offer compromise as the simplest solution. Could I remain strong and uphold my principles of even handedness, strength and honour? I think I’d enjoy being put to the test.
And, of course, being Sir Darius Fitzwilliam would give me a chance to meet the astonishing Lady Rose Fitzwilliam …
4. Which of your many characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?
That’s a hard one. I’ve published twenty-five novels, so I have lots of characters to choose from.
On consideration, it would have to be Aubrey Fitzwilliam from ‘The Laws of Magic’ series. Aubrey is a complex, absorbing character. This young man has more than a few flaws (most obviously, he’s teetering on the brink of death after a magical experiment went disastrously wrong) but his heart is in the right place. He’s brave, resourceful, compassionate, articulate and he happens to be extremely good with magic, which is something that I’ve always thought a handy talent. Aubrey is very loyal to his friends, quick-witted and not afraid to do the right thing – even when doing the right thing is extremely difficult. He veers between daring confidence in his own abilities and crushing self-doubt, which I think is a reasonably normal state of affairs for many people.
Aubrey burns bright for me because he has the qualities of a memorable person, one who would leave an impression long after he had left the room. I like the way that he develops a capacity for self-examination and self-awareness, a sign of the way he grows over the course of the series.
And he’s funny: he enjoys a quip, he can play with words, he’s adept with banter.
Aubrey Fitzwilliam burns bright for me, and the more I write about him, the brighter he burns.
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