Interviewing G M White
A little while ago I was very impressed by G M White’s The Swordman’s Lament a very very good fantasy thriller which I reviewed here
The author very kindly agreed to answer some of my questions!
So how do you like to describe the book?
Well, when I first had the idea for The Swordsman’s Lament I described it as a swashbuckling fantasy murder mystery. However I think you got it right in your review when you labelled it a fantasy thriller, because although there is a mystery at the heart of the narrative it definitely has the structure and pace of a thriller. So now I call it my swashbuckling fantasy thriller!
What made you go more for the man on the run theme rather than a more standard fantasy tale?
My first attempt at writing a novel, trunked for now but I might return to it one day, was a more traditional fantasy novel. First in a trilogy, very much a hero’s journey narrative with a quest element to it, so a lot of travelling on horseback etc. Now, I know very little about horses and it occurred to me that I’d made a bit of a rod for my own back in terms of research and world building. Because I needed to know how far you could travel per day on horseback cross country, by well maintained roads etc. And how big, geographically, was the setting for the book? How long I wanted them to travel would dictate that, and working this all out gave me a headache. Also, because the book was my first attempt it was very much my learning novel. After a few years and several drafts I realised there was a lot structurally wrong with it that, if I was to continue, I’d need to rewrite it from scratch. Which I still might do some day. So I decided to work on something else and that I wanted that project to be shorter and more contained, taking place over a few days in one city. I already had the idea for the central character, Belasko, in my head and that the story would revolve around his fall from grace. With all that in mind, it seemed the best form for the story to take.
The books has a lot of great action sequences – what for you is key in making action scenes work?
I’m glad you liked them, they are hard work! I think that, first of all, any fight or action scene in a story has to have a purpose. Having fights for the sake of having fights soon becomes dull if they’re not justified. It helps if there’s an emotional connection to the fight, what and why is the character driven to fight? Most people don’t just get into fights for no reason.
I’d also say blocking is important. You need to make it clear what is happening and when, although this doesn’t mean just writing a list of physical moves. It means having an awareness of the characters involved, their locations and movements.
Also, make those movements realistic. Think through what you’re describing, get up and act it out if needed. I did a little bit of fencing when I was younger. Not enough to make me an expert in any way, but enough to have a physical awareness of how people might move in these situations. Think about the energy and strength required for the movements you’re describing, the physical momentum involved, the weight of the movement.
Most of all, if you’re writing an action sequence, have fun! Fight scenes are bloody difficult, but so satisfying when you get them right.
Refreshingly there are quite a lot of progressive takes on characters roles and sexualities. What led to those choices?
It’s something I’ve always tried to do in my writing. I think there’s a tendency to view fantasy through some sort of faux historical prism that has often ignored non-binary gender roles and alternative sexualities and, sometimes, treated women as secondary characters. Whereas we know gender and sexuality is a spectrum, women can swing a sword as well as (if not better than) any man, and that people have been living these lives throughout history. So I try to make my fantasy worlds reflect that.
Who do you think writing wise was a big influence on your work
It’s very tempting here to run off a list of my favourite authors, although many of them are the sorts of authors I’d like to be when I grow up! Personally, big influences on me have been Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, David Gemmell, David Eddings and a host of other authors I read during my formative years. More contemporary influences would have to include Sebastien de Castell, RJ Barker, Jen Williams, Ed McDonald, Melissa Caruso… They, along with a wave of current authors, are offering a fresh new take on fantasy that is invigorating the genre and certainly inspired me to make more interesting choices in my work.
So what next for Belasko?
First of all, we’re going back in time. I’m currently working on a prequel novella, set about 15 years before The Swordsman’s Lament, working title The Swordsman’s Intent, which I hope to have available in ebook format by the end of June. This features a few familiar characters and lays some of the foundations for the events that unfold in The Swordsman’s Lament. Then I start work on the sequel… Set a few years after the events of The Swordmsan’s Lament, Belasko has not been able to find his replacement as Royal Champion. He is still distancing himself from court life, spending most of his time at his academy in the search for his successor. The Queen is on the verge of signing a new treaty with the Baskan people, against whom Belasko so famously fought in the Last War. As a significant figure in that war, the Baskans ask that he be present as part of the delegation to the Baskan capital to sign the treaty. Once again he finds himself embroiled in court life and intrigue, and many things he thought certain get turned upside down as he and the Queen end up in a desperate fight to save not just their lives but those of their people.
If there was one book (not your own) that you love to recommend to other people what would it be?
Ooh, difficult question! For a contemporary work I’d have to say The Bone Ships by RJ Barker, which is an astonishing work. Incredibly original and inventive world building and unlike anything else out there. I’ve been lauding it as a masterpiece of modern fantasy. For a genre classic, I’d say The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. It’s the first book of the classis Memory, Sorrow & Thorn trilogy that is a personal favourite and was the series that opened my eyes to how ambitious this genre could be.
