Author bio:
Anna Thayer (née
Slack) graduated from the University of Cambridge with first class
honours in 2005 before living and teaching in Sicily for two years. She
writes and lectures internationally on the works of fantasists J. R. R.
Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, and has edited a volume of essays on the
latter’s work.
Anna
currently lives with her husband in southern England, where she teaches
English language and literature at an independent school. The Traitor’s Heir is the first in the trilogy ‘The Knight of Eldaran’, and her debut novel.
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Hi Anna, welcome over to The Book Plank and for taking your time to
answer these few questions for us.
BP: First off, could you give us a short
introduction as to who Anna Thayer is? What are your likes/dislikes and
hobbies?
AT: I’ll resist the
urge to answer that question in the third person… By day, I’m an English
teacher, by night the sleep-deprived mother of an 16-month-old! I’m passionate
about literature and story-telling in all their forms, about the curious turns
of word and phrase and etymology. The natural consequence of this (and my
day-job) is that I can be a bit of a ‘grammar Nazi’. I’ve always loved fantasy
and the works of Tolkien and Lewis in particular – this is why I also write and
lecture on their works, and have had essays published in a number of
collections, as well as editing a book on Lewis’ work. I’ve loved writing since
I could pretty much hold a pen, so it’s fantastic to become a ‘real writer’ at
last.
BP: The
Traitor’s Heir is your debut in fantasy fiction; writing a debut is a
daunting task, how did you go about and plan this?
AT: I had been
writing fantasy series since I was about 11, and so The Knight of Eldaran began as just an attempt to get back into
writing after university. I didn’t feel daunted when I began – I just had some
ideas that I wanted to play with, mostly unplanned beyond the chapter I was
working on. I tend to know where I want to start and end, but the middle is an
adventure. As the world and characters began to grow and do their own thing,
and I began to believe that I had written something that was original enough
that it might make its mark on the genre – that was when things became
daunting. I would say that the long process of editing and revision was the
greatest challenge! There were points when nothing could have filled me with
more joy than rending the entire manuscript to shreds, because I was so
disillusioned with it all. The only way to overcome that was to grit my teeth
and go back to it again and again, even when I really didn’t want to; the support of friends, family and,
particularly in the final stages, my husband and the wonderful folks at Lion
Hudson, was crucial in getting to the book you can hold in your hand today.
BP: The
Knight of Eldaran is your first fantasy series, what gave you the idea
behind the series?
AT: I had a moment
of genuine and unpredictable inspiration. At the time I began writing, I had
just graduated and was working as a customer services representative for a wine
merchant. I had just spoken to a customer who had asked for a copy of the price
list, which I had enveloped and was preparing to send out. While I was
addressing the envelope, I saw that this customer lived in a place called Edesfield
Lane, somewhere near Reigate. As soon as I read the word Edesfield, I thought:
‘That’s a place that must have a story – perhaps the field of Ede.’ And then I
wondered, who would Ede have been? And I had a startling clear picture of a
mediaeval king riding to battle in the pouring rain, a battle that I knew he
would lose. This was the kernel from which the whole trilogy grew. I would love
to visit that man in Edesfield Lane, and thank him for his call!
BP: The
Traitor’s Heir is out July later this summer, if you had to sell your book
with a single sentence, how would it go?
AT: Every man has a
destiny: his is to betray. Which, indeed, has become the book’s tag line!
BP: Did you encounter specific problems when
you were writing The Traitor’s Heir?
AT: The occasional
writer’s block – to which my solution was generally rather Tolstoy-esque: to
add a dramatic incident, and then see how it affected the plot!
BP: What was the hardest part when you were
writing The Traitor’s Heir?
AT: Without wanting
to give any spoilers, the hardest section was towards the end of the novel,
where the protagonist faces the betrayal of a loved one. It is pretty clear to
the reader that the hero’s loved one is genuine in what they say, but I
struggled to keep the hero himself relatable in his response. It was the scene
that I rewrote most often!
BP: Besides the hardest part of the book, which
chapter/scene did you enjoy writing about the most?
AT: I have rather a
soft spot for Lord Cathair, one of the story’s principle villains. I found
scenes that involved him enjoyable to write, mostly for the tension and banter
between him and the hero.
BP: If you would be given the chance to rewrite
any particular scene of The Traitor’s
Heir before it hits the shelves in July, would you do so? If yes, which
part and why?
AT: No, I don’t
think so – I’ve edited it so many times by this point! But such is the writer’s
lot that if I flicked through the pages then I am sure that I would find
something that I absolutely had to rewrite immediately!
BP: The Traitor’s
Heir is the first book in The Knight
of Eldaran Trilogy, The King’s Hand
will be the sequel, when can we expect the third book?
AT: I’m just about
to start the final editing sweep, so we’re hoping it will be out in February of
2015.
BP: Do you have any other projects that you
would like to pursue now that The Knight
of Eldaran will be published?
AT: As well as my
work on the third book of the series, I’m currently co-authoring with Peter
Gladwin on the sequel to his book Out of
the Ashes; I enjoy writing critically about literature, and have written
and edited a lot on Tolkien and Lewis, which is something I’d like to continue
doing. In the long run, I would love to write the ‘prequel’ story to The Knight of Eldaran, to explore
exactly how the villain dethroned the house of kings – and then, who knows?
BP: Everyone enjoys science fiction and fantasy
in their own way, what do you like most about it?
AT: This genre
gives real scope to the imagination and exploration of the trials that we all
face – but with enough of a step away from reality that it is easier to look
life’s issues in the eye. Fantasy and Science Fiction let us really interact
with ourselves and what life is all about.
BP: If you had to give your top 5 favourite
books, which would they be?
AT: It’s unusual
that I read a book more than once, so I’ll go with those that I return to: The Lord of the Rings, The Three Musketeers, anything by C. S.
Lewis, Shakespeare’s tragedies, and Paradise
Lost.
BP: And just lastly, can you give us a sneak
peak as to what will be in store for the readers of The Traitor’s Heir and the continuation of the series?
AT: This series
follows Eamon Goodman who, after swearing fealty to the Master of the River
Realm discovers that the man he has sworn to serve is a usurper who is only in
power due to the action of Eamon’s own ancestors. Determined to make amends,
Eamon swears to serve the true king, and goes to the Master’s capital city as a
rebel spy. As he is propelled through the ranks, making friends and enemies
alike, he finds his loyalties tested to their utter limits and must ultimately
decide whose colours he will carry at the final battle.
BP: Thank you very much for your time, Anna,
and good luck with writing the sequel!
AT: Thank you!
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