Favourite Questions From Recent Interviews: Ruth Todd Ask Where Malian Came From
Recently, The Gathering Of The Lost was shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award, and as a finalist I was interviewed on a number of fora around the traps.
I was asked a number of great questions so thought I’d share a few of them—plus my answers, of course!—here on the blog over the next few weeks.
One of the first interviews was with Bookenz presenter, Ruth Todd, on Beatties Bookblog–and she asked a great question about Malian. Here it is:
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Ruth: I love this epic adventure story, especially as you have a feisty young heroine , Malian, that female readers can really identify with. Where did she come from?
Helen: That’s a great question, Ruth. I’m never quite sure where characters come from. Sometimes they spring forth fully formed, Minerva style, and sometimes they evolve. Malian was one of the ‘evolving’ characters. I had the idea of an initially quite young heroine in a (literally) dark world for many years, and then a chance-heard phrase, describing some unknown person’s life as a “race along a cliff’ sparked the idea of my heroine’s life being one of magic and danger, roof top pursuits and flights by night. But The Heir Of Night story in particular only took off when I had this vision of a very daring young girl — Malian — scaling the interior wall of an ancient, ruined castle while a storm raged outside. That image came with far more backstory around what her life was, and why, and the writing began.
Yet the process of writing being what it is, that was still only the end of the beginning in terms of the development of the character. Since then Malian has continued to grow and evolve in relation to both events and the changes in the characters around her. It’s very important to me that should happen, as I feel it’s a vital part of making characters real. I’ve heard Kate de Goldi talk about writers having “bones” that we gnaw on, in a metaphorical sense, and the whole notion of “consequences” is definitely one of my “bones.”
For example, the action in The Gathering Of The Lost picks up five years after The Heir Of Night closed, and not only is Malian older but she has been separated from some of her closest companions for most of that time. So a big part of the story is whether the friendships and the interests remain as closely aligned as they were in The Heir Of Night. Other tensions revolve around who, in a world of conflicting ambitions, Malian can trust, and whether, given her power, she can trust herself—as well as just how much she is prepared to sacrifice, and who, to defeat her enemies. Given actions have consequences, every decision she makes comes with its cost.
I should add that one of the things I love about Malian is that although she does have a lot of female fans, she seems to have almost as many male readers who are enthusiastic enough for her cause to write and tell me so.”
Having just finished reading both Wall of Night books for at least the third time, I find myself thinking about Malian and what’s ahead for her. Anticipation, don’t you know… She still has a shield to find, an alliance to re-create, and some great final adventure along The Wall, if I’m reading correctly. In the meantime, Haarth really is starting to come apart at the seams between her own activities and the Swarm/Sworn – Ij must still be recovering from the Festival, Emer is unsettled (and I assume Jhaine), the Winter Country has lost its heart, and Wall factions are getting more restless. I’m really looking forward to seeing how all these bits and pieces come together.
Wow, the third time–that’s awesome, Kristen. 🙂 So you will be pleased to know that what I am focusing on right now is pulling ‘some’ of those threads together… Although of course Daughter of Blood is also very much it’s own story, too!
sigh. anticipa……tion. Your characters just stay with me. I always have a book hangover when I”m done.
So glad you love the characters, Kristen. I am loving the time I am spending with them right now in Daughter Of Blood and yes, it is nearing ‘the end.’ 🙂