... Joshua Mowll on the Guild of Specialists, universes, and age bands
... Joshua Mowll on the Guild of Specialists, universes, and age bands
It was time to share some of those ancient secrets with the world. Now seemed like an excellent moment to do it.
I lock all my doors and windows at night.
I don't. They are a terrifying and clever gang, so who knows? I
did wonder if they might be behind some of the recent banking collapses
in the UK.
*scared looks*
I first thought of the idea for Operation Red Jericho back in
2001, as I was walking across Dartmoor, best known as the eerie
location for Conan Doyle's 'The Hound of the Baskervilles.' I didn't
see any luminous dogs, but I was struck by an idea for a novel which
would combine adventure with sophisticated illustrations, photographs,
side notes and appendices. At the same time, I visualized supporting
material packed with a dazzling complexity of detail. It seemed
obvious, but I couldn't think of an author who had ever tried to
combine these two concepts. I knew that I could create the
illustrations without too much trouble as I work as a graphic artist
for a national newspaper - but the storytelling would be new and
uncharted territory for me. I had one other idea which very quickly
became a mantra: it had to be the sort of book that I would have wanted
to read when I was young.
Yes, absolutely. I had to plot the novels through because it is
really one big story divided into three. I had a very good idea of the
final scenes when I began, although the detail naturally evolved as I
wrote. The story grew and developed on the original plot structure, but
writing a trilogy is a bit like playing a game of three dimensional
chess - one small change can have huge repercussions later in the story.
I love the 1920's because I think the aircraft, cars and clothes
have never looked better, and the feel of the 'Art Deco' age somehow
lends itself to good honest adventuring. Remote parts of the world
still remained unexplored, and I needed an era where such a big plot
could be set. Asia in the 1920s had got all of that. Steampunk wasn't a
huge influence on me, although the parallels have often been drawn by
others. As I worked on the illustration I began to create my own visual
language; When I needed to invent a huge tunnelling machine, I sat down
and designed it. If it has a Steampunk 'feel', it is more through
coincidence than anything else.
Some of
the background material is real, some is not. I like to tread that fine
line between fact and fiction. As you discovered, it intrigues the
reader, drawing them in and making them wonder what's real. One of my
aims with the book was to create lots of technically difficult visual
material - diagrams and photographs - which looked as authentic as
possible. No author, to my knowledge, has ever tried to do this in
fiction.
I designed the Expedient from nothing and then created
several photographs to match it. Not easy! Incidentally, my friend who
designs yachts inputted my hull data into his computer to see if the
ship would float. It did, and was very stable. I'm not sure how many
writers would bother going to this length, but all of this goes to
create the Guild's own unique universe, I hope.
I
lived and breathed every aspect of the Guild for six or seven years.
That crazy world is a part of me. I know it so well that I don't need
files or software to keep track of it. I can just shut my eyes and I'm there in wide screen and technicolor. I can't get 5.1 surround sound because I'm a bit deaf in my left ear.
I have a new book out next year in the UK called "The Great
Space Race", and I'm working on a a strong idea for my fifth novel.
These are not connected to the Guild trilogy, but both are moving in a
new and exciting direction for me, and they certainly retain much of
the trilogy's DNA. To give you a taste, for the Great Space Race I'm
building a 3 metre tall rocket and a robot monkey, both to be
photographed for the illustrative content.
I have plotted a sequel
to the Guild Trilogy although I don't have plans to write it just yet.
It would be called The Coterie of St Petersburg Trilogy.
I'm not sure
about the politics of age banding. It has good and bad points, but I
suspect in the UK it is being driven by the booksellers' needs, rather
than the publishers. I would say 9+ is good banding for the Guild
Trilogy, but I know plenty of 20+, 30+, 40+ and 50+ who like reading
them, so the logic of it isn't entirely clear to me.
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