We chat with author Antonia Hodgson about The Raven Scholar, which is the first book in a masterfully woven and playfully inventive epic adult fantasy trilogy full of imperial intrigue, cutthroat competition, and one scholar’s quest to uncover the truth.
Read on to learn more about The Raven Scholar and you can also read the first chapter here!
Hi, Antonia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I was born and raised in Derby, studied English at Leeds, and worked as an editor in London for many years. Now here I am near the Kent coast, writing away. Fun fact: I have short legs and a long body, which means I look taller sitting down.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
There was a small library about five minutes’ walk from my house when I was growing up. I must have loved stories before that, otherwise why would I be there every Saturday morning earning my ‘Bookworm’ badge and working my way through the shelves? But those are my early memories – the thrill of stepping through the door, into my favourite place in the world.
I also used to make up stories to songs, especially on long car journeys – I was daydreaming long before I could read or write.
On a more downbeat note – the library closed down years ago owing to spending cuts. I think it’s a building society these days.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: there must have been earlier ones, but the one I first remember reading for myself is The Magic Faraway Tree. Which of course has a fantasy element to it – all those hidden worlds waiting at the top of the tree, through the clouds…
- The one that made you want to become an author: Not one book – the multiplicity. The world of books.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Frankenstein. For its complex themes and ethical quandaries, for the way you oscillate between sympathy and horror for the monster, for the fact that Mary Shelley was eighteen/nineteen years old and could write something so sublime and enduring.
Your latest novel, The Raven Scholar, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Take nothing for granted. Goodbye.*
*I had a word going spare.
What can readers expect?
The unexpected. Fights and feuds. Footnotes and feathers.
Where did the inspiration for The Raven Scholar come from?
Partly, my fascination with animal myth and symbolism, and how that interconnects with the observed, living world. I’m a Tai Chi student, so I’m sure that also inspired me. (It certainly helped with the fight scenes, even though I have absolutely no martial skills of my own.)
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
So many. I loved exploring Neema’s development over the course of the story, and her fraught interaction with the world. The folktale elements were a treat to write, especially Yasila’s story, and the fable of the Fox. The Raven – I can’t not mention the Raven, they would not be happy with me. But more generally, I’ve always wanted to write epic fantasy, so even when I was struggling with something, or redrafting, it was still the best job in the world.
Can you tell us a bit about your process when it came to worldbuilding for The Raven Scholar?
I scribbled lots of initial notes, and made some decisions about the Eight Guardians (which animals they should be, for starters). Then I took myself off to the British Library and read up on them all. I have pages of scribbled facts about foxes for example – their behaviours and the myths that have grown up around them. Ditto tigers, and so on.
Around the same time, I also drew a map of Orrun and Helia, with all the towns and cities, where the eight monasteries were situated, rivers and mountains, etc. A poisoned forest to the west, scarred lands to the north, an empty sea to the northeast… Once I’d started making those decisions, the story evolved in part via the geography. It’s quite an organic, intuitive process, and I struggle to remember exactly how it all came together afterwards. But I also fix certain key points along the way. For example, I know precisely how the third book in the trilogy will end.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Oh the usual agonies of self-doubt. You know! At least now – because I’ve written four previous books – I recognise this as part of the process. Something you pass through.
I spent almost four years writing The Raven Scholar – I began properly in early March 2020, so that was an interesting time to start. Luckily I’d already done most of my research. I’d also just moved out of London. I was living in temporary accommodation, everything in storage, on my own in a strange town, when the first lockdown was announced. A very nice town, and very nice accommodation, I should add. Don’t feel too sorry for me. I had Zoom, and good friends to Zoom with. Good friends – that’s how you overcome anything.
What’s next for you?
I’m immersed in book two right now. I’d better get back there…
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m reading a proof of Sister Wake by Dave Rudden at the moment and really enjoying it. It’s very singular, in an excellent, highly engaging way. And I’ve just heard about a book called The Faithful Dark by Cate Baumer – the blurb alone makes me shiver with anticipation. It’s being compared to The Tombs of Atuan which is very, very much my catnip. I don’t think it’s out until next February though – sorry!
