In conversation are Bonnie Wynne and Bronwyn Eley, fantasy authors whose series are published by Australian indie publishing house Talem Press. Bonnie’s first book, The Ninth Sorceress, releases on February 13th; it follows the story of Gwyn, a herbalist’s apprentice who is thrust into a world of mancers and magic when she learns she is hunted by an ancient goddess. Bronwyn’s debut, Relic, is out now – the first instalment of a dark YA fantasy series featuring blacksmith protagonist Kaylan, who is forced to become the personal servant of a ruthless and powerful lord.
Bronwyn and Bonnie sat down to chat all things fantasy writing: the process, the research and the challenges, as well as the lessons they’ve learned as debut authors.
When writing, how do you strike the balance between trying new things, and sticking with the safe and familiar?
Bonnie: For me, I usually find myself trying something new and weird, and then counting on the editor to rein it back in if it’s stupid and doesn’t work, haha. My first ‘complete’ draft of The Ninth Sorceress skewed way more sci-fi – like real wizards-on-spaceships stuff. I was influenced by all those science-fantasy books that were popular in the 90s when I was growing up – like Isobelle Carmody’s Obernewtyn series, or Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern. But I’m not sure that’s where the zeitgeist is heading, so it’s probably a good thing the Talem Press guys talked me out of it!
Bron: I tend to just go with my gut. I believe clichés are clichés for a reason, but if you’re to do them, then just make sure to add something to make it different. But I do like to pull the rug out from under people, so if I can shake up their expectations, then I call that a success!
What did you learn from publishing your first book, and how has that changed your approach for Book 2?
Bonnie: Have. A. Plan. I wish someone had sat me down and shaken me before I started writing Book 1! Have a plan, you dummy! I would have saved myself so much time. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing when I started writing The Ninth Sorceress. I didn’t know how it would end, or what would happen in the middle, or even if Gwyn would survive. Hah! I’ve definitely learned from my mistakes in writing Book 2, and did a full outline before I started actually writing anything.
Bron: I’d have to agree with you, Bonnie. Having a plan is so important. I don’t like everything planned out, as I like to be on the adventure too (I like to surprise myself when writing), but having an overall plan really helps you avoid mistakes in your plots and character arcs.
Do you believe in writer’s block? Have you had it?
Bonnie: I definitely believe you can become creatively blocked, but I don’t agree with some of the discourse surrounding it. You hear people talking about writer’s block like it’s some horrible disease you can just become afflicted with out of nowhere. But I find that if I’m having trouble with my writing, it’s either because something isn’t working in the story, or something is amiss in my personal life. So long as my house is in order, so to speak, I find the writing flows pretty easily.
Bron: Well said, Bonnie! If I get ‘writer’s block’ then it means I’m not in the right headspace to be writing. I don’t force myself to write if I’m really not feeling it. Personally, I don’t think I get writer’s block and I’m not sure if I believe in it completely. I believe that something can be off – your story, your mood, your circumstances – that stops you from writing. Sometimes you just need to make changes or try something completely new to open that creative door again.
Do you base any of your characters on real people you know?
Bonnie: Generally, no. Probably because most of the people I know are lawyers, and who wants to read a book about a bunch of lawyers? (Oh, I’m so mean.) There are two exceptions, though. I wrote one character specifically for Djimon Hounsou. I don’t know him in real life, but he seems to enjoy being in fantasy movies, so I’m sure he’d be willing to sign on if The Ninth Sorceress ever became a movie. And I also wrote a role for my boyfriend at the time, an actor. But we broke up, so he can’t be in my movie anymore. Too bad, buddy!
Bron: That made me laugh, because I did something similar but with Mark Strong! In Relic, I wrote Rennard with an evil Mark Strong in mind, because I’d love him to play the role if it was ever made into a movie. Apart from that, I don’t base my characters off people I know, but I definitely use their names!
Bonnie: Oh man, I hope there’s an Evil Wizard Bonnie in Riven. Permission to use my name and likeness!
What weird things have you done for research?
Bonnie: Bron, I know you did an actual blacksmithing course, so I can’t beat you when it comes to hands-on research. I did go stand at the edge of the Gullfoss Falls in Iceland with no coat on, just so I could see how it felt to be really, really cold. As it turns out, it feels pretty bad. Who could have guessed?
Bron: As you mentioned, I did a blacksmith course. Whenever I can get hands-on with my research, I will do it! Apart from that, I watched a lot of YouTube videos on blacksmithing and Google was certainly my friend. I’ve definitely Googled some weird things, like ‘how long does it take a body to decay’.
Tell us about the first story you can remember writing.
Bron: I have been writing my whole life – there were a lot of weird short stories back in the primary school days! But the first big story I remember writing was called Storm and it was a story about a cat that goes on an adventure. It was based on my aunty’s cat Storm and also on the Australian movie Napoleon, which is super cute if you’ve never seen it.
Bonnie: Weirdly, mine was kind of about a cat on an adventure as well. Well – technically it was about a magic hat that turns you into a lion when you put it on. And then you have adventures as a lion. I think it was around the time The Lion King came out, so I was ~all about lions~ at the time. Of course, I couldn’t help throwing in that fantasy twist. Magic hat! Was it some kind of evil relic? Were there consequences for embracing such vile magic? Sadly, I didn’t delve too deeply into the lore at age four.
What is one thing you want to improve on as a writer?
Bron: I’m a bit of a waffler. I would love to learn how to be more concise with my writing and get my message across in a more beautiful, striking way. Also, I know it would help our editor greatly!
Bonnie: Oh, I’ve never seen you waffling! You must disguise it well. For me, I always want to improve my character voices. There’s so much that goes into creating a distinctive character voice – the word choices, the pace, the sentence structure, the tone – and I really wish I could do that stuff instinctively without having to work so hard at it.
Did you ever want to be anything other than a writer? Has that influenced what you write about?
Bron: I wanted to be a palaeontologist when I was in primary school! Or just an archaeologist. The first full-length novel I wrote was about archaeology and I absolutely adore it. I would like to return to it one day, but it needs a lot of work. I also had a stint in the military and would like to re-join one day. I find that if I write anything that includes a military-like regime (soldiers, guards, etc.), I really draw on my personal experiences. In all the other ideas for novels I have, I would say most of them have a military-esque aspect to them!
Bonnie: Everybody goes through that archaeologist/palaeontologist phase, right? I remember using my mum’s makeup brushes to dig up ‘fossils’ in my backyard. I wanted to be a doctor for a while in high school, until I realised I hate germs. Then for ages I wanted to be a book editor. Getting paid to read books sounds pretty amazing. I never wanted to be a lawyer, but I like money and I’m not good at anything else, so…
What was the hardest scene to write in your novel (avoiding spoilers) and why was it hard? Do you think writing a similar kind of scene will be easier in the future?
Bron: For me, writing any scene that involves something I haven’t personally experienced is hard. The death of a close friend or family member, for instance. It’s hard to fathom what that feels like and no amount of research can explain it to you. In terms of the future, I really hope writing those scenes doesn’t get easier!
Bonnie: You did a great job, though. I teared up a little at that scene in Relic. For me, the romance stuff is the hardest. I’d be a terrible romance writer. I have the little voice in the back of my head saying ‘Hey, your family and your writing group and all your friends are going to read this!’ It’s so yuck.
If there’s one message you want your readers to take away from your novel, what is it?
Bron: Be in control of your own life. Fight for what you want and don’t let anyone ever take your freedom away from you.
Bonnie: Make your own decisions, even if they’re completely wrong and stupid. Haha!
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Bonnie Wynne is based in Sydney, where she works for the Australian government. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found playing video games, booking her next holiday, or elbow-deep in flour. The Ninth Sorceress is her debut novel and the first book in her fantasy series, The Price of Magic. [Twitter / Instagram / Facebook]
Bronwyn Eley has spent time in the military, studied Linguistics at university, travelled the world and worked in the Australian book industry. Raised in Sydney, Bronwyn is now living in Scotland and spends as much time travelling as she can. She is obsessed with all things medieval, photography, music, fitness and her dog Ruby. Relic is the first book in her debut YA fantasy series, The Relic Trilogy. [Twitter / Instagram / Facebook]
