The Iron Wyrm Affair

interview

The Iron Wyrm Affair is your first experience with writing steampunk. How was it compared to writing your previous books?

To be honest, I didn’t think it was “steampunk” when I was writing it. I tend to view steampunk more as an aesthetic than as a genre. For me it was a variety of alt-history mixed with urban fantasy. It was incredibly fun to write, and just happened naturally once the initial image – of Archibald Clare in his study, dishevelled and bored almost to literal death – came to me. From there it was a race to uncover things as the characters did. I literally did not know what would happen next until Bannon’s Ride, near the end of the book.

Where did the inspiration for The Iron Wyrm Affair come from? Were the Sherlock Holmes books a big influence?

I loved Sherlock Holmes and Encyclopedia Brown as a child. The idea that the power of observation could be used like that … it was like a superpower ordinary people could polish. Also, when the recent Sherlock Holmes movie hit theatres, there were a couple scenes that were just such fun, so tongue-in-cheek, that they really fired my imagination.

There is a wonderful spark between Emma Bannon and Mikal. An unusual choice since Clare is the other point of view. Why choose Mikal over Clare for the love interest?

My goodness, Clare would not be attracted to Emma. Plus, he’s a mentath. Logic machines are hard to live with, as are Prime sorceresses. Initially, Mikal wasn’t even a love interest, and I hesitate to say he’s one now. He was simply an almost-socially-acceptable way for Miss Bannon to relieve, shall we say, a little pressure. He and Miss Bannon have a relationship more founded on mutual respect and a variety of trust than anything else.

Clare, on the other hand, wouldn’t know what to do if he did have tender feelings for anyone, let alone Miss Bannon.

When did you come up with the idea of jewels and jewellery as a source of power?

Jewellery has always been a source of power and fascination. It’s very human to adorn oneself, and have that adornment carry power and significance. I realised about halfway through the book that Miss Bannon’s jewellery was a character in its own right, and during revision had to go back and write out every set she wore. It was almost like dress-up.

Emma Bannon is such a fascinating character. So tough … and yet so proper at times. Where did you get the inspiration for her?

Her influences are manifold, from Kage Baker’s Edward Bell-Fairfax (probably the biggest one) to Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, as well as Jane Eyre and a huge, choking load of Charles Dickens. I wondered what a woman, especially a woman who had escaped the confines of a lower class, would do with the phenomenal power of a Prime. There was also a very interesting tension in her character – Miss Bannon is, after all, expected to act in certain ways because she is a woman, and sometimes she doesn’t. There’s always a price to pay for that. It would be anachronistic to have it otherwise. The arrogance and willpower of a Sorcerer Prime and the powerful social strictures of gentility and gender roles make for interesting complexity.

What is next for Bannon and Clare?

Right now I’m hard at work on The Red Plague Affair, which starts with a cardiac arrest and goes on to involve plague pits, treachery and Dr Vance, Archibald Clare’s nemesis and most treasured opponent. It should be a lot of fun.