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bookgazing) wrote2010-08-12 08:49 am
bookgazing) wrote2010-08-12 08:49 am
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Q & A - Sarwat Chadda
It's a rare moment here at Bookgazing, as I bring you a question and answer session with an author! The reasons why I don't do this often are many and varied (afraid), but I couldn't resist getting in touch with Sarwat Chadda, author of 'Devil's Kiss' to have a bit of further nose into his paranormal adventure series. He has been so nice about giving up a bit of time to answer these questions and I hope you find his answers of interest.
1. I found it really interesting that you made your main character female and gave her a Muslim parent, then made her part of a group that is almost exclusively male and Christian. What made you decide to make Billi a member of the Knights Templar? Did you consider making Billi part of a Muslim group, or a female warrior force, that is out to fight the forces of evil?
The name of the game is tension and how to create it as soon as possible. The standard cliché is the son following in the father’s footsteps, so how much more interesting it would be if we had a daughter taking the role, it is the 21st Century, after all.
By starting with the extremes a dynamic tension was created between Billi and the other knights, between her and her father, and her personal desires and her responsibilities. Devil’s Kiss is a story about these extremes.
With regard to Billi being part of other groups that is something that I explore in depth in Dark Goddess where she encounters the Polenitsy, a group of Russian Amazons. As Devil’s Kiss was centred around a powerful male group, so Dark Goddess centres around an equally powerful female group and Billi’s attraction to it.
If all goes well and there are more books, I would then explore Billi’s Muslim heritage. When I worked on an early draft of Devil’s Kiss there was far more in it regarding Billi’s Islamic upbringing but I realised the story was becoming way too crowded.
2. Billi is such a kickass female warrior. I am still amazed by how well you've realised this girl who is vulnerable and at times very scared, but at the same time so capable and determined. I'm intrigued by the female characters and real life women who might have inspired Billi. Can you tell me who your top fictional women are and why?
Lyra out of Golden Compass and Hester from the Mortal Engines saga are two favourites from contemporary fiction. Both are clear action heroines who have the fate of the world in their hands but remain true children. However my biggest fictional inspirations are from legends and mythology. Athene is perhaps the biggest influence as she’s both her father’s daughter and goddess of war and wisdom. That is definitely how I saw Billi. Historical influences would be Boudicca and the Rani of Jhansi, fabulous warrior queens and combined their duty with a brilliant grasp of warfare.
3. You make Billi face some incredibly hard choices in 'Devil's Kiss'. Is it hard to push the characters you've brought into the world to the limits of their emotions?
It was hard to write but then writing about the depths of any emotions is hard because you don’t want it to be melodramatic. But it had to be hard, true strength is only revealed when the character is confronted by immense emotional and mental hardship. Writing about superheroes who are always on top of their situation would be somewhat boring. Much of Devil’s Kiss is about how Billi, well-trained for sure but otherwise a normal human, has to draw up courage from her very soul to beat the villain and the price she pays.
This is one of the key attributes of children’s fiction is the raw and true nature of a child’s courage. They don’t have the experience, strength and skill to defeat evil. All they have is their courage.
One thing I was careful of was showing the violence. Devil’s Kiss has scenes of extraordinary violence but it’s tempered by the cost, physically and emotionally, of being a warrior. What I didn’t want was the heroes brushing off injuries and set-backs like they didn’t matter. Each character must be pushed to their limits, well beyond when all others would give up. That’s Billi’s truest, best attribute; she never gives up. Only when you give up are you truly defeated.
4. I've seen a reviewer say they found it strange that your characters weren't strongly Christian, even though they were supposed to be fighting for God. I thought you created characters with a strong faith and made Arthur open to other religions for practical and personal reasons (which I loved). The Templars in general just seem to accepted God as a given, because he is such an undeniable presence in their lives (as is evil). Can you explain your intended approach to religion in 'Devil's Kiss'?
You’ve got to remember that the original Templars were betrayed by the Church. The last grandmaster was burnt at the stake for being a heretic, so I think the knights would have a fairly ambiguous attitude towards orthodox religion.
So, despite spending two hundred years fighting Muslims, they were destroyed by fellow Christians. In my alternative history of what happened next I decided that the surviving Templars would have turned their back on the Church and would find their own way to God.
Some of the rumours around them were that they’d adopted heretical beliefs, were secret Muslims, spat on the cross and prayed to a head (Baphomet, later perceived to be a devil). Plus they received tribute from the Islamic cult of Assassins, so it’s safe to assume their relationship with the Muslims was complex and allows for plenty of mischief.
Having lost the Holy Land, the remaining Templars needed a new purpose, hence their war on the Unholy, the Bataille Tenebreuse.
Then, from a fairly personal point, there’s enough literature out there promoting the differences between religions (especially Christianity and Islam). I thought it would be more interesting writing about the similarities. I was brought up a Muslim while my wife’s a vicar’s daughter. I really don’t see what the fuss is all about. Since my daughters were the inspiration behind Billi it seemed natural she should share their dual-religious background.
5. The big question, which all your readers are probably anxious to know is will there be more Billi SanGreal books? What are you working on right now?
I’m working on Billi 3# right now. It centres around one of the big Templar legends, what treasures they’d uncovered in Jerusalem. In Devil’s Kiss we find one, the Cursed Mirror. In Dark Goddess Billi mentions the fate of the Holy Grail. There were two more but the plot of Billi 3# is about the most infamous, a real game-changer for the Templars. Getting it published is another matter, it depends on how well the first two do. Meanwhile I’m putting the final touches on a book set in India. The Indian history and mythology is so rich with extraordinary characters and events that really aren’t that well known outside of the country. I’m trying to fix that.
Jodie: I really would like that third book to turn up, so I hope the general reading public will dig out their pennies for the first two. Possibly they might feature in one of my bookish Secret Santa presents this year *shifty eyes - not using present giving to increase likelyhood of getting to read a fab book*.
Thanks again Sarwat for agreeing to answer my questions :)
1. I found it really interesting that you made your main character female and gave her a Muslim parent, then made her part of a group that is almost exclusively male and Christian. What made you decide to make Billi a member of the Knights Templar? Did you consider making Billi part of a Muslim group, or a female warrior force, that is out to fight the forces of evil?
The name of the game is tension and how to create it as soon as possible. The standard cliché is the son following in the father’s footsteps, so how much more interesting it would be if we had a daughter taking the role, it is the 21st Century, after all.
By starting with the extremes a dynamic tension was created between Billi and the other knights, between her and her father, and her personal desires and her responsibilities. Devil’s Kiss is a story about these extremes.
With regard to Billi being part of other groups that is something that I explore in depth in Dark Goddess where she encounters the Polenitsy, a group of Russian Amazons. As Devil’s Kiss was centred around a powerful male group, so Dark Goddess centres around an equally powerful female group and Billi’s attraction to it.
If all goes well and there are more books, I would then explore Billi’s Muslim heritage. When I worked on an early draft of Devil’s Kiss there was far more in it regarding Billi’s Islamic upbringing but I realised the story was becoming way too crowded.
2. Billi is such a kickass female warrior. I am still amazed by how well you've realised this girl who is vulnerable and at times very scared, but at the same time so capable and determined. I'm intrigued by the female characters and real life women who might have inspired Billi. Can you tell me who your top fictional women are and why?
Lyra out of Golden Compass and Hester from the Mortal Engines saga are two favourites from contemporary fiction. Both are clear action heroines who have the fate of the world in their hands but remain true children. However my biggest fictional inspirations are from legends and mythology. Athene is perhaps the biggest influence as she’s both her father’s daughter and goddess of war and wisdom. That is definitely how I saw Billi. Historical influences would be Boudicca and the Rani of Jhansi, fabulous warrior queens and combined their duty with a brilliant grasp of warfare.
3. You make Billi face some incredibly hard choices in 'Devil's Kiss'. Is it hard to push the characters you've brought into the world to the limits of their emotions?
It was hard to write but then writing about the depths of any emotions is hard because you don’t want it to be melodramatic. But it had to be hard, true strength is only revealed when the character is confronted by immense emotional and mental hardship. Writing about superheroes who are always on top of their situation would be somewhat boring. Much of Devil’s Kiss is about how Billi, well-trained for sure but otherwise a normal human, has to draw up courage from her very soul to beat the villain and the price she pays.
This is one of the key attributes of children’s fiction is the raw and true nature of a child’s courage. They don’t have the experience, strength and skill to defeat evil. All they have is their courage.
One thing I was careful of was showing the violence. Devil’s Kiss has scenes of extraordinary violence but it’s tempered by the cost, physically and emotionally, of being a warrior. What I didn’t want was the heroes brushing off injuries and set-backs like they didn’t matter. Each character must be pushed to their limits, well beyond when all others would give up. That’s Billi’s truest, best attribute; she never gives up. Only when you give up are you truly defeated.
4. I've seen a reviewer say they found it strange that your characters weren't strongly Christian, even though they were supposed to be fighting for God. I thought you created characters with a strong faith and made Arthur open to other religions for practical and personal reasons (which I loved). The Templars in general just seem to accepted God as a given, because he is such an undeniable presence in their lives (as is evil). Can you explain your intended approach to religion in 'Devil's Kiss'?
You’ve got to remember that the original Templars were betrayed by the Church. The last grandmaster was burnt at the stake for being a heretic, so I think the knights would have a fairly ambiguous attitude towards orthodox religion.
So, despite spending two hundred years fighting Muslims, they were destroyed by fellow Christians. In my alternative history of what happened next I decided that the surviving Templars would have turned their back on the Church and would find their own way to God.
Some of the rumours around them were that they’d adopted heretical beliefs, were secret Muslims, spat on the cross and prayed to a head (Baphomet, later perceived to be a devil). Plus they received tribute from the Islamic cult of Assassins, so it’s safe to assume their relationship with the Muslims was complex and allows for plenty of mischief.
Having lost the Holy Land, the remaining Templars needed a new purpose, hence their war on the Unholy, the Bataille Tenebreuse.
Then, from a fairly personal point, there’s enough literature out there promoting the differences between religions (especially Christianity and Islam). I thought it would be more interesting writing about the similarities. I was brought up a Muslim while my wife’s a vicar’s daughter. I really don’t see what the fuss is all about. Since my daughters were the inspiration behind Billi it seemed natural she should share their dual-religious background.
5. The big question, which all your readers are probably anxious to know is will there be more Billi SanGreal books? What are you working on right now?
I’m working on Billi 3# right now. It centres around one of the big Templar legends, what treasures they’d uncovered in Jerusalem. In Devil’s Kiss we find one, the Cursed Mirror. In Dark Goddess Billi mentions the fate of the Holy Grail. There were two more but the plot of Billi 3# is about the most infamous, a real game-changer for the Templars. Getting it published is another matter, it depends on how well the first two do. Meanwhile I’m putting the final touches on a book set in India. The Indian history and mythology is so rich with extraordinary characters and events that really aren’t that well known outside of the country. I’m trying to fix that.
Jodie: I really would like that third book to turn up, so I hope the general reading public will dig out their pennies for the first two. Possibly they might feature in one of my bookish Secret Santa presents this year *shifty eyes - not using present giving to increase likelyhood of getting to read a fab book*.
Thanks again Sarwat for agreeing to answer my questions :)