Review - Den of Wolves: A Blackthorn & Grim novel

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I was fortunate to receive an advance reader copy of Juliet Marillier’s Den of Wolves, the third novel in her Blackthorn and Grim series. I decided I would not do justice to the book or myself without reading the first and second books, Dreamer’s Pool and Tower of Thorns respectively, so I quickly borrowed these titles from the library. I was glad I went back to the beginning with these characters.

Blackthorn and Grim were unknown to each other until both were incarcerated in the lock-up of a particularly corrupt chieftain named Mathuin. Blackthorn’s life, and as a result Grim’s, was saved by a mysterious fellow named Conmael, a member of the Fey, who added several conditions to the favour of saving Blackthorn’s life. Blackthorn was to go where he told her to go, stay there, help all who asked and not seek vengeance against Mathuin for a period of seven years. Having only one other choice, a quick furtive execution before she was set to give evidence against Mathuin to a high council, she accepted the terms. Blackthorn escaped into the woods, with Grim trailing behind her.

Grim is the first person Blackthorn helps under her agreement with Conmael. Grim doesn't ask outright for Blackthorn's help, but the request is implied. From the beginning Blackthorn is a prickly, touchy, rather cross woman who desires nothing more than to keep her own company far from any other living person. It is clear that the pain she carries is great. Grim, though similarly troubled is more affable, a helper, a doer, who is quickly accepted into the community at Winterfalls, and valued for his skills as a builder.

I came to think of Blackthorn and Grim as medieval sleuths. Each book, though bathed in myth and magic, is also a mystery to be solved. Someone to be saved. Many underestimate Grim's intelligence, his ability to pull apart the facts of a puzzling situation and rearrange them into a solution. Between them, Blackthorn and Grim right many wrongs, but the wrongs they have personally endured still weigh heavy on them.

Blackthorn's past has resulted in her only expecting the worst from men, particularly men of power and influence. In the first book, she finds that Prince Orin is a different sort of man entirely. Though very near tempted to break the rules and leave Winterfalls, she stays and the mystery of Dreamer's Pool is discovered.

These characters are an odd couple. There is much gruffness between them and an arms distance that comes from each holding tight to their secrets, the ones that broke them. In this book the writer shares with us the tragic backstory of Blackthorn, but Grim's past remains a mystery. The first book is a perfect introduction to the characters and this time and place.

The second book, Tower of Thorns, revolves around a 200 year old curse and a request from Lady Gelies, the woman at the heart of it, that Blackthorn find a way to break it. Lady Gelies knows exactly how to break the curse but needs Blackthorn to do it. Nearby is a monastery that Grim seems determined to avoid.  When Blackthorn asks him to go there we find out more about his past. His backstory is tragic too, but eventually he finds a way to work through some of his past trauma, while helping the monks to repair their scriptorium.

The relationship between Blackthorn and Grim grows deeper throughout this book, but Blackthorn is still focused on revenge and almost falls prey to Mathuin when her need for vengeance is used to tempt her to leave with an old friend promising her that very opportunity. She avoids one disaster only to fall prey to another and is almost lost as a result of her breaking the curse. Luckily, Grim saves her. This book was a combination of secrets and lies versus love and commitment.

So finally we come to book three, Den of Wolves. Again, Blackthorn and Grim are faced with a mystery. This time, however, they have little opportunity to put their heads together and solve it in the way they have solved such mysteries before. Each learns parts of the story and must investigate on their own. Grim goes to work for the man at the centre of this story. A mean, secretive man, who insists Grim not speak with anyone about what he is doing at Wolf Glen. Meanwhile, this man's daughter, Cara, is sent to Winterfalls against her will, to live in the castle of Prince Orin. This is where she first meets and befriends Blackthorn, and relates what she knows of the story of the heartwood house. As usual, things are not as they seem and a great wrong must be undone.

Marillier does a fine job of gently easing these characters together. They start out so broken and pitiful in the first book yet, thrown together by circumstance, they come to rely on, and care for each other. Her writing is emotional, but not sentimental. The themes mirror many of the issues we face today. Abuse of power, and corruption of that power. Violence against woman and exploitation of those who have no voice, no power of their own, no champion to stand for them. Marillier realistically depicts the symptoms of PTSD in the flashbacks and physical and emotional responses of her characters, Grim in particular. There is much heart in her writing, and the healing journey Blackthorn and Grim go on is a pleasure to read.

I really enjoyed the series. Thanks Juliet!

Winter Writing Workshop - Kate Forsyth

On a rather dismal wintery Sunday in June I joined a group of thirty or so like-minded souls as we absorbed some writerly lessons from Australian author Kate Forsyth. Already a fan of Kate's work, which has been widely published to critical acclaim, I was keen to learn some of her 'secrets' to success.

The morning was dedicated to "The secret structure of story" - something with which I, with three unfinished novels moldering away for want of the skill and confidence to finish them, need all the help I can get. 

"The story dictates the structure - the more complex the story, the more important the structure," Kate said. She likened a novel to a train, with linking carriages - a causal chain of events. She said the novels that fail are often 'episodic' in nature - some publishers even have an acronym for them: ODTAT - "one damn thing after another" - the incidents have no reason, no purpose. In a novel, each scene must lead to the next, there must be a story arc, a sense of rising tension that eventually reaches the climax. To make sense, and be satisfying to the reader, the climax must be the result of everything that came before.   

Kate told us a book should offer a cathartic experience for the reader. "You want your reader to feel something," she said. The best way to achieve this is to create a character the reader can connect with. "You want to connect reader and character as soon as possible." Kate spoke about the amount of space the writer gives their characters on the page as 'screen time', saying that "the more time spent with a character, the more emotional connection the reader will have with them." She also said it's a good idea to put your characters in jeopardy - physical or emotional - to heighten that connection.

Later in the day Kate spoke about 'writers block', explaining that true writers block has nothing much to do with fear or not having any ideas or even having too many ideas - though these can all stop you writing - but is more about being 'stuck'. "If you're stuck, you don't know enough about your story," she said, "you don't know your characters well enough. Go back to your original notes. Review your plan. If you haven't made one, now's the time to do it."

This day gave me what I needed - a large dose of inspiration and a gently administered kick in the pants. I already 'knew' so much of this. I'd lost my confidence and forgotten the lessons learned while studying for my Diploma. I've always been a 'pantser' not a 'planner' (even if you're not a writer I think you'll understand the difference), but on this day I finally realised that some amount of planning is not only helpful but necessary. 

The big lesson would-be authors need to remember is that there's no magic formula to writing a novel. The 'magic' that ultimately ends up on the page gets there through sheer determination and will. My favourite tutor at TAFE once told me that the difference between an amateur writer and a professional writer is determination, paraphrased from Richard Bach's original quote which Kate shared with us this day - "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit". 

Now that's good advice.

Kate's latest novel, Bitter Greens, interweaves the Rapunzel fairytale with the scandalous life of one of the tale's first tellers, Charlotte-Rose de la Force. Moving from Venice in the 16th century to the glittering court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, in the 17th century, Bitter Greens is a story of desire, obsession, black magic and the redemptive power of love.

You can find out more about Kate here.

Kate is interviewed elsewhere on this blog here and here.

NaNoWriMo - Why I won't be writing 50K words this month.

I may need to bow out of NaNoWriMo.

I thought I'd use the redrafting of my novel as part of my wordcount (only using the 'new' words) but I'm already noticing sloppy writing as I try to clock up some NaNo words. I think I should give it a miss this year while I concentrate on quality rather than quantity.

Good luck to all my friends doing NaNo this year. I envy you the helter-skelter race to the finish line, the buzz of writing fast without looking back. Next year I hope to finally have this novel finished and be ready for a fresh start on a new project. NaNo will be just the kick in the pants a new project will need. So NaNo is definitely pencilled in for 2012.

Hope to see some of you there!

(For those of you who are wondering "What is NaNoWriMo?" it's a month-long writing challenge where participants try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. For more information click here.)

Writing Goals for 2011

Well I may as well put them out there, create a little accountability. I know from experience that without a goal/deadline I am prone to cronic procrastination - cronic to the point of being terminal, as far as my writing goes - that doing the washing or vacuuming the floor become tasks I want to spend my time doing, and as I now have an iPad, well...you can imagine how easy it will be to time-waste in '11.

So here they are, in no particular order... by this time next year I hope to have...

6 published poems, 3 published short stories, 2 blog posts per month (which shouldn't be all that hard seeing as I already have a couple of dozen writers signed up for my interview series) and one completed first draft of 'a' novel. I will have to chose which of the three to concentrate on in 2011 and stick to it - pushing through the hard times rather than switching projects as I tend to do.

I also want to participate in NaNoWriMo again and, depending on where I'm at with the goal novel come November, I'll either use it to push through to a completed draft or use it to work on novel 2 or 3.

I've recently formed a writing/critique group with some of the writers I was at TAFE with, so with monthly deadlines and face to face feed back, I'm looking forward to a productive and creative year of writing.

How about you? What are your writing goals for 2011?

An interview with the lovely Toni Jordan.

A month before the release of Toni Jordan’s second novel Fall Girl, her publishers have sold the film rights to her widely acclaimed debut novel Addition. I thought I’d ask her to come down from the clouds for a moment and talk to me about it.

First of all, congratulations! You must be super excited. Please tell me when and how you heard the news, and how you reacted.

It's been a long process. Addition was first published in February 2008, so I've had many meetings with talented, imaginative film-makers who had all kind of ideas for the book. In the end, Christina and Bruna seemed like a perfect fit.

Good news needs to be shared. Who did you tell first and how did they react?

It wasn't a 'OMG' moment, but rather something the rights team at Text have been working toward for almost 3 years. These things don't just happen without a great deal of strategy and hard work. I think the reaction from everyone was relief!

Were you involved in the process? Will you have any input before or during production?

Yes, I met with everyone who submitted a formal proposal and thought hard about who would be the best people to look after Addition. I knew nothing about either film-making or adaptations beforehand, so it's been fascinating. I don't know yet how much input the filmmakers want from me. I want to do whatever is necessary to help make the film a success, and that might be just getting out of the way and letting them do it!

If you could choose anyone you wanted to play Grace and Seamus who would you choose?

Oh I wish I was a visual kind of person! I can barely even picture what I look like. Sadly I have no idea.

Did you ever think about Addition becoming a film while you were writing it?

Never. In fact, when I was signing my original contract with my publisher, my husband Robbie and I had a small chuckle at the section marked 'film rights'. "Yeah, right," we said to each other.

How long do you think it will be before we see it on the big screen?

Ummm--no idea! These things can take years...

If there is one part of the book you’d hate to see them get wrong what is it? Why?

The only thing that really matters to me is that Grace is treated with respect. She is intelligent and sexy and funny, and I'd hate to see her become a twitching OCD stereotype. Her condition is just one part of her and by no means the most important part.

If there is one part you don’t want them to leave out what is it? Why?

Nothing really. Film making is a very distinct art form, and something that works perfectly on the page might not work on the screen. It's the spirit of the book, rather than the letter, that I want to see preserved.

I hear you’re thinking of asking for a cameo appearance in the film. Is that true?

It started off as a bit of a joke, but who knows?

Your new novel Fall Girl is due for release next month. Please tell me something about it.

I'm very excited about Fall Girl! I've tried to channel my love for screw-ball romantic comedies of the forties and fifities into a modern story--a novelistic 'Charade' or 'To catch a thief', something where you could imagine Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn as the protagonists. Except set in Melbourne. Those classic romantic comedies had it all: fascinating characters, intricate plots, witty dialogue and sexual tension to burn. I only hope I've done them justice.

The second novel can sometimes be daunting for a writer who’s had such success with the first. Was this true for you?

For a long time I could hardly write my own name. I was frozen, tight inside. Nothing worked, for over a year.

What was the most challenging part of writing Fall Girl?

The first draft was an absolute nightmare. Every day I forced myself to sit down and type out 1500 words of rubbish. Little beads of blood pooled on my forehead. It wasn't until the second draft that everything clicked and I was carried away by the fun of the story.

Grace is such an unforgettable character. How different from Grace is Della? What motivates her?

Della is very much a woman of our time--she is pulled in every direction. She feels the pressure of looking after her family, her career, her love life, all at once. Della has big issues to face. If she's not defined by her name, and she's not defined by her job, and she's not defined by her family or the house she lives--then who is she? I think many women today see themselves as a compilation of the roles they play. Della's search for her identity is what drives the whole book.

Which novel was harder to write? Why?

If I could just erase the pain of first draft of Fall Girl from my memory, they were both a joy.

Do you have any writing routines or rituals that help you with the process?

Yes--the secret to my success is Freedom for Mac. This fabulous fabulous program turns off your internet connection for a set period of time and won't turn it on again, even if you beg it. I'm evangelistic about it. Every writer should have it.

Have you begun work on novel number three?

Of course Lisa, you know how addictive writing is!

Delving into History

As you may or may not know, I am currently working on a piece of historical fiction...a novel, no less...

In May I was lucky enough to win the Herb Thomas Memorial Trust Award and received a nice juicy cheque to spend on developing my writing career. Thanks to that money I have been able to afford a range of workshops and seminars at the Victorian Writers Centre, as well as a few choice events at both the Emerging Writers Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival, which has just been and gone.

I thought it was about time I blogged about the two events I attended - a masterclass with John Boyne (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), and a seminar/lecture with Alexander Waugh (Fathers and Sons) and Glen David Gold (Sunnyside).

Both of these events were exciting for me. Just to break away from the monotony of my daily life as a mother and to escape my four walls and interact with other adults, specifically writers, is a treat.

John filled our day with readings from a wide array of historic novels, which proved somewhat difficult seeing as the titles and authors names were missing from many of the pages we had stapled together (there was a large amount of rustling). He also made us write and read what we had written aloud. No one missed out, we all had our turn in the spotlight or under it.

It's all in the details. That's one of the things I took away from this intensive day, along with the email address of a lady I'd like to stay in touch with (she's writing about her great-grandmother's immigration experience). It's the details that will bring to life any character in any time and any place. Specifics. Novelists should never generalise. Ever.

As for the other two writers, well I have to tell you that Alexander is a true and natural comedian. What surprising fun he was! He believes we should all, as writers, sit down and write 3000 words about each of our parents (more if we can - he certainly did). He says we'll be surprised at how little we actually know about them.

Glen's most helpful advice, at least to me, was that research needs an emotional context, that key emotions unlock scenes. He said that good (great) historical fiction needs three things - research, imagination and emotional continuity. Not all facts are interesting, he said, but the facts aren't what's important, it's whether they are interesting to the reader. It's how you dress it up.