1). To start off, Sally, please give us
a short description of Indigo Time.
How would you describe the book in terms of genre? Is it a sub-genre? A blended
genre? A hybrid? Indigo Time is a
hard book to describe, which made it a hard book to pitch. It doesn’t have a
tag-line, like “Buffy meets Tarzan” or anything sound-bite-y that allows people
to immediately understand what sort of read they’re getting into. Technically, I
suppose it’s science fiction (lost colony world of a galactic empire, genetic
engineering) but it reads more like a fantasy (primitive society ruled by a mad queen,
psychic powers in evidence). It’s a story about a world dominated by a woman so
immersed in her past and her quest for revenge that she is willing to sacrifice
her own children to satisfy that lust. And about a genetically engineered horse
which carries in his blood the means for her to do so. So, yeah, I’d call it a
hybrid.
2).
What was your inspiration (or inspirations) for writing Indigo Time? The book started as a short story that went
nowhere, written when I was still learning that it takes more than a few pretty
scenes to make a story. Some critique group friends read it, and one in
particular liked it a lot and remembered it years later, giving me an injection
of enthusiasm to revisit the tale. The original story was about a woman married
against her will to the wrong man, and how she took her revenge. It was
sentimental but I thought it had promise. I wanted to expand the lives of the characters I invented
in the original short version, place them in a more wide open setting (a new
world in an ancient and corrupt empire of worlds), and let them run free. Novel
length seemed right, since I wanted to stick with my characters for several years
of their lives, and take them into the heart of my evil queen’s long-term plan.
3). When did you start to write
the book, and how long did it take you to finish it? I took an
extraordinarily long time to finish it… I worked on Indigo Time, in its
various incarnations, for 15 years, off and on. Mostly off. During that time I
moved several times (in Canada and the US), my parents died, I got divorced, I
got remarried… life tended to get in the way. Not that “life” is an excuse not
to write, but it does tend to take up a lot of bandwidth. I’ve always worked slowly, but pretty steadily, and if I don’t write at
least a couple of hundred words every few days I get a little antsy. When I get
an idea, I start out “pantsing” (seat-of-the-pants writing), then when things
get complicated I turn into a plotter. Using brief scenes, I generate an
outline. I know what should happen, and the order of events leading to a climax
and resolution, but along the way ideas, plot twists, characters, and
embellishments pop into my mind. I work on several projects at once, switching
from book to book as my enthusiasm and inventiveness wax and wane. I’m very
glad to see Indigo Time in print at last.
4). How long did it take you to
find a publisher? I actually found a publisher for an earlier draft of the
novel over 10 years ago. It languished there, unattended, and I got interested
in several other projects. I’d think about it now and then, but it kind of
dropped below my radar until a friend said, “Why not talk to Robert Runté at Five Rivers? He’s
looking for manuscripts.” Since Robert and I were both attending the 2012 World
Fantasy Conference in Toronto, it seemed like a great chance to talk about the
book. Robert expressed an interest in seeing it and I was thrilled. Not only is
he an experienced freelance editor of science fiction and fantasy, he also
serves as Five Rivers’ Editor-in-Chief. He acquired the manuscript and put it
on the fast track.
5). What were your most
difficult moments when writing the book? What were your best? Overall, the
fact that this story sat around for years in an unfinished form, nagging at my
subconscious, was the worst. I went through periods of just wanting to forget
it, call it a practice novel, and move on. The realization that other people—whose
opinions I respect—might find merit in it was the best. As far as the manuscript itself—it was that darn opening few pages that
brought me to my knees. Not without a fight, mind you. Robert Runté showed endless patience
coupled with an iron will (and the sharp eyes and ears of a born editor), and
finally a new opening scene grew out of his insistence that 'no, someone sitting
on a horse thinking' does not constitute an action scene.
6). I found many wonderful
things about Indigo Time, in
particular, the complexity of your characters and their relationships, ie., the
difficult marriage and frustrated tensions between Grae Tarlannat and his wife,
Kael, the conflicted feelings between mother and daughter, Kael and Nikkolue,
as well as others. Your portrayal of these relationships is potent and honest.
Why explore difficult emotional situations? Do you feel they draw the reader?
What is your process for building such characters and relationships? Stories are about people. Interesting
stories are about complex, troubled people doing things that complicate their
lives. Resentment, jealousy, and unrequited love drive the stormy relationship
between Grae and Kael. A twisted obsession with her stunted (literally) past
makes my villain, Marrula, do what she does. Without conflict, a book is just a recitation of who does
what to whom. As soon as you ask why
they are doing it, things start to liven up. Why does my protagonist hate her
husband? Why does one of my main male characters feel like a useless coward? Remember
the TV show Ugly Betty? About a plain but feisty Latina girl trying to make it
in the fashion world? Betty gave me a quote: “Find your way in, by making it
personal.” It’s a good rule for starting an opening scene, and it’s good to
remember to keep it personal all through the story. Readers are interested,
generally, more in what believable people are doing and thinking than in
descriptions of scenery, lumps of back story, and narrative explanations of
politics or whatever. If I have a scene that’s dragging, I try to find a way to
tell it in dialogue, or in a different point of view, while watching out for the
dreaded, “As you know, Bob” trap. If I can get a view of my world through
someone’s eyes and heart, rather than just describing it, then I know I’m
succeeding.
7). Your antagonist,
Marrula Tamara, immortal, ruler of Strand, and great-grandmother to Nikkolue is
one of the most evil and psychopathic antagonists I’ve ever encountered. I
suspect this is because you play on our sensitivities—grandmothers are not
supposed to take advantage of their grandchildren. When you create an
antagonist, what are your building blocks? How do you make them so memorable? I love to hate my antagonists, but they are my literary
children too, just as much as my stalwart hero or my pure-of-heart heroine are. If
I have any tip at all on how to create a truly nasty character, it’s, don’t
hold back. I tend often to be too nice (the Canadian in me perhaps); I have
to remember that the villain usually thinks they are right—that is, their
chosen course of action makes perfect sense to them. They aren’t trying to be
evil, per se, they are trying to win, or at least survive. When driven into a
corner, the meekest rat will fight, so a clever, driven villain must fight as
hard as possible to gain what they want. If they trample others in the
process—well, that’s part of doing business. I do think that Marrula Tamara
gets a bit carried away with enjoying being bad… but she is half-crazy. She has a cherished goal in mind, and it has taken
over her thoughts too much. I’d really like to give her a chance to redeem
herself.
8). Your use of a
character’s interior dialogue is very well done, reflective of how most people
think. As writers, we’re encouraged to
write prose that is lean, vivid, and strong. In Indigo Time, you do this remarkably well, even when your
characters’ thoughts skip from topic to topic as your
immortal wizard/veterinarian Olren Warrek’s do, in particular. What tips do you have for
writing great interior dialogue? It helps if you spend a lot of time inside
your own head, rummaging around. I often find myself having lively
conversations with imaginary, or remembered, people. It’s good practice for
dialogue both interior and exterior. People’s heads are full of misinformation.
Resentments fester, lies take hold, imaginary slights grow large. There is also
truth in there, things people know but would never admit. In a character who is
virtually immortal, things get forgotten, twisted, mashed up, or misfiled.
Interior dialogue is a good way to reveal character, for you can show hidden
facets that wouldn’t come out in narrative, or regular dialogue. The thoughts
of a young, innocent girl are very different from those of a jaded, immortal
scientist, or a brooding, self-pitying mother.
9). What themes were
you personally exploring in Indigo Time?
Why? Learning or finding personal courage. Forgiveness. The dynamics of a
family in stress. How people can hang on to hate, however irrationally, because
somehow, it's a comfort. Hate can be a stalwart friend who tells you that
you’re right, even when in your heart you suspect you are wrong. The pitfalls
of immortality, which sounds great until you have to live it.
10). Indigo Time works well as a stand-alone
novel, but you’ve left the way clear for more of the story to come. I would
love to read a sequel. Any plans for one? Yes, I have a sequel plotted out,
very loosely. It follows many of the main characters of Indigo Time and starts
about 16 years later. It involves contact—at last—with the Empire that stranded
them on their beautiful, lonely world so long ago, and introduces several new
characters. One of the main characters from Indigo Time undergoes a complete
change. Its themes are revenge, love, and lust, and how they can be mistaken for
obsessive hatred, and the healing power of forgiveness. Quite similar in theme
to Indigo Time, but with more spaceships.
11). Where can readers find Indigo Time, and what other books of yours are available? Indigo Time is available directly from the publisher, Five Rivers Publishing, as a print or an e-book. It can also be found at the usual online venues where readers can take a peek inside (see below). I had an exciting summer - another novel, Water, Circle, Moon, came out from Masque Books, a new e-book only imprint of Prime Books. Water, Circle, Moon is an expansion of a short story published by On Spec Magazine - it's a romantic fantasy set in modern day England, and features shape-shifters. Horse shape-shifters. Do I detect an equine theme? People are welcome to check out my (rather lame, I'm techno-challenged) website at sallymcbridesf.ca. I'm currently working on The Nightingale's Tooth, a fantasy set in an alternate medieval France, and Unconfigured Stars, a science fiction novel about shape-shifters, but without any hint of horses. As usual I have lots of other projects at various states of completion.
Thank you, Sally! If you'd like to read Indigo Time, you can find it in print or for e-books, here:
From Amazon:
From Amazon:
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