Interview with Michael Pryor

We asked Michael Pryor, the author of the 'Laws of Magic' series to give us a moment of his time for an interview. He kindly agreed and here it is!

A&R: Can you please explain your world and the premise of your novel!

‘The Laws of Magic’ (including the just released ‘Moment of Truth’) is set in a world like our own in Edwardian times – except that it has magic as an integral part of society. Imagine 1910, but with magic operating on much the same basis as science. It is a legitimate area of rational study, observation and experimentation, with many new discoveries happening all the time. This is a turbulent world, full of social change, technological change and political change, and with the dangerous prospect of a major war on the horizon.

The series is about the adventures of a young man, a talented magician, making his way in this world. Aubrey Fitzwilliam has ambitions, but he also has the handicap of being balanced on edge of life and death, thanks to a magical experiment gone wrong. Thanks in part to his father being Prime Minister, Aubrey and his friends become involved in conspiracies and plots mostly involving the malevolent sorcerer Dr Mordecai Tremaine, who is doing his best to bring a world to war.

A&R: Why Steampunk?

I love Steampunk because it combines the appeal of Victorian/Edwardian times, with its courtesy, manners and formality with the capacity to incorporate wildly imaginative elements. It’s romantic, it’s fun, and it allows a writer to use language that would, naturally, be considered obsolete or archaic if used in a contemporary world. It’s often full of adventure, heroism and values that are seen as old-fashioned and unfashionable – duty, human dignity and self-sacrifice, but they have an charm that is resonating with many, many readers.

And then there’s the clothes …

A&R: Can you have Steampunk in any era? Or does it just have to be Victorian?

Genre definitions are always tricky. Often, a genre starts off with a particular format, or a set of characteristics, and as it grows writers start experimenting and pushing the boundaries. In some ways, then, ‘classic’ Steampunk is set in Victorian/Edwardian times, but variations can – and do – flourish. I suppose the general principle (revelling in slightly anachronistic technology in an historical era) can produce something Steampunkish, but I can imagine writing something adventurous set in Georgian times, or Elizabethan times …

A&R:Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist?

Apart from the neck and shoulders issues that come from hunching over a keyboard for far too long, the main hazard I worry about is forgetfulness. I have no shortage of ideas for my stories, but I have a dread of having a magnificent idea and then forgetting it … That’s why I try to carry a pen with me wherever I go. I can usually find a piece of paper, if inspiration strikes, but a pen is never around when you need it.

Occasionally, other people can be a hazard, especially the ones who come up to you and say ‘I’ve got a story, but I’ve never had time to write it. Maybe you’d like to?’

A&R:Ever dispatched someone and then regretted it?

I always regret it whenever I dispatch someone in a story, but by the time they’ve gone I’ve usually convinced myself that it was necessary for the narrative. I don’t do it through spite, or through a sense of justice – it happens because the story demands it.

Right near the end of my second ever novel – ‘Talent’ – I had to dispatch the main character’s best friend. I tried not to, but the whole story had been leading up to this crucial, character defining event. I tried to avoid it, I wrote versions where it didn’t happen, where he was only wounded, where he had a lucky escape, where someone else died instead of him, but none of them worked. When I finally did the deed, I regretted it immediately, because he was nice guy, very funny, very appealing – but I held firm, and it made the story work.

A&R:What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Having a life that’s interesting and full. Believing in your own ability while, at the same time, being open to feedback. Having a good income stream, because nothing adds more to stress than money worries. Having good professional support from editor and publisher. Being able to share the occasional frustrations with people who understand, be they family or writing colleagues. Facebook and Twitter, because they can help lessen the sometimes solitariness of writing. Exercise, because it frees up the mind as well as the body. Having a good imagination.

A&R:Do you feel any of your heroes or villains could possibly exist in the real world?

I do my best to make my characters realistic, or believable, so I think that they could indeed live in the real world. Some of them, the villains especially, I wouldn’t like to bump into, but most of them I’d be very keen to meet. Aubrey Fitzwilliam, George Doyle and Caroline Fitzwilliam would be wonderful dinner guests, and I’d have to be on my toes to keep up with their conversation.

A&R: Do you think that fiction brings something to peoples’ lives?

I firmly believe that fiction makes better people. There are some very serious studies that show that reading fiction is vital – especially for young people – to help them develop a sense of empathy, to understand what it’s like to be someone else. When you read fiction, good fiction, you immerse yourself in another’s experience and you can learn about other experiences, other places, other ways.

As well as that very worthy benefit, I also think that fiction has a somewhat overlooked benefit – it can bring joy. Reading fiction can be superb entertainment – it can delight us, it can thrill us, it can make us laugh, it can make us cry. This is a magnificent thing that can be gained from a tiny paper package.

A&R: What led you into a writing career?

I wanted to write because I loved reading so much. I wanted to do for other people what my favourite writers were doing for me. I wanted to inspire them, I wanted to make them gasp, I wanted to make them keep turning pages to see what was going to happen next. It’s a marvellous consensual partnership, that between writer and reader, and I’m fortunate to be part of it.

A&R: Are the names of your characters are important? And what do they mean?

Character names are vital to the story – and they can be a real headache. I spend an enormous amount of time trying to get my character names right, because having a name that doesn’t fit a character is a sure-fire way to spoil a story.

I look for a match, a name that clicks. It shouldn’t be too unusual, but it shouldn’t be too commonplace either. It must sound right as well as look right, so I actually say every possible name out loud to see if it works.

Sometimes names come easily, sometimes they are extremely difficult. ‘Aubrey Fitzwilliam’ came to me very early, and I was happy with it. ‘George Doyle’ was a bit trickier – I thought ‘George’ was a perfect fit for the era, and then I had an idea of using the name of the creator of Sherlock Holmes as a bit of a tribute. ‘Caroline Hepworth’ was another one I culled from books of the era, with ‘Caroline’ being one of the more popular names of the time and ‘Hepworth’ was the surname of a minor Victorian musician.

One other thing. Sometimes, it pays for your main character to have a short name – because you’re going to write that name so many times …

There you have it! An awesome interview with an awesome author. Michaels new book "Laws of Magis #5: Moment of Truth is our now in all bookstores. Michael Pryor has published a number of fantasy books and over forty short stories, from literary fiction to science fiction to slapstick humour. Michael has been shortlisted six times for the Aurealis Awards (including for BLAZE OF GLORY and HEART OF GOLD), has been nominated for a Ditmar award, and five of his books have been CBCA Notable Books, including WORD OF HONOUR. His most recent series are THE CHRONICLES OF KRANGOR for younger readers and THE LAWS OF MAGIC for older readers. He is currently writing the final book in the LAWS OF MAGIC series.

Michael Pryor Website 

Michael Pryor Fan Page 

Here is the blurb to Moments of Truth

The unthinkable has happened: Albion is at war. Aubrey and George are swept up into the military - but not in the way they expect. With Caroline drafted into the Special Services, Aubrey is sure the combination of his magic, George's practical skills and Caroline's fighting secrets will make them a formidable team. But what if the military hierarchy has other ideas?

When Aubrey's top secret espionage unit is sent to Gallia to investigate mysterious magical emanations, what they discover is intelligence gold. Holmland is about to unleash an unstoppable horror upon the world. It could win the war within weeks. Aubrey is in a dilemma: should he obey orders and simply observe, or should he and his friends do their best to stop a bloodbath?

Saving thousands of lives could cost Aubrey his own. But that's never stopped him before.