The Keepers series author Lian Tanner discusses where she gets her inspiration, along with her new steampunk novel Ice Breaker.
Ice Breaker is the newest novel from Australian author Lian Tanner, whose popular Keepers trilogy has won, and been shortlisted, for several children’s book awards.
Ice Breaker is the first in her new Hidden series, and is the story of Petrel, a young girl on a ancient icebreaker that is home to three warring tribes.
Ice Breaker is an adventure novel that is packed with mystery, and features a distinct steampunk edge.
Petrel leaned on the rail, watching the ice cave and stamping her feet for warmth. The berg came closer. That’s when she saw him. Laid out on the ice like a dead fish, with a scattering of snow covering his face. A boy, where there should have been nothing but the memory of winter. A frozen boy.
Ice Breaker was published on November 1, 2013 in Australia. You can purchase the book online now from Amazon or the publisher.
Tell us five interesting facts about yourself?
1. I was born the youngest child of a youngest child of a youngest child, which in the best tradition of fairy tales practically guaranteed that I would have an adventurous life.
2. I started to write my first novel when I was ten. I didn’t get very far, but the dream and the ambition were there from a very early age.
3. I am very scared of heights, which is one of the reasons I enjoy writing about brave children who can climb the sides of buildings without flinching.
4. I lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for three years when I was in my early 20s – that’s when the adventurous life started to kick in! I still draw on that time for ideas and inspiration.
5. One of my favourite true stories, which both horrifies and entertains kids, is that I once taught at a school where the headmaster used to train the students for the interschool sports by chasing them around the oval with a whip.
Can you describe your writing process for us?
It varies a bit from book to book, but usually I start off with some sort of visual idea, something that intrigues me. (In the case of Ice Breaker, it was the ship itself, big, rusty and old, and ploughing a never-ending course around the southern ice cap.) Then I need a second idea – something that collides with the first one in shower of sparks. (A mysterious boy, found on an iceberg.)
Once I’ve got those two things, I start a notebook, jotting down possible scenes and scraps of dialogue, pasting pictures that might or might not have some relevance, and asking myself lots of questions. I also try and find a picture I can use as desktop wallpaper, something that epitomises the feel of the story, so that it’s there whenever I’m writing.
Once I’ve got a good lot of material I work out my main characters and a detailed plot – these will both change quite a bit as I go along, but if I don’t have that initial plot, I find myself getting lost and frustrated. (Actually I get lost and frustrated anyway, but without a plot it’s much worse.)
My first draft is an experimental/playful draft, which means it doesn’t have to be coherent or sensible in any way – it’s just a useful stage in finding out the final story. The second draft is where things start to become a bit more readable, and is probably my favourite part of the process, seeing things slide into place, and feeling the story take shape. Once I’ve got it to that stage, I give it to a reader for some feedback, then rework it before sending it to my publishers.
You studied drama and have been a professional actor. Does this influence your writing at all?
It influences my writing hugely. It was acting that taught me how to write good dialogue, how to flesh out a character and how to use subtext. I find I write very visually these days, and I think that’s from acting too.
And if I get stuck, I’ll often act out a scene, to see what feels right. It’s a valuable background for a writer in so many ways, not least of which is the ability to stand up in front of an audience and entertain them.
Where did the idea for ‘Ice Breaker’ come from?
Anyone who lives in Hobart will have seen the ‘Aurora Australis’, the icebreaker that takes scientists and expeditioners to the Antarctic every spring. I think it must have been lurking on the edge of my imagination for some time – this is the only explanation I can find for the fact that, one day, I found myself thinking of a big old ship sailing around and around the southern ice cap, with a secret concealed in its heart.
There is a great steampunk aspect to the ship itself, what made you choose to include this?
It was there in my head right from the beginning with this story. The ship itself demanded it – and besides, I’ve always liked steampunk! As a society, we’re surrounded by things like computers that most of us don’t even begin to understand, so there’s a real appeal in creating a world where you can more or less see how things work.
I also like creating settings that are characters in their own right, and an old, rusty ship – with all its implied history – is so much more intriguing than a new shiny one. The artist (Sebastian Ciaffaglione) and the designer (Design by Committee) have captured this steampunk aspect beautifully in the cover.
What do you find easiest to write, the first or the last line?
They can both be hard, but I think the last line is harder. The first line has to lure the reader into the book. But the last line (particularly in a series) has to leave them with a sense of deep satisfaction AND the feeling that they want more. It’s a tricky combination and in my first couple of drafts I usually get it wrong. Eventually finding the right words is a huge relief!
Having said that, I had the last line of Ice Breaker before I started writing the first draft. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen to me very often.
What do you hope readers will take away from ‘Ice Breaker’?
First and foremost, a good story with lots of excitement and suspense, and space for the imagination to roam. Beyond that, I think it depends on the age and maturity of the reader. I like to write books that work on a number of different levels, so that younger kids can read them just for the adventure, and older kids (and adults) can find something more in them.
In Ice Breaker, that ‘something more’ includes petty wars and the way they can divide a small society, the cruelties of extremism, the idea of belonging, and what it means to be human.
‘Ice Breaker’ is the first in a new series. How many books can we expect in total, and do you have a planned release schedule?
The current idea is that there will be three books, and they’ll come out a year apart. So the second one, which has a working title of Claw, will come out in November 2014.
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