What can you tell us about your book Labyrinth?
Labyrinth actually came out in 2005, after ten years of research and writing. It's a time slip adventure novel, with two strong female heroes - Alais and Alice - separated by 800 years. Alais lives in Carcassonne in 1209 and Alice, a modern English women, finds herself visiting Carcassonne during the summer of 2005 and being drawn into an ancient quest for the true grail. It's a novel of history and mystery, of secrets buried deep in the landscape of the Languedoc, of brave women and the men who love them. The strap line - three books, two women, one grail - says it all!
Part of the book is set in 1209, so how did you go about researching this time in our history?
My passion is bringing to life hidden moments of women's history. With Labyrinth, set in medieval France, it's about a sect of Christians - the Cathars - who had female as well as male priests. This, of course, inflamed the Catholic Church and the French crown and led to a violent and cruel Crusade against the peaceful lands of the Languedoc. This slice of history grabbed by imagination and set me off on research. The medieval history of the Languedoc is very rich and well documented, so I read everything - absolutely everything and anything - written by French historians and poets of the period, visited museums and libraries, found old folktales and songs, recipes, castles and banqueting halls. We've lived in Carcassonne on and off for 23 years now, so all the physical research - climbing mountains, exploring caves, going to the ancient sites, is something that is bred into the bone. For Labyrinth, I even had sword fighting lessons, so I knew what it felt like to take part in a battle! (I wasn't very good .....)
What was your reaction when your first found out that your book was being made into a TV show?
We had resisted all the calls from Hollywood, who wanted to put male characters in the leading roles, rather than the two extraordinary female adventure characters of Alais and Alice. But when Ridley Scott's television company - in association with Tandem Communications in Germany - came calling, we were delighted. They wanted to make a long, high quality film for television, wanted to cast an international company and clearly were determined to do justice to the novel. Amazing! The cast is great - John Hurt, Janet Suzman, Jessica Brown Findlay, Emun Elliott, Vanessa Kirby, Tony Curran, Katie McGrath - and with a wonderful script from Adrian Hodges (My Week with Marilyn) and director by Black Death director, Christopher Smith. I've been so lucky.
How much involvement did you have in the TV show?
Quite a lot, though all informal. Scott Free and Tandem were excellent and generous, involving me all discussions about writing, casting, shooting. But, my view was, that they are the experts. I wanted to allow Christopher Smith to deliver his vision of Labyrinth, rather than me interfering all the time and possibly spoiling what he hoped to achieve. I was on set, both in Carcassonne and in Cape Town, where they built a replica of the medieval cite of Carcassonne, and learnt such a lot. I particularly loved meeting all the creatives - wardrobe, props, set designers, armourers, make up team - and seeing how much work goes into every single shot. Also, I am in the film as an actor - my own cameo role, four lines, right at the very end of the film. I confidently predict a BAFTA best newcomer (not!!!!) award ..... That was great fun.
You write both fiction, plays and non-fiction, so which is your favourite?
They are so different, it's impossible to say: with a play, it's all about the moment and the character, so I write faster and with a sense of the wind at my heels; with non-fiction, it's about the research and organisation, the attempt to include every detail and in the right order, so it's less draining and more methodical, logical; with fiction, it's about creating an entire world, characters who will live and breathe like real people and carry the readership along with them. My novels are long, so each book involves a huge time commitment. Like a gigantic essay crisis, I suppose! Each form of writing - and short stories too - has its highs and lows, but hopefully each supports the others and helps me to become a better writer.
Tell us about your writing background.
I studied English at University, then worked in publishing for ten years, so was lucky enough to be taken on for my first book in 1993. The balance of time of my writing time is about three quarters research and preparation, then a quarter writing, rewriting and editing. It can be quite lonely towards the end of a long project - such as Labyrinth or Citadel - because one is trying to draw all the strands together after years and years of work. When I'm actually writing (as opposed to researching) I start early every day, about 4am, with a strong, sweet black coffee, and write until midday or so. The afternoon is about other tasks, emails, chores, meetings, going for a walk or a bike ride. Sometimes, I go back to work in the evening, but mostly I relax with family and friends, then have an early night before getting up before dawn the next day to start it all over again. Each writer has to find her or his own pattern, what suits them best. There's no trick to writing, just hard work and keeping going and not losing heart when things aren't going so well ...
Your new book has been said to be 'an ingenious adventure story' so do you read adventure books in your spare time?
Thank you! Actually, I read everything - crime novels, thrillers, literary fiction, non-fiction, biography and history. But I grew up reading adventure stories - Rider Haggard, Dumas, Jules Verne, Walter Scott - and see myself in that tradition of big epic stories, with larger-than-life characters and a strong sense of place and history. To be a good writer, you have to learn to be a good reader. Everything is interesting; you learn something new from anything you read. (Well, perhaps not the Highway Code ....)
What is your favourite novel?
Too many to list - but, it probably won't surprise you to know, that Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is among them. Published in 1847, only a year or so before she died, It has everything - huge landscapes, an epic adventure story at the heart of it, two different time periods, strong female and male characters, overwhelming emotion - revenge, love, fear, tenderness. An extraordinary achievement.
Your novella The Cave is aimed at adults with literacy issues, so how important is it for you that people enjoy reading?
The Cave - which formed the inspiration for my novella The Winter Ghosts - was originally commissioned by the Quick Reads programme, which aims to provide exciting novels for adults with limited or developing literacy skills. Reading is the most democratic of all the arts and is something that should be open to everyone. In the pages of a book, we can all go anywhere in the world, be anyone we want, live in any period of time and experience any - and all - emotions. Reading allows us all to dream and sets us free. So, yes, supporting libraries and literacy programmes, so that everyone - whoever they are, wherever they live, wherever they come from - can have the chance to read and love wonderful books is incredibly important.
What is next for you?
I'm working on a new book, to be published in October 2013 - we'll be unveiling it all in April - then, on a big history play. Based on another hidden piece of women's history, it is an epic historical story of two queens at battle with one another, set in the Holy Land of the 12th century. Oh, and I'm also working on the big-screen adaptation of The Winter Ghosts, which is being written by the fantastic writer, Rory Kinnear (We Need to Talk About Kevin). So, an exciting year to come.