Author Tig Wallace joins the PaperBound blog to chat about his debut YA novel, Storm Bringer, the first in a series, following protagonist Amelio in a fantasy world where magical storms are deadly and nations stand divided. As Publishing Director of Little, Brown Book Group, Tig shares how he wrote the novel and his take on the publishing industry sitting on the other side of the fence.
Could you tell us a little about your thrilling debut novel, Storm Bringer?
Absolutely, and thank you for having me. Storm Bringer is a YA fantasy novel, set in a world besieged by big magical storms. The protagonist, Amelio, has lived in relative shelter for the past ten years, but has to, quite literally, venture into the storm when his mother goes missing. He encounters a world he never really knew and has to come to terms with a power he didn’t know he had, as the biggest storm ever threatens to destroy everything. It’s a bit like the movie Twisters but with tons of magic and a younger – and more rebellious – cast.
You have a background in publishing from working as an editor for Penguin and Hachette Children’s and now as Publishing Director at Little, Brown Book Group. How does it feel to be on the other side of the industry?
It’s wonderful, if a little strange, to be on the other side of the table – I feel very lucky to get to do both. What’s surprised me the most is how brand new everything feels as an author. I went into it thinking I’d be able to anticipate some of how I’d feel, having a bit of inside scoop on the process, but that hasn’t been the case at all. I feel just as excited, nervous, and caught up in a whole range of emotions as every other author. People are kind and gerenous and I’ve been very well supported by everyone. I do sometimes have to turn my editor brain off though!
From the start of the novel, the reader is plunged into action and adventure. How did you come up with the premise for Storm Bringer? Was it something that had been brewing for a while before you started writing?
I read an article years ago about a woman who chased eclipses – catching flights west during lunar events to see them as many times as she could, or for as long as possible. It stuck with me and morphed into an idea about chasing storms instead and eventually into an image in my mind of a teenager facing down an apocalyptic tornado. That was the seed of it all. I put it on the back burner initially to try writing other things, but kept coming back to it, and finally decided to write it.
I knew I wanted to write fantasy that was action-packed and pacy, and hopefully also funny amidst all the peril. I always loved fantasy, whether classic or modern in feel, from Ursula Le Guin to Garth Nix to Leigh Bardugo, but also books that feel like blockbusters, like Matthew Reilly’s and Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider. I also love a disaster movie. So I thought, what if I bring all those things I love together…and the result is Storm Bringer.
Write the book you really want to write, not the one you think you should write – I can vouch for that first hand …
The storms that appear throughout the novel, in their many fashions, seem terrifying. Did you always know you wanted the elements to be such a striking force in this novel?
I’m glad they are terrifying! Yes, that was always the vision, and I knew I wanted to open with something big and startling to set the tone for what’s to come. There’s of course a great tradition of weather magic in fantasy novels, but I didn’t feel like I’d read anything where storms themselves are so innately magical and destructive. When I landed on that as an idea, it just seemed like something that made this world unique…and that it would be fun to write. I love a big set piece and I had a great time working out what would feel most dramatic on the page. But I also loved the idea that we might learn a lot about the characters by throwing them into massive storms. In Storm Bringer, life and death scenarios bring true feelings to the surface in the most intense moments.
The two settings of Amrigo and Nimira are very distinct. How did you craft them into fruition, and were they inspired by anything in particular?
From the first iteration of the book I had ‘the Fault’ – the abyss that separates the two sides – but the rest took a long time to craft and work out. The magic vs no magic distinction wasn’t enough, so I spent time thinking about the history of the two places, their geographies, their mythologies, their beliefs, and tried to bring that through in the text. It’s funny, there’s actually loads more I wrote about Amrigo that didn’t make it into the final version of the book, for good reason. The thrust of the action takes place in Nimira and the book would have been much too long if we spent longer in Amrigo, but I was sad to leave Dex behind so soon in the story. Watch this space though!
In The Hunger Games I love that Panem is a fantasy world based in reality, set on the North American continent. I drew inspiration from that a little for Storm Bringer – although it’s a pure fantasy world, I wanted it to feel like it could be ours with a big twist. A bit like the alternate Oxford we see in Northern Lights. I’m a huge sci-fi fan as well and I guess when I pictured Amrigo – at least where Amelio lives – I imagined something like the dusty, solitary peripheral towns in Blade Runner or the industrial off-world settlements in the Alien franchise. A place that’s gritty and unforgiving, geared towards function.
One of the most captivating things about this novel is how it contrasts magic with science. Are you drawn, personally, to one more than the other?
Ooh, what a great question. I would have to say magic: I think however you define it, there is an exciting, unknown about it that represents something distinct from our own world.
When it comes to Storm Bringer I’m most interested in how both magic and science are changing. As the book starts, we see magic has been declining, science on the rise, and the different attitudes and beliefs towards both, depending where you are in the world. These beliefs stem from history that has become mythology, and I’ve enjoyed exploring this through Amelio’s eyes. We see that both originate from the same source and I think there’s lots to explore in the grey area where the two meet.
Can you tell us what other projects you are currently working on, or what readers can expect from you next?
I am busy working away on the sequel to Storm Bringer, which is the first of three of books. Book two picks up pretty soon after the events of book one and readers can expect lots more from our three main characters, each of them dealing with something pretty major after the conclusion of the previous story. Book two roves further across the map, deepens the mythology of the world, showcases bigger magic and, of course, features lots of massive storms.
What top tips would you give to readers looking to pursue their dream of becoming a published author?
I’m going to start by telling you my worst habit – as both an author and editor – which is that my default is to think I need a big chunk of time to start writing or editing. It’s not true. Big chunks of time are great of course, but don’t always present themselves. So, my first piece of advice is to sit down and write, even if you only have half an hour.
The second tip is also about the writing itself: help tomorrow’s you by where you leave your writing today. I feel much less daunted, and much better equipped, to start writing when I’ve left myself in a good spot in the previous session. I leave myself scrappy notes in the document to remind myself what I have to do next, and I often pause writing before I’ve finished a scene or chapter, because I find it’s easier to get back into the flow that way, rather than starting a brand new scene from cold.
My final tip is a classic with a twist I guess. Write the book you really want to write, not the one you think you should write – I can vouch for that first hand. That said, I think it’s really smart to equip yourself with as much market knowledge as you can. Go to book shops, trawl online, look at publisher catalogues to get a sense of what else is out there and working well. Think about which books you’d love to see yours sitting alongside in a shop. When it comes to approaching an agent, a publisher, or self-publishing, it will make your book feel more commercial and help it find its audience.
Storm Bringer by Tig Wallace is out now from Chicken House
Tig Wallace
Tig Wallace grew up in a town between London and Oxford, reading as much fantasy as possible. After work as a runner on movies, and a brief, eye-opening experience working in magazines, Tig started a career in book publishing as an editor. Tig is a keen tennis fan, as both spectator and player, a cat enthusiast, and has never been known to say no to karaoke. He lives in London. Storm Bringer is his first book.
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