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Today I have a bit of a treat. Kate Forsyth and her sister Belinda Murrell both have new books out. To celebrate, instead of an ordinary blogpost, I asked them if they would mind interviewing each other. It's not quite an orthodox interview, but it gives some insights into their writing and their family and their very much shared sense of humour.
You can find out more about Kate and her new book on her website and about Belinda and hers on Belinda's website. Kate's has a booktrailer as well as all the usual information and the booktrailer has windmills (it also has castles and forest and much drama, but the windmills are very cute.)
I ought to give you a picture, but my picture-fu has temporarily faded. I'm recovering from one of those annoying autumn virii and I'm making so many mistakes with simple things that I am very easy to laugh at. This means I'm really only capable of doing complicated things, of course. But that's another blogpost - on with the interview. The questions are the ones they wanted to ask each other (no interference from me at all!). They claim sibling competitiveness, but I can't see it myself. Kate (who I know, hence the itnerview) is a thoroughly nice person, and Belinda sounds equally charming. There must be an evil sibling hidden somewhere, lurking, writing the darkest horror and plotting to kill off the rest of the family. (I'd make a joke about Dorian and his picture at this point, but I do actually have a cousin called Dorian and he might object.)
Bestselling Fantasy writers & sisters Kate Forsyth & Belinda Murrell chat about life, work, writing & sibling rivalry
What has been the most difficult thing about your writer’s journey so far?
Belinda: Juggling the demands of writing and marketing and having a family of three children, a husband, a house that won’t tidy itself, and lots of demanding pets – all into a day with only 24 hours! I’ve had to make a rule that I stop writing when my children come home from school, otherwise I burn the dinner, the homework won’t get done and no-one has any clean undies!
Kate: Oh I so agree! I make the same rule ... but then the house is quiet, dinner is bubbling away, and I think, I’ll just sneak back to my computer for a few minutes. Next thing I know the smoke alarm is going off and dinner is a wreck. Thank heavens for scrambled eggs. I think that we, as writers, are living two lives – the one unfurling in our imagination and filled with crises and problems; and our real life, with its own demands and needs. I want both lives, though, and so I do my very best for both of them (and my children LIKE scrambled eggs).
What has been the most rewarding?
Kate: I’ve wanted to be a writer all my life and so it’s astonishing to me that my dreams have actually come true. I love those days when the writing is an absolute joy, and characters come to life on the page and shout and jump and fight and dance and talk, and all you can do as a writer is try and keep up, laughing at their jokes and fearing for their futures. It is such a magical process, I could only wish all days were like that.
Belinda: Definitely seeing children love my work! Getting emails from children saying that was the best book I’ve ever read! Watching a boy walk down the street and bump into a lightpost because he was reading one of my books!
Kate: Oh yes! Isn’t it wonderful? I love that too.
So Kate has always wanted to be a writer. Was it the same for you, Belinda?
Belinda: As a child I loved to write, but I also wanted to be a vet like our dad, because I loved healing animals. By the time I was an adult my decision was made for me – I could write, but I couldn’t do maths, physics and chemistry!
Kate: We both wrote lots of plays and poems and stories and novels as children – and we played very intense, imaginative games born from our stories. And we both loved animals! We had the most amazing menagerie as children – dogs, cats, birds, fish, piglets, ducks, tortoises, a possum, even a wallaby! And our own horses. A lot of time was spent practising circus tricks on the back of our pony, Rosie!
What do you hate most about having a sister who is also a writer?
Belinda: People presuming that there must be some deep, nasty sibling rivalry between us! While we are competitive and both have strong ideas, we both have different strengths and we help each other enormously.
Kate: We get asked about it all the time! Yet for us, it’s a really beautiful, natural thing. And writing can be a lonely job sometimes. A writer spends an awful lot of time alone in their cave, with nothing but the bright, vivid, extraordinary world of their imagination. I find it such a blessing to have someone so close to me that I can talk to about the craft of writing, and about problems I’m having with my plot, and about the difficulties of keeping all the balls in the air.
So what is the loveliest thing?
Belinda: Having someone to share the ups and downs with, who really understands what it is like to be a writer. Writing can be a very solitary occupation because most of the time you are locked away in your office, typing away by yourself. Then there is the exhaustion of promoting the books when suddenly you have to go out into the big wide world doing school visits, festivals, workshops and events. So it is lovely to have someone to gossip with over a cup of tea who shares the same passion and joy for writing, and the same challenges.
Kate: Really, I think we’re incredibly lucky. I bet most writers wish they had a sister or brother to share it all with!
How do you begin a book?
Kate: I usually think about a novel for a long time before I start writing it. I call this ‘daydreaming the story to life’. I begin a notebook and scribble down ideas as they come to me. I begin to research and read books that are related to my area of interest i.e. books on Scottish history and fairytales while I was writing ‘The Puzzle Ring’, books on gypsy magic and folklore and biographies of Oliver Cromwell when I was writing ‘The Gypsy Crown.’ I normally don’t begin writing until I have a fairly strong idea of the story I want to tell.
Belinda: Often it is an experience or an idea which is planted like a tiny seed in my imagination, and just starts to unfurl over many months. For example, I crept down through the spooky, dank tunnels under Paris filled with the bones of murdered aristocrats, and thought this would be a brilliant scene in a book... and so began the first idea for The Ruby Talisman.
Do you plan? How extensively?
Kate: I always have a plotline worked out, with key scenes and a sense of what my climax and resolution will be. I will also have done character sketches and worked out most of my cast. I tend to do chapter breakdowns as I reach that point in the story & am trying to make sure I do everything I need to do in that chapter. Often there will be mysteries in the story that I haven’t yet solved but I have absolute faith that the answer will come to me when I need it. I like to leave room for imaginative leaps.
Belinda: I start by jotting notes in my notebook which I carry everywhere with me. I write down names, interesting details or facts, statistics, adjectives, and descriptions of setting and character. I start to dream my story into life. Once I have a fairly clear idea of what the story will be I write a summary of the plot, which I continually refer to when I get stuck.
How much research do you do? How do you do it?
Belinda: Research is a vital component of any book and can take many months. It includes living the adventure – sailing the ocean, taking a fencing class, travelling to Scotland, living in France, riding a horse, eating a feast, creeping down tunnels..... For me it also includes a wide range of reading – history, fiction, biography, etiquette books, memoirs and folklore. And easiest of all – the internet to look up quirky details.
Kate: Anyone who has ever read any of my books would know I do a lot of research – it’s really just reading with a purpose and luckily I love to read! I get very obsessive when I’m writing a book. I find it hard to read anything which is not related to the book I’m working on. I have a very extensive reference library and I buy books from all over the world to add to it. And I love the internet. It’s a treasure trove of arcane information. I also like to travel to wherever my books are set, just so you know what a forest in Scotland smells like on a frosty-white morning ....
What do you do when you get stuck?
Belinda: Walk my dog Asha along the beach, make a cup of tea, hang out the washing.....
Kate: I have all sorts of tricks! I walk every morning with my dog (Asha’s daughter Jessie!) and plan what to do that day. I refer back to my notebook constantly. I break down the chapter into point form and then slowly write each point into a narrative. Each night I think about the novel before I go to sleep and trust in my subconscious to deliver me a dream or a message by morning. I’ve been known to pull a book off my shelf at random and flick through it, seeing if anything sparks for me. Sometimes I’ll take a word and mindmap it, seeing what word associations can throw up. I did this for ‘puzzle’ when writing ‘The Puzzle Ring’ and got so much which I was able to use!
What are your dreams and ambitions for the future?
Belinda: To write books which kids adore. To grow as a writer. To write books which change children’s lives.
Kate: Oh that’s beautiful! I couldn’t have said it better.
What was Belinda like as a child? (in 3 words)
Protective. Determined. Generous.
What was Kate like as a kid? (in 3 words)
Dreamy. Sensitive. Bookworm.
We have both spent the last five or so years writing fantasy books for children. Yet our work is very different. Can you pin down what these differences are?
Belinda: Many of Kate’s books are classic heroic fantasies with lots of magic, like The Wildkin’s Curse and Kate tends to write for both boys and girls. While my Sun Sword Trilogy was set in a fantasy world, the books have far less magic in them that Kate’s. Mine tend to be more adventure driven and firmly rooted in realism. My latest books, The Locket of Dreams and The Ruby Talisman are timeslip adventures set in the real world, and are written for girls.
Kate: I think Belinda is right in saying that my books have more of a sense of magic in them. For example, my time travel adventure ‘The Puzzle Ring’ has sideways travel into the Otherworld, it has a toad that spits out a hag-stone at my heroine’s feet, which allows her to see what cannot be seen, and hear what cannot be heard; it has a gargoyle that comes to life, and a fairy creature that masquerades as a cat, and all sorts of strange and marvellous creatures from Scottish fairy tales. My latest book is pure fantasy, set in a faraway land, with valiant heroes and evil villains and a fairytale sense of wonder.
What is your next project?
Belinda: My next book is a ghostly adventure called The Ivory Rose.
Kate: Mine is an historical novel for adults interweaving the Rapunzel fairytale with the real-life love story of Wilhelm Grimm and his next-door neighbour, Dortchen Wild.
You can find out more about Kate and her new book on her website and about Belinda and hers on Belinda's website. Kate's has a booktrailer as well as all the usual information and the booktrailer has windmills (it also has castles and forest and much drama, but the windmills are very cute.)
I ought to give you a picture, but my picture-fu has temporarily faded. I'm recovering from one of those annoying autumn virii and I'm making so many mistakes with simple things that I am very easy to laugh at. This means I'm really only capable of doing complicated things, of course. But that's another blogpost - on with the interview. The questions are the ones they wanted to ask each other (no interference from me at all!). They claim sibling competitiveness, but I can't see it myself. Kate (who I know, hence the itnerview) is a thoroughly nice person, and Belinda sounds equally charming. There must be an evil sibling hidden somewhere, lurking, writing the darkest horror and plotting to kill off the rest of the family. (I'd make a joke about Dorian and his picture at this point, but I do actually have a cousin called Dorian and he might object.)
Bestselling Fantasy writers & sisters Kate Forsyth & Belinda Murrell chat about life, work, writing & sibling rivalry
What has been the most difficult thing about your writer’s journey so far?
Belinda: Juggling the demands of writing and marketing and having a family of three children, a husband, a house that won’t tidy itself, and lots of demanding pets – all into a day with only 24 hours! I’ve had to make a rule that I stop writing when my children come home from school, otherwise I burn the dinner, the homework won’t get done and no-one has any clean undies!
Kate: Oh I so agree! I make the same rule ... but then the house is quiet, dinner is bubbling away, and I think, I’ll just sneak back to my computer for a few minutes. Next thing I know the smoke alarm is going off and dinner is a wreck. Thank heavens for scrambled eggs. I think that we, as writers, are living two lives – the one unfurling in our imagination and filled with crises and problems; and our real life, with its own demands and needs. I want both lives, though, and so I do my very best for both of them (and my children LIKE scrambled eggs).
What has been the most rewarding?
Kate: I’ve wanted to be a writer all my life and so it’s astonishing to me that my dreams have actually come true. I love those days when the writing is an absolute joy, and characters come to life on the page and shout and jump and fight and dance and talk, and all you can do as a writer is try and keep up, laughing at their jokes and fearing for their futures. It is such a magical process, I could only wish all days were like that.
Belinda: Definitely seeing children love my work! Getting emails from children saying that was the best book I’ve ever read! Watching a boy walk down the street and bump into a lightpost because he was reading one of my books!
Kate: Oh yes! Isn’t it wonderful? I love that too.
So Kate has always wanted to be a writer. Was it the same for you, Belinda?
Belinda: As a child I loved to write, but I also wanted to be a vet like our dad, because I loved healing animals. By the time I was an adult my decision was made for me – I could write, but I couldn’t do maths, physics and chemistry!
Kate: We both wrote lots of plays and poems and stories and novels as children – and we played very intense, imaginative games born from our stories. And we both loved animals! We had the most amazing menagerie as children – dogs, cats, birds, fish, piglets, ducks, tortoises, a possum, even a wallaby! And our own horses. A lot of time was spent practising circus tricks on the back of our pony, Rosie!
What do you hate most about having a sister who is also a writer?
Belinda: People presuming that there must be some deep, nasty sibling rivalry between us! While we are competitive and both have strong ideas, we both have different strengths and we help each other enormously.
Kate: We get asked about it all the time! Yet for us, it’s a really beautiful, natural thing. And writing can be a lonely job sometimes. A writer spends an awful lot of time alone in their cave, with nothing but the bright, vivid, extraordinary world of their imagination. I find it such a blessing to have someone so close to me that I can talk to about the craft of writing, and about problems I’m having with my plot, and about the difficulties of keeping all the balls in the air.
So what is the loveliest thing?
Belinda: Having someone to share the ups and downs with, who really understands what it is like to be a writer. Writing can be a very solitary occupation because most of the time you are locked away in your office, typing away by yourself. Then there is the exhaustion of promoting the books when suddenly you have to go out into the big wide world doing school visits, festivals, workshops and events. So it is lovely to have someone to gossip with over a cup of tea who shares the same passion and joy for writing, and the same challenges.
Kate: Really, I think we’re incredibly lucky. I bet most writers wish they had a sister or brother to share it all with!
How do you begin a book?
Kate: I usually think about a novel for a long time before I start writing it. I call this ‘daydreaming the story to life’. I begin a notebook and scribble down ideas as they come to me. I begin to research and read books that are related to my area of interest i.e. books on Scottish history and fairytales while I was writing ‘The Puzzle Ring’, books on gypsy magic and folklore and biographies of Oliver Cromwell when I was writing ‘The Gypsy Crown.’ I normally don’t begin writing until I have a fairly strong idea of the story I want to tell.
Belinda: Often it is an experience or an idea which is planted like a tiny seed in my imagination, and just starts to unfurl over many months. For example, I crept down through the spooky, dank tunnels under Paris filled with the bones of murdered aristocrats, and thought this would be a brilliant scene in a book... and so began the first idea for The Ruby Talisman.
Do you plan? How extensively?
Kate: I always have a plotline worked out, with key scenes and a sense of what my climax and resolution will be. I will also have done character sketches and worked out most of my cast. I tend to do chapter breakdowns as I reach that point in the story & am trying to make sure I do everything I need to do in that chapter. Often there will be mysteries in the story that I haven’t yet solved but I have absolute faith that the answer will come to me when I need it. I like to leave room for imaginative leaps.
Belinda: I start by jotting notes in my notebook which I carry everywhere with me. I write down names, interesting details or facts, statistics, adjectives, and descriptions of setting and character. I start to dream my story into life. Once I have a fairly clear idea of what the story will be I write a summary of the plot, which I continually refer to when I get stuck.
How much research do you do? How do you do it?
Belinda: Research is a vital component of any book and can take many months. It includes living the adventure – sailing the ocean, taking a fencing class, travelling to Scotland, living in France, riding a horse, eating a feast, creeping down tunnels..... For me it also includes a wide range of reading – history, fiction, biography, etiquette books, memoirs and folklore. And easiest of all – the internet to look up quirky details.
Kate: Anyone who has ever read any of my books would know I do a lot of research – it’s really just reading with a purpose and luckily I love to read! I get very obsessive when I’m writing a book. I find it hard to read anything which is not related to the book I’m working on. I have a very extensive reference library and I buy books from all over the world to add to it. And I love the internet. It’s a treasure trove of arcane information. I also like to travel to wherever my books are set, just so you know what a forest in Scotland smells like on a frosty-white morning ....
What do you do when you get stuck?
Belinda: Walk my dog Asha along the beach, make a cup of tea, hang out the washing.....
Kate: I have all sorts of tricks! I walk every morning with my dog (Asha’s daughter Jessie!) and plan what to do that day. I refer back to my notebook constantly. I break down the chapter into point form and then slowly write each point into a narrative. Each night I think about the novel before I go to sleep and trust in my subconscious to deliver me a dream or a message by morning. I’ve been known to pull a book off my shelf at random and flick through it, seeing if anything sparks for me. Sometimes I’ll take a word and mindmap it, seeing what word associations can throw up. I did this for ‘puzzle’ when writing ‘The Puzzle Ring’ and got so much which I was able to use!
What are your dreams and ambitions for the future?
Belinda: To write books which kids adore. To grow as a writer. To write books which change children’s lives.
Kate: Oh that’s beautiful! I couldn’t have said it better.
What was Belinda like as a child? (in 3 words)
Protective. Determined. Generous.
What was Kate like as a kid? (in 3 words)
Dreamy. Sensitive. Bookworm.
We have both spent the last five or so years writing fantasy books for children. Yet our work is very different. Can you pin down what these differences are?
Belinda: Many of Kate’s books are classic heroic fantasies with lots of magic, like The Wildkin’s Curse and Kate tends to write for both boys and girls. While my Sun Sword Trilogy was set in a fantasy world, the books have far less magic in them that Kate’s. Mine tend to be more adventure driven and firmly rooted in realism. My latest books, The Locket of Dreams and The Ruby Talisman are timeslip adventures set in the real world, and are written for girls.
Kate: I think Belinda is right in saying that my books have more of a sense of magic in them. For example, my time travel adventure ‘The Puzzle Ring’ has sideways travel into the Otherworld, it has a toad that spits out a hag-stone at my heroine’s feet, which allows her to see what cannot be seen, and hear what cannot be heard; it has a gargoyle that comes to life, and a fairy creature that masquerades as a cat, and all sorts of strange and marvellous creatures from Scottish fairy tales. My latest book is pure fantasy, set in a faraway land, with valiant heroes and evil villains and a fairytale sense of wonder.
What is your next project?
Belinda: My next book is a ghostly adventure called The Ivory Rose.
Kate: Mine is an historical novel for adults interweaving the Rapunzel fairytale with the real-life love story of Wilhelm Grimm and his next-door neighbour, Dortchen Wild.