SPFBO Author Interview: Jill Chard

What inspired you to write your SPFBO entry? Is there a particular story, personal experience, or idea that sparked this book?

An obsession for parkour videos and a trip to Italy inspired The Relic Thief, at least in part. I knew I wanted to write about a thief who scaled walls and ran over roofs. It's exciting and dangerous, but there's also something about heights and going where one isn't meant to that has always captured my imagination. Medieval Venice and the Silk Road also inspired me. I wanted to set my story in a city that thrived on trade and, thus, had become uniquely multicultural.  

•       How would you describe your writing process? How did it evolve during the creation of this book?

I had no process for The Relic Thief to begin with. I had had foot surgery and was stuck on the couch for weeks. Quickly bored by tv, I started writing just to see where that took me. I've begun many stories and scripts in my lifetime, but I rarely worked on them more than a day. This time I kept going. I began writing everyday and fell in love with the habit and the whole slog of it all. I was surprised that, as I wrote, character and plot would just appear on the page. I almost didn't believe my brain was coming up with the ideas. I've since learned this is called pantsing, which worked up to a certain point. Once my story got complex enough, I had to plan, make notes and do some research. Still, I'd say the book is at least 80% pantsed. Book 2 in the series will be much less so.  

•       What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?

While writing The Relic Thief, I was going through intense challenges in my personal life. Writing became a balm and a sanctuary from my reality. The issues I faced within my writing were more like puzzles to figure out, challenges that were fun and exciting, problems I could actually handle. When they became difficult, like, making sure my magic system made sense, I just banished myself to the woods, talking the puzzles out loud like a crazy lady. By the end of the walk, I usually knew what to do. When I didn't, I would put the writing aside and work on another book. The break gave the story time to bubble away in my subconscience. By the time I came back to it, I would have more perspective.

•       Who are your biggest literary influences and how have they impacted your writing style?

Glen Cook, for one. I love how he writes characters and dialogue. I started, like most other kids, with Tolkien, and Weis and Hickman. Glen Cook was the first author I read whose characters sounded like the people I knew. I love his grittiness and ascerbic wit, and the way I want to both hang out with his characters and slap them upside the head. I definitely wanted some of that in my book. Michael Ondaatje is another big influence. Almost a counterpoint to Cook, Ondaatje's writing is lyrical and palpable, and explores the human condition in poetic vignettes. His writing inspired certain details in The Relic Thief, like heartbreak so intense that the character can only lie in bed and trace cracks in the ceiling.

•          How do you approach world-building in your fantasy novel? What elements do you think are essential for a compelling fantasy setting?

As I mentioned earlier, Venice as a terminus on the Silk Road inspired The Relic Thief. While goods flowed into and out of Venice, so too did cultures, ideas, religions and scientific discoveries. I started with this premise, added magic then allowed my characters and their situations to sculpt the world.

I don't think there is anything essential in world-building. It really is about how characters react to their environment and how their environment shapes them. A good writer could set a story in a village made of mud if the story is good enough. The greatest asset of fantasy is that anything and everything is possible, but characters and storyline must be able to function within those possibilities.

•       If you could give a piece of advice to the main character in your book at the start of their journey, what would it be?

I'd tell Nila to forgive herself.

•       As a self-published author, how do you navigate marketing and promoting your work?

In the beginning, I scoured blogs and Youtube channels for advice like, I'm guessing, most people do. Even with the best advice, it's still really difficult and time consuming. Self-promotion does not come naturally to me. Humility is one of the core values I was raised with so I feel really uncomfortable approaching reviewers, bloggers, all the people you're supposed to reach out to when promoting an indie book. In the end, it's just something I have to keep plugging away at.

One thing I did do that was both a bust and a bash was to have a launch party for The Relic Thief. I held it in a local brewpub and had a friend interview me. I hired musician friends for after the interview and everyone ate canapes and danced. It turned into a really fun party. My family even drove 5 hours in a blizzard to join me. It was a bust because there was absolutely no interest by anyone in the writing/publishing community but it felt so amazing to be supported and loved by those who really matter in my life.

•       What made you decide to participate in the SPFBO competition? How do you think this experience will benefit you as an author?

I would have been a fool not to participate in SPFBO. The Relic Thief is a compelling book and Mark Lawrence has given people like me an opportunity to showcase it. It's a no-brainer. What I didn't expect, however, was the community-building aspect of the competition. I'm following, reading and participating as much as I can and I've connected with all sorts of people. I think in the real world this is called networking. In the least, having author friends will at least make me cooler.

•       If you were to win SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?

Like most artists, I waffle between confidence and crippling self-doubt. I am not going to win, I have no dillusions there, but making the finals, or even the semi-finals might give me the kick in the ass I need to finally quit my job and become a fulltime writer.

•       What's next for you after SPFBO? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I have a few projects on the go. I'm currently doing the final edit on a literary novel called North of 7. It's about how family secrets can lead to terrible legacies, and is set in rural Ontario, Canada. Another project is a YA historical pirate fiction called Rats! set in England, Africa and the Carribean. I'm also working on book 2 of The Other Side of Darkness (The Relic Thief is book 1) so that's got me fired on all cylinders.