![]() At the beginning, the main element that needed research was the magic system – I was reading up on many different historical types of divination, deciding on a logical way to organise them, and working out the fine details of each clairvoyant gift.įor The Bone Season and The Mime Order (the first two books), the settings didn’t require too much research, because I was very familiar with London and Oxford, but in The Song Rising the story moved up to Manchester and Edinburgh, and The Mask Falling is set in Paris – all cities I love, but have never lived in. There are various layers to researching this series: geographical, historical, etymological, medical, mythological – the list goes on. What kind of research is involved in the writing process - both at the start of the series, and now that you’re a few books into it? In short, I have the skeleton, with all its joints, but the flesh gathers as I write. Sometimes you can plan a book in exhaustive detail, but when you come to write a certain scene, it just doesn’t work, so I have to leave room to react and manoeuvre. I’ve always known the key events of the series, roughly how those events will be divided up into seven books, and the major twists and turns – but exactly how they play out is fluid. I’ve been writing the series since 2011, since I was 19, so my plans for it have unquestionably changed and developed over time, but I’ve always had the bones of the narrative laid out. How much of the rest of the series have you got planned out? Or is it more open to change? The Mask Falling is the fourth in the seven-book series. Fantasy, in particular, is the genre in which anything can happen – your only real limit is your imagination, and I reap a lot of joy from that creative freedom. Yes, I’ve always been drawn to speculative fiction, even when I was young. Was fantasy the genre that you always wanted to write? Was there something particular that drew you to it? In various ways: Anthony Burgess, Garth Nix, Jeannette Ng, Laini Taylor, Malorie Blackman, Margaret Atwood, Nicola Griffith, N. Once I realised, it was all I wanted to do, and it’s all I’ve wanted to do since. It sounds hard to believe, but before that age, I just don’t think I’d fully grasped that writing for a living was a possibility – it was like I thought books grew on trees. ![]() I’ve wanted to be a published author since I was about 12, although I did write little stories before that. Was being a writer something that you always wanted to do? Or was there a sort of ‘aha!’ kind of moment? It’s a dark and emotional journey, but there are some softer moments, too. She’s also trying to understand her bond with Arcturus (formerly known as Warden), once her bitter enemy, who is now among her closest friends. She’s just been through a traumatising ordeal at the hands of the Republic of Scion, and is now trying to overcome a slew of fresh challenges, internal and external, as she continues her fight against its ever-growing empire. Stressful! I’m only half-kidding – Paige, the narrator, goes through some gruelling physical and emotional trials in this instalment of the series. If you could use one word to describe the book, what would it be? ![]() Hi Samantha! A huge congratulations on The Mask Falling - it’s absolutely incredible. We recently had the chance to chat to Samantha about The Mask Falling, the magic of world-building and what’s next in the series. But there are those who know the revolution began with them – and could end with them. She also tries to get a better understanding of her bond with Arcturus, which is growing strong and strong by the day. But her risky mission promises a possibly high reward, as the Parisian underwood may be the key to finding the way to escalate her rebellion to outright war.Īs Scion widens its bounds, the free world is shaking in its shadow - and Paige must fight her memories after her own ordeal at its hands. With her former enemy Arcturus Mesarthim at her side, Paige goes on an epic adventure: one that will take her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. The mysterious Domino Programme has its own plans for Paige - but she’s got ambitions of her own while in this new citadel. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and sent to a safe house in Paris’ Scion Citadel, it isn’t long before she finds herself caught between the factions looking to spark Scion’s downfall and those who want to protect Rephaim’s puppet empire. It follows Paige Mahoney, who has managed to escape death once again. Her new novel, The Mask Falling, is the latest instalment in the series - and the fourth of seven planned novels. Since it first hit shelves in 2013, Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season series has been a massive hit with fans. ![]()
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