Today, I’m delighted to have Barbara Bennett on the blog to share about her forthcoming novel Alchemy of Glass (out April 21) and her journey as a writer—with a focus on writing a sequel.
Alchemy of Glass by Barbara BarnettPublished by Pyr on April 21, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 376
Format: Paperback
Drawing upon cutting-edge science and Celtic mythology, The Alchemy of Glass returns to the world of immortal apothecary Gaelan Erceldoune. Gaelan's past, present, and future will collide as he fights to prevent a catastrophic future.
Interview with Barbara Bennett
1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to write—to tell stories. I wrote my first serious short story as a high school freshman. It was called The Ruby Pendant. My English teacher loved it and told me I was a “real writer.” On the other hand, my sixth grade teacher called my efforts at poetry “superfluous.” I suppose it was a left-handed compliment, because she must’ve assumed I knew what the SAT-level word meant when I was but a wee lass of eleven. Writing has always been an important part of my life, whether it was part of my “day job” career or just for pleasure—or eventually to become a published author!
2. Where did you get the idea for Alchemy of Glass? How did The Apothecary’s Curse influence the creation of this follow-up novel?
I’ve always had a fascination with glass, crystal, stained glass . . . And I’ve always been curious about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s long-standing fascination with the fairy folk. How does a physician/journalist/ and creator of the most logical rational character in fiction possess such an undying belief in fairies? At the same time, I wanted to push forward the story I began in Apothecary, which I left quite ambiguous at the end. I also wanted to explore the beginnings of Simon and Gaelan’s frenemies-ship—and Gaelan’s relationship with Dr. Anne Shawe. So all of those conspired to influence Alchemy, but allowed me to go in new directions. Although it’s not a romance per se, Alchemy of Glass, like the first installment, has parallel love stories at its core. This time, in addition to moving forward with Anne and Gaelan (in what I hope is an unexpected way), I wanted to go back into Gaelan’s romantic history as well.
3. Describe your world building process. What did you take into consideration while building a world in which science, magic, and technology intersect?
Always, always at the core of any paranormal/supernatural seeming event is an element of science. I’ve always believed in the “magic is what we do not yet understand as science” school of world building. So outright magic doesn’t usually work for me as a reader or writer.
I’ve created three intersecting worlds in Alchemy: A version of modern Chicago (which is more or less straighforward), but with a medical question at its core that lands it firmly in science fiction’s universe. My world of 1826 London is based in history, but brings in elements of Gaelan’s book of healing and what had once been considered “magical healing” in the time of his father and grandfather, and that had to remain true to the world I created in Apothecary—and to history. The third world—the most, I guess, supernatural bridges both with Gaelan’s long-ago past and his modern reality of Chicago. I can’t tell you much more without spoiling, but Gaelan certainly wonders whether what he experiences is really happening to him or is something . . . other.
4. How does being an immortal impact Gaelan’s character? What did you take into consideration while making him the complex, memorable character that people remember from The Apothecary’s Curse?
Thank you for those kind words. 🙂 Part of Gaelan’s genius is built upon an accumulation of knowledge and experience gained over centuries and not from book-learning. But his immortality is also an albatross about his neck making him wonder if the adventure of life is still worth living.
5. What was your road to publication like? What advice would you give writers who are not yet published?
This was tough in a way. Writing the sequel was a challenge, knowing where I wanted to go in one aspect, but making sure all the threads I wanted to follow in the novel’s complex structure wove together in a way that made sense. It’s what my editor called spiraling narratives that come together—and man was that a challenge! Just after the book was acquired by Pyr, the publisher of the first book, the imprint was sold to a different publishing company, which delayed the project.
My advice is to stick to it. I still believe that the traditional publishing path is the best for the author—no upfront cost, an advance (hopefully), and a editorial, art, publicity, marketing and sales team you cannot provide on your own without insubstantial cost. Can you make a lot of money self-publishing? Sure, sometimes. But it’s so much easier with a team behind you.
6. What books would you recommend for readers who enjoy The Apothecary’s Curse and Alchemy of Glass?
I found a lot of inspiration for the novels from historical fiction (especially medicine and mystery) of the Victorian era. I have specific references in Alchemy to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “On the Existence of Fairies” and HG Wells’s short story “The Crystal Egg.” Really anything by either of those two authors would be a good read for fans of my work!
7. What question do you wish I asked you and how would you answer it?
People always wonder how I could paint a Chicago area that is not flat. Chicago’s flat right? Everyone knows it! Except up where I’ve set much of the modern stories in both novels, which is called “The Ravines.” Since I was a kid, the Ravines have been a magical, unexpected place in the Chicago metro area—sweeping bluffs that fringe the Lake Michigan coastline. Ironically, my husband and I recently moved right into that area! Talk about providence.
8. What are you working on now?
Right now I have three projects competing for attention on my hard drive. The first is a third novel set in the TAC-verse. The second is an urban fantasy set in the North side of Chicago that delves into Jewish mythology. The third is a novel in progress that explores the origins of Thomas the Rhymer and Tamlin from ancient British legend (and that one has a Gaelan Erceldoune connection, since Gaelan is the descendent of Thomas the Rhymer!).
9. Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
You can find my books anywhere (and if your library doesn’t carry, please ask for it!!). Find me at BarbaraBarnett.com. I hope you’ll put my novels on your Goodreads list!
Let’s Chat
📚 What do you look for in a sequel?
📚 What are your thoughts on magic systems that blend magic, science, and technology?
Leave a Reply