This month we interview Joshua Mowll, author of The Guild Trilogy about the story behind the books and find out what his favourite reads were when he was young ...
Where did the inspiration for The Guild Trilogy come from?
I wanted to create the sort of book I would have enjoyed reading when I was young. I’ve always been fascinated by detailed cutaway drawings and fold out maps and thought that combining them with an adventure story could perhaps create a series of books like no other. I started to work on the idea back in 2001, and since then the it has grown into the trilogy.
Which character did you most enjoy creating and why?
I’ve enjoyed creating them all, even the bad guys. Becca and Doug make a good team I hope, each with their own particular skills and talents. I’ve put them through some terrifying adventures over the last few years but they’ve grown stronger and more resilient as the trilogy has progressed. Operation Storm City tests them both to their limits, but I’m happy to report some of their old friends are back to help them out.
I’ve enjoy writing Liberty da Vine ever since she roared into the story during Operation Red Jericho (Book 1). She’s a great counter to the stuffiness of captain MacKenzie. I’m also very fond of the captain’s tiger, the Duchess, who keeps an eye on things and can be relied on to frighten the life out of people.
What research was required in order for you to write Operation Storm City?
Lots and lots. Once I had the plot outline for the book I could see I actually needed to go to Hong Kong, India and the deserts of Western China to tie down detail and tidy up some loose ends. At one point, as I rode a Bactrian camel across the miserable bleakness of the Taklamakan desert in China, I found myself wondering if all this research was such a good idea especially as I had a rather villainous guide leading the way.
India was astonishing, particularly the labyrinth in Lucknow where one of the key scenes of Operation Storm City takes place. The labyrinth, or maze, occupies the top four stories of a religious building complex. Despite being in the roof vaults, it’s almost like a dungeon level in a computer game. The only way to get through all four levels is by hiring a guide. It has hundreds of passageways, some of which have hardly any light, and was one of the most intriguing and mysterious places I’ve ever been. Happily my guide on that occasion was much more reliable than the one in China.
How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?
I take inspiration from anywhere I can. Observing people’s character traits and remembering phrases or words they use helps to breathe life into my characters.
As for inspiration for plots, much of it comes from researching information in dusty old books and expedition journals. This sounds incredibly dull, but it’s remarkable what can be discovered. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. I’m also inspired by novels, films and rare artefacts in museums, magazine articles ... everything I can get my hands on really.
Who are your favourite writers and how have they inspired your work?
I used to read a lot of novels by a writer called Douglas Reeman when I was young. These weren’t children’s books especially, but I absolutely loved his stories about the Royal Navy in the Second World War. I was fascinated by his description of the sea, ships and his use of technical phrases like ‘fo’c’sle’. It was years before I worked out what a fo’c’sle was, and how to pronounce it, but that didn’t seem to matter to me at the time.* Arthur Ransome and the Tintin books were also particular favourites, as were classics like Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
* The word fo’c’sle is really a shortened version of forecastle but it’s pronounced folk-sul – nope, I don’t understand why either.
Which authors do you think readers of Operation Storm City will also enjoy?
For a bit of retro-adventuring, you can’t beat the master – Jules Verne. With titles like Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, how can you go wrong?
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
No, I didn’t even consider it until I was about 30 years old. I was constantly told at school that I was bad at spelling, so imagined writing a book was well beyond my grasp. Spelling is important but I soon discovered writing is mostly about ideas.
What is your favourite time of day to write?
I try to start at 6.00am. It’s a great time to tap straight back into the dream world where ideas are more freely formed. Also, I often wake up with the answer to a problem I’ve perhaps encountered during the previous day’s writing; It’s as if my subconscious has been finding a solution during the night.
What was your favourite book as a child?
We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea by Arthur Ransome. Gripping stuff.
Which fictional character would you most like to have met?
Several spring to mind, most rooted back in the early days of adventure books. I’d like to clear up the mystery over the identity of the inventor in H. G. Wells’s book The Time Machine. The main character is only ever known as the The Time Traveller – clearly a forerunner of Doctor Who. It would be great to give him a name at long last.
My actual choice though would have to be Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, with the hope I’d get a guided tour of Nautilus, his superb submarine.