Helena and I thought it would be fun to interview each other all about the process of co-authoring a series, as well as asking some juicy questions about characters in Desert Nights!
We’ve both answered the same set of questions, which we swapped and answered at the same time, so we had no idea what the other would say…
You can check out my answers to Helena’s questions over on her blog. There are some instances where we’re SO in sync with really specific answers, and others where we couldn’t be more opposite (especially the shirtless man / beetle answers – you’ll see what I mean!).
Without further ado, let’s get into the questions!
What’s been the best bit about co-writing a series together?
It’s too hard to pick one thing! So I really love our plotting sessions. I feel like they’re an excellent example of that idea of the sum being greater than the parts – I feel like we’ve come up with loads of ideas we never would have done independently, that seem to have come out of our chats rather than coming from one of us or the other. Plus writing can be so solitary, it’s nice to have the opportunity to work in such a collaborative way.
I also feel like co-writing has helped me with my own writing. Elm’s amazing at writing clever, snarky dialogue, and at including little details that make a scene really vivid. I’m sure (/hope!) my own writing has improved as a result of working with her.
Finally, I should also say it’s really good for me to be set deadlines haha…and I’m more likely to stick to them knowing that Elm will be affected too if I don’t!
What’s the hardest thing about co-writing a series?
For a control freak like me, not having a total say over everything that happens. Fortunately, Elm and I are almost always on the same page – I can’t think of a time where we’ve really disagreed strongly on something!
Favorite co-writing memory?
I’m torn between two occasions (noticing a pattern in how I’m answering these questions..? #indecisive)
First, I’m nostalgic for when we first started on this project, when Elm lived in London and I lived in Edinburgh and we would have four-hour conversations (no exaggeration) over the phone talking excitedly through all of our ideas for the series while we made notes on shared google docs.
Second, sitting in a café in Edinburgh with a peach tea around a year later, trying to plan how we were possibly going to turn four novellas into a novel that didn’t feel like four separate stories stuck together. At the time, it felt impossible, and I’m sure both of us finished the day in total despair… but, many, many rewrites later, we finally have a book we’re really proud of – Palace of Wishes. The final manuscript was sent off just before I started answering these questions, and it’s amazing how differently we feel about it now!
Who’s your favorite character to write in Desert Nights?
I love writing Aliyah. She’s such a badass.
Who do you think your co-author would say is their favorite character to write?
I’m going to guess Tarak. Elm wrote the first scenes we put on paper with our devious djinni, and I feel like she really nailed the tone for his character.
Which was your favorite scene to write?
The first one that comes to mind is the “garden scene” with Zadie and Kassim in Palace of Wishes (I won’t say more because spoilers). I had a totally clear picture of this scene even before writing it and couldn’t type fast enough to get the first draft out!
If you could convince your co-author to write a spin-off about one character – who would it be?
Elm and I have spoken about SO many characters we’d like to write spin-offs for…but I’d love to write more about Tarak’s past. I’m sure there are loads of epic stories from his life before he was trapped in the ring which we could explore! I think Elm’s going to say Aliyah though haha.
Which book of the series is your favorite?
Definitely book three, Princess of Smoke. I feel like our cast of characters know each other really well at this point and loved writing all of the scenes that give me #squadgoals. At the same time, I feel like this is the book where the story gets bigger, the threats to the kingdom becoming more real. Bigger feels, bigger action – what more could you want?!
How would you describe Zadie in three words?
Stubborn. Determined. A blurter (I bet Elm says this last one, too!)
Which of Tarak’s forms is your favorite?
While the head-in-the-smoke is probably the most impressive, it probably has to be his beetle form for me. I feel like when Tarak’s disguised as a beetle, that usually means he’s plotting something…plus I love the picture of a very sassy beetle chomping on a sticky date in Palace of Wishes.
If you had a wish from Tarak, what would you wish for?
Well, bearing in mind how many limitations there are on Tarak’s wishes for someone who calls themselves an “all-powerful djinni”, that’s tricky… Maybe a faster typing speed so I could get all my story ideas out faster?
Which three characters from Desert Nights would you invite over for dinner?
This was definitely the hardest question to answer as really I want to hang out with all of our Desert Nights characters! Umm…I guess I’d have to say Zadie (because it’d be rude not to invite our herione), Aliyah (because she’d probably send Lisha after me if she was missed off the guest list), and Safiyya (because you know she’d be a great guest and bring the perfect gift).
If you could turn into a character in Desert Nights, who would you choose and why?
Probably the vizier, actually… I’d love to be a sorceress for a day!
I loved reading Helena’s answers! Helena and I are old family friends and we went to school together, so one of the things I love most about this project is that it’s allowed us to spend so much time together as adults! Helena is such a great person to work with and she was pretty much the sole reason I ended up writing my first book.
Anyway, enough gushing. You can check out my answers over on Helena’s website, and while you’re there – check out her awesome new series, too!
Main image: Pierre Bamin