Talking Faeries with Author Holly Stacey
A Chat About Archeology, Folklore and Fairy Tales
Apr 23, 2009
Holly spoke to Suite 101 about the place of folklore in modern society, the influence her archeological experience has had on her writing and how she enjoyed her journey into self-publishing so much that she has set up her own independant publishing company.
You studied for a post graduate degree in Medieval Archaeology. How has this influenced your writing?
I think studying for my MA gave me the staying power needed to complete a novel. Before the MA I used to always start novels and short stories then flit like a butterfly to something else. But there are also aspects of archaeology that are perfect for creative writing. My focus was Pictish Symbol Stones - the Picts were a group of people living in the north of Scotland and displaced by the Vikings. What we know now about them is mostly from their artifacts - perfect for using the creative side of your mind to create new theories! Of course, groups like Vikings and Anglo Saxons who had dragons in their art and stories made for good inspiration too.
You studied for a post graduate degree in Medieval Archaeology. How has this influenced your writing?
What inspired The Faerie Conspiracies?
The Faerie Conspiracies was inspired when I had a summer off from work - I'd just finished a six month museum contract post and there were no new archaeology contracts, so I was at home. Everything seemed to be not going for me and I wondered what it would be like if a person was plagued by permanent bad luck. As I was reading folklore at the time, the idea of bad faeries crept into my consciousness and I put the two together. Thus, The Faerie Conspiracies was born.
How do you choose names for your characters?
When I was little, I'd have no problem naming toys and stuffed animals (plush, not real). I've no idea what happened to that part of me as now I have a terrible time deciding names! The main characters are often easy. Beth felt like a Beth, but the sub characters were annoyingly elusive. I changed Beth's parents names more than twice and it took me ages to make sure their names stayed consistant throughout the book when it was published.
Do you feel that tales of the supernatural and fairy stories play a large part in our daily lives?
Definitely. To me, folklore was and is part of being human. I think most parents still tell tales to their children - be it Santa or the tooth fairy. And I'm positive that it's not just a 'bit of fun'. Children cling to these tales and it helps adults explain things like fairness (Santa doesn't give toys to bad children) and the passing of life's pains (tooth fairy). As for adults, who hasn't heard the urban legends like the escaped lunatic with the hook for a hand....
When you were writing your novel did you ever feel like giving up or run out of inspiration?
I never run out of inspiration - that's difficult to do when you live in an ancient town where the Witchfinder General used to live (along side all his accused witches). But I always wondered if there was a point to my writing. There were times when I would have liked to throw in the towel, but the muse wouldn't let me. It was as if faeries were plaguing me to finish writing about them! That's the way with all my stories. I don't stop until the story is out whether I want to or not.
The Faerie Conspiracies is the first in a trilogy. Do you already know what the final page of the trilogy will be?
Ohh, yes. There is so much more to tell in the trilogy. Book one is just the tip of the iceberg! We have to find out why the Faeries were invading human land in the first place - it's not a nice reason at all!
Holly Stacey also shared her self-publishing journey with Suite 101.
You can also find out more about Holly's independant publishing company Wyvern Publications and buy The Faerie Conspiracies on the Wyvern Publications Website.
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