by Jo Johnstone
The image you get when you hear internationally best-selling author and seven series book deal is perhaps someone middle aged wearing a suit. Someone who struggled to get their work published on the road to success. The appearance of Samantha Shannon, the 22 year old author of The Bone Season is in complete contrast to this preconception. Young, attractive, wearing skinny jeans and a smart top, she’s a breath of fresh air as she’s takes her seat on the panel.
She is joined by the producer of the Bridget Jones films Jonathan Cavendish who presides over the talk. On Cavendish's other side is Andy Serkis, the actor most associated with his performance capture roles such as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
The image you get when you hear internationally best-selling author and seven series book deal is perhaps someone middle aged wearing a suit. Someone who struggled to get their work published on the road to success. The appearance of Samantha Shannon, the 22 year old author of The Bone Season is in complete contrast to this preconception. Young, attractive, wearing skinny jeans and a smart top, she’s a breath of fresh air as she’s takes her seat on the panel.
She is joined by the producer of the Bridget Jones films Jonathan Cavendish who presides over the talk. On Cavendish's other side is Andy Serkis, the actor most associated with his performance capture roles such as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Once seated Cavendish talks us through the books success and how Bloomsbury, the publisher behind Harry Potter, has commissioned the book for six follow ups. As well as the books success, the series has been optioned for the film rights. The Imaginarium Studios, founded by Serkis and Cavendish, are in the process of adapting the script for film. With so much going on around the first novel and the release of the second how did the story come about?
On her inspiration for the story, Shannon had two starting points. The first happened as Shannon was ‘walking down Seven Dials and saw different crystal balls in shop windows and imagined a girl who was clairvoyant.’ The second starting point came from the fact that the author suffers from severe migraines and when they come she has blind spots and sees colourful dots. ‘I imagined clairvoyants having a similar experience and having that gift be biological not magical. It started off really small. I imagined these peoples effect on London, then England, and then Scotland and it kept growing. I kept adding detail as I love detail, I add even more than is probably necessary, like the historical divinations of clairvoyance’.
Shannon attended College in Oxford, which features heavily in the story. Oxford has long been a haven for Literates such as Tolkien and Pullman but how has Oxford influenced her and the story? ‘People think I must have had a bad experience at Oxford because the way it’s portrayed in the story but it’s such a rich place. The Architecture, the culture and of course the Literature. It’s a really amazing place. I see why its features in so many great stories.’
Shannon confesses to being a fan of Tolkien. ‘I read The Hobbit when I was young and loved the world he created. I really admired his use of linguistics and language. I’m not a linguist but liked the idea of creating news words and languages.’
On her inspiration for the story, Shannon had two starting points. The first happened as Shannon was ‘walking down Seven Dials and saw different crystal balls in shop windows and imagined a girl who was clairvoyant.’ The second starting point came from the fact that the author suffers from severe migraines and when they come she has blind spots and sees colourful dots. ‘I imagined clairvoyants having a similar experience and having that gift be biological not magical. It started off really small. I imagined these peoples effect on London, then England, and then Scotland and it kept growing. I kept adding detail as I love detail, I add even more than is probably necessary, like the historical divinations of clairvoyance’.
Shannon attended College in Oxford, which features heavily in the story. Oxford has long been a haven for Literates such as Tolkien and Pullman but how has Oxford influenced her and the story? ‘People think I must have had a bad experience at Oxford because the way it’s portrayed in the story but it’s such a rich place. The Architecture, the culture and of course the Literature. It’s a really amazing place. I see why its features in so many great stories.’
Shannon confesses to being a fan of Tolkien. ‘I read The Hobbit when I was young and loved the world he created. I really admired his use of linguistics and language. I’m not a linguist but liked the idea of creating news words and languages.’
Book Editor Gemma with Shannon So Tolkien is a great influence for Shannon but who else inspired her and her work? ‘A lot of people mention the Bronte sisters. I do admired Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. There’s a sense of Mr Rochester in some of my characters. A big influence is Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel introduced me to the dystopia genre, (along with Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four ) as well as feminism. A Clockwork Orange as I love Anthony Burgess and his created futuristic slang, (Nadsat) and his portrayal of the criminal underworld.’
It’s not just the fantasy world that Shannon created that has captivated audiences but also her characters. The central relationship between Paige and Waldon is a fascinating kind of "Beauty and the Beast" tale but how did it come about?
‘I wrote Walden years before in a previous work but he was very angry and different. I put him together with Paige and they just bounced off one another so well, their dialogue and relationship. She changed him but he still has his dark past.’
With a film franchise in the works you have to wonder if Shannon has any actors in mind for roles? ‘I think my two leads will be the hardest to cast as I know exactly what they look like in my head. For other roles I thought about Benedict Cumberbatch and Alexander Skarsgard.’ This mention of Benedict Cumberbatch gets an ooohhh from the crowd and a slight scream from one over excited reporter, (sorry). ‘But I'm open when it comes to casting.’ Cavendish notes that when he announced that he had cast Renee Zellweager, ‘a stick thin Texan, as Bridget Jones it caused a stir but she was a great choice. We’ll aim to repeat this with The Bone Season.’
In terms of genre the book is several at one time but does Shannon have a way of defining her work by genre? ‘I'm actually a little anti genre. The book is a combination. When I sent the novel to publishers many asked me what genre it was and said its lack of definite genre made marketing difficult. As much as I love many books that fall into a certain genre it can leave not room for experimentation. Experimentation is what keeps literature fresh so genre can be confining. I just wrote it as my story.’
With fans eagerly waiting for the next instalment of the franchise Shannon treats the room to an exciting few pages of the next book which sends the room into applause.
It’s not just the fantasy world that Shannon created that has captivated audiences but also her characters. The central relationship between Paige and Waldon is a fascinating kind of "Beauty and the Beast" tale but how did it come about?
‘I wrote Walden years before in a previous work but he was very angry and different. I put him together with Paige and they just bounced off one another so well, their dialogue and relationship. She changed him but he still has his dark past.’
With a film franchise in the works you have to wonder if Shannon has any actors in mind for roles? ‘I think my two leads will be the hardest to cast as I know exactly what they look like in my head. For other roles I thought about Benedict Cumberbatch and Alexander Skarsgard.’ This mention of Benedict Cumberbatch gets an ooohhh from the crowd and a slight scream from one over excited reporter, (sorry). ‘But I'm open when it comes to casting.’ Cavendish notes that when he announced that he had cast Renee Zellweager, ‘a stick thin Texan, as Bridget Jones it caused a stir but she was a great choice. We’ll aim to repeat this with The Bone Season.’
In terms of genre the book is several at one time but does Shannon have a way of defining her work by genre? ‘I'm actually a little anti genre. The book is a combination. When I sent the novel to publishers many asked me what genre it was and said its lack of definite genre made marketing difficult. As much as I love many books that fall into a certain genre it can leave not room for experimentation. Experimentation is what keeps literature fresh so genre can be confining. I just wrote it as my story.’
With fans eagerly waiting for the next instalment of the franchise Shannon treats the room to an exciting few pages of the next book which sends the room into applause.
And meeting Serkis When the novel came to the attention of publishers there was what Cavendish describes as a 'feeding frenzy' for the rights to it, which Bloomsbury won. There was another 'feeding frenzy' to option the book for film which The Imaginarium Studios won. Shannon claims the collaboration between her and Serkis ‘was destined as we’re both from Ruislip, no one’s from Ruislip. Serkis takes us through The Imaginarium Studios ethos and how they will adapt The Bone Season for the big screen.
'The studio has two sides, the first being the development and enhancement of performance capture technology.’ The medium is being used more and more and Serkis is a great advocate of it with performance capture roles in numerous films. Serkis's states his attraction to the medium is due to its ‘infinite possibilities. You’re not prohibited by your appearance or size, you become limitless as an actor. You have to put so much raw emotion into the role as that is its backbone. That is what the audience connects to.’
The other side of the studio being the production arm which will adapt Shannon's series for the big screen. With seven books in total, if the franchise is successful, how will the studio begin to adapt the first novel for film? ‘For The Bone Season we'll start by transferring and developing the script. What works in the book won’t necessarily work on the screen. Once we’ve got the screenplay we'll move to concept art and story boarding of the film. Next it’s into pre-production of the film with casting and location scouting. Then we’ll move to production, distribution and release. The time frame for this is roughly three years’.
The book has been such a success with readers but what is it that attracted Serkis to the novel? ‘I was attracted to Sam’s expanded universe and the detail. The hierarchy, the clairvoyance and the works incredible glossary. It’s like an onion, you peel away and reveal even more under the surface.
Sam’s created a new world parallel to our own.’ The other aspect that drew Serkis to the work was the central relationship between Paige and Waldon.’ It’s so original I can actually imagine it.’ Seeing as Serkis lived in Tolkien’s world through his role of Gollum did he see parallels in Shannon's work? ‘Yes many. Again it’s the expanded universe and the details that make them similar’.
With a film adaptation you are effectively handing control of your work over to someone else, How is Shannon finding that? Serkis assures us that Shannon will be heavily involved in the films process. ‘It’s her work so she’ll have a say.’ Shannon ‘accepts that changes will be made as it transfers to the screen but both her and the studios will have to make compromises. If I want to keep something in that just doesn’t transfer then I’ll have to accept that. If the studio takes out something that is fundamental to the book then they’ll have to compromise.’
With the second book out this year will we see more of the world in the future books? ‘Yes, the world will grow. I'm considering doing one book as a dual perspective as Paige can't be everywhere at once. As the characters grow and change we'll see more of the world.’
With that the panels ends and both Shannon and Serkis stay to greet fans and sign books. The next instalment The Mime Order will be out in later this year.
'The studio has two sides, the first being the development and enhancement of performance capture technology.’ The medium is being used more and more and Serkis is a great advocate of it with performance capture roles in numerous films. Serkis's states his attraction to the medium is due to its ‘infinite possibilities. You’re not prohibited by your appearance or size, you become limitless as an actor. You have to put so much raw emotion into the role as that is its backbone. That is what the audience connects to.’
The other side of the studio being the production arm which will adapt Shannon's series for the big screen. With seven books in total, if the franchise is successful, how will the studio begin to adapt the first novel for film? ‘For The Bone Season we'll start by transferring and developing the script. What works in the book won’t necessarily work on the screen. Once we’ve got the screenplay we'll move to concept art and story boarding of the film. Next it’s into pre-production of the film with casting and location scouting. Then we’ll move to production, distribution and release. The time frame for this is roughly three years’.
The book has been such a success with readers but what is it that attracted Serkis to the novel? ‘I was attracted to Sam’s expanded universe and the detail. The hierarchy, the clairvoyance and the works incredible glossary. It’s like an onion, you peel away and reveal even more under the surface.
Sam’s created a new world parallel to our own.’ The other aspect that drew Serkis to the work was the central relationship between Paige and Waldon.’ It’s so original I can actually imagine it.’ Seeing as Serkis lived in Tolkien’s world through his role of Gollum did he see parallels in Shannon's work? ‘Yes many. Again it’s the expanded universe and the details that make them similar’.
With a film adaptation you are effectively handing control of your work over to someone else, How is Shannon finding that? Serkis assures us that Shannon will be heavily involved in the films process. ‘It’s her work so she’ll have a say.’ Shannon ‘accepts that changes will be made as it transfers to the screen but both her and the studios will have to make compromises. If I want to keep something in that just doesn’t transfer then I’ll have to accept that. If the studio takes out something that is fundamental to the book then they’ll have to compromise.’
With the second book out this year will we see more of the world in the future books? ‘Yes, the world will grow. I'm considering doing one book as a dual perspective as Paige can't be everywhere at once. As the characters grow and change we'll see more of the world.’
With that the panels ends and both Shannon and Serkis stay to greet fans and sign books. The next instalment The Mime Order will be out in later this year.
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