Garth Nix
Garth Nix was born in 1963 and grew up in Canberra, Australia. After taking his degree in professional writing from the University of Canberra, he slowly sank into the morass of publishing industry, steadily devolving from sales rep through publicist, until in 1991 he became a senior editor witha major multinational publisher. After a period in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia in 1993, he left publishing to work as a marketing communications consultant. In 1999, he waas lured back to the publishing world to become a part-time literary agent. He now lives in Sydney, five-minute walk from Coogee Beach, with his wife, Anna, and lots of books.
Garth is also the author of SABRIEL and SHADE'S CHILDREN.
Interview
Australian fantasy author Garth Nix took the world by storm with his remarkable novel, SABRIEL. The story of a magical girl from a very different world, SABRIEL also is about a girl with a heart, with wants and needs not so different from any other teenager. The story begged for a for a sequel or two or three or four. Nix answered reader's desires with LIRAEL, the long awaited follow-up --- and he admits there are more stories about the Old Kingdom yet to come. Teenreads.com writer Kelly Milner Halls caught up with Garth Nix to talk about his vision of fantasy and the magic that vibrantly drives it.
Teenreads: What parts of your fantasy worlds would you like to bring over into the real world if you had a magicians ability to make them so?
GN: Like most fantasy authors, I would love to have magic in this world. It would be great to be able to fly, or summon a complete restaurant meal on a white tablecloth to a deserted beach, or to take the shape of an animal. But I wouldn't want the downside of most fantasy books --- the enemies, evil creatures, and threats to the whole world --- and my sense of balance indicates that you can't have the good without the bad.
Teenreads: Have you ever imagined a fantasy setting too intense to actually write about? If so, can you tell us a little about it?
GN: To a degree, all my fantasy settings are too intense to write about. I always feel that I don't have sufficient skill to get across perfectly the look, feel, and sound of say, the Abhorsen's House. Similarly, with the river of Death, I am only able to get down on paper a little of what is in my head.
Teenreads: Some people who imagine strange things become writers. Some are institutionalized. Do you think there is a fine line between creativity and madness?
GN: I think there is a fine line between normal human behavior and madness. Lots of things can send previously normal people over the edge, like stress or grief. With writing, imagining strange things is only half the equation. You have to be able to harness that imagination and use rigorous skills to transmit the imagination through writing to the reader. So writers need to access both sides of their brain, the creative forces of the imagination and the rational, orderly part that governs words and writing.
Teenreads: Did anyone ever think you were weird for having such a vivid imagination when you were a kid and a teen? What did you do about it, if they did?
GN: When I was a kid and a teen I mainly used my imagination to tell funny stories or make jokes, which has always been socially acceptable among all ages. But when I was a teen I also used to play role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, which were good training for writing (I was nearly always the gamesmaster), and sometimes people --- like my grandmother --- thought that was a bit weird. Role-playing was new back in the '70s and '80s, and a few people then thought that playing a game where you pretended to be in a fantasy world was both crazy and suspect. But I did a lot of other things that seemed more normal, so anyone who did think I was weird was reassured.
Teenreads: When someone reads your book it's almost like they step into your head for 400 pages. How do you feel about sharing something so personal? Is it good or scary?
GN: Well, they're not stepping into my head, unless I've failed in my aim. A book is a separate creation. Sure, it started in my head, but by the time it's out there on the shelf, the book is a very separate thing. Also, because I write fantasy and SF as opposed to realistic contemporary fiction about a 30-something writer in Sydney, Australia, it doesn't feel all that personal to me. The books are something I create, but they're separate.
Teenreads: Did anyone ever tell you to forget your dream of being a writer? And if they did, how did you hold on long enough to become a success?
GN: No one ever told me to forget my dream of becoming a writer. But I was always very much aware that it is very difficult to build a career as a writer, that it's very difficult even to make that first step to get published. So I decided that I would make sure I had an alternate career just in case the writing didn't work out. That is one of the great things about writing. You can be a writer and do other work. Most if not all writers start off writing before or after their day job, just putting in the time whenever they can. Most published writers still need to have some sort of other employment. But this is entirely possible. You don't need to be a full-time writer. You can write a novel in a year or two, writing only four hours a week. You just need to plug away whenever you can, and never give up.
GARTH NIX FAVORITES
Favorite fantasy animal: Talking beasts of any kind
Favorite fantasy human (or humanoid): I've always liked Tolkien's dwarves
Favorite fantasy film: One that hasn't been made yet
Favorite imaginary food: Lembas, from THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Favorite imaginary drink: A drinking horn that will give you anything you want to drink
Favorite fantasy mode of transportation: A flying carpet
Favorite bad guy: C. S. Lewis's The White Witch
Favorite good guy: Gandalf
Favorite fantasy writer: J. R. R. Tolkien today, but there are lots of others
Favorite non fantasy writer: Right now, Barbara Kingsolver, but it changes with every book
Favorite fantasy illustrator: Leo and Diane Dillon
Favorite writing outfit: It depends on the season --- I do have a vest I like to wear when it's cold
Favorite "writing" drink: hot tea
--- Interviewed by Kelly Milner Halls
Garth is also the author of SABRIEL and SHADE'S CHILDREN.
Interview
Australian fantasy author Garth Nix took the world by storm with his remarkable novel, SABRIEL. The story of a magical girl from a very different world, SABRIEL also is about a girl with a heart, with wants and needs not so different from any other teenager. The story begged for a for a sequel or two or three or four. Nix answered reader's desires with LIRAEL, the long awaited follow-up --- and he admits there are more stories about the Old Kingdom yet to come. Teenreads.com writer Kelly Milner Halls caught up with Garth Nix to talk about his vision of fantasy and the magic that vibrantly drives it.
Teenreads: What parts of your fantasy worlds would you like to bring over into the real world if you had a magicians ability to make them so?
GN: Like most fantasy authors, I would love to have magic in this world. It would be great to be able to fly, or summon a complete restaurant meal on a white tablecloth to a deserted beach, or to take the shape of an animal. But I wouldn't want the downside of most fantasy books --- the enemies, evil creatures, and threats to the whole world --- and my sense of balance indicates that you can't have the good without the bad.
Teenreads: Have you ever imagined a fantasy setting too intense to actually write about? If so, can you tell us a little about it?
GN: To a degree, all my fantasy settings are too intense to write about. I always feel that I don't have sufficient skill to get across perfectly the look, feel, and sound of say, the Abhorsen's House. Similarly, with the river of Death, I am only able to get down on paper a little of what is in my head.
Teenreads: Some people who imagine strange things become writers. Some are institutionalized. Do you think there is a fine line between creativity and madness?
GN: I think there is a fine line between normal human behavior and madness. Lots of things can send previously normal people over the edge, like stress or grief. With writing, imagining strange things is only half the equation. You have to be able to harness that imagination and use rigorous skills to transmit the imagination through writing to the reader. So writers need to access both sides of their brain, the creative forces of the imagination and the rational, orderly part that governs words and writing.
Teenreads: Did anyone ever think you were weird for having such a vivid imagination when you were a kid and a teen? What did you do about it, if they did?
GN: When I was a kid and a teen I mainly used my imagination to tell funny stories or make jokes, which has always been socially acceptable among all ages. But when I was a teen I also used to play role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, which were good training for writing (I was nearly always the gamesmaster), and sometimes people --- like my grandmother --- thought that was a bit weird. Role-playing was new back in the '70s and '80s, and a few people then thought that playing a game where you pretended to be in a fantasy world was both crazy and suspect. But I did a lot of other things that seemed more normal, so anyone who did think I was weird was reassured.
Teenreads: When someone reads your book it's almost like they step into your head for 400 pages. How do you feel about sharing something so personal? Is it good or scary?
GN: Well, they're not stepping into my head, unless I've failed in my aim. A book is a separate creation. Sure, it started in my head, but by the time it's out there on the shelf, the book is a very separate thing. Also, because I write fantasy and SF as opposed to realistic contemporary fiction about a 30-something writer in Sydney, Australia, it doesn't feel all that personal to me. The books are something I create, but they're separate.
Teenreads: Did anyone ever tell you to forget your dream of being a writer? And if they did, how did you hold on long enough to become a success?
GN: No one ever told me to forget my dream of becoming a writer. But I was always very much aware that it is very difficult to build a career as a writer, that it's very difficult even to make that first step to get published. So I decided that I would make sure I had an alternate career just in case the writing didn't work out. That is one of the great things about writing. You can be a writer and do other work. Most if not all writers start off writing before or after their day job, just putting in the time whenever they can. Most published writers still need to have some sort of other employment. But this is entirely possible. You don't need to be a full-time writer. You can write a novel in a year or two, writing only four hours a week. You just need to plug away whenever you can, and never give up.
GARTH NIX FAVORITES
Favorite fantasy animal: Talking beasts of any kind
Favorite fantasy human (or humanoid): I've always liked Tolkien's dwarves
Favorite fantasy film: One that hasn't been made yet
Favorite imaginary food: Lembas, from THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Favorite imaginary drink: A drinking horn that will give you anything you want to drink
Favorite fantasy mode of transportation: A flying carpet
Favorite bad guy: C. S. Lewis's The White Witch
Favorite good guy: Gandalf
Favorite fantasy writer: J. R. R. Tolkien today, but there are lots of others
Favorite non fantasy writer: Right now, Barbara Kingsolver, but it changes with every book
Favorite fantasy illustrator: Leo and Diane Dillon
Favorite writing outfit: It depends on the season --- I do have a vest I like to wear when it's cold
Favorite "writing" drink: hot tea
--- Interviewed by Kelly Milner Halls
