Ten Terrifying Questions with Samantha Shannon!

Samantha Shannon is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Season series. Her work has been translated into twenty-six languages. This is her fourth novel and her first outside of The Bone Season series. She lives in London.

Today, in honour of the release of the fourth Bone Season book, The Mask Falling, Samantha Shannon is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …

Samantha Shannon

1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in Hammersmith, West London, and raised and educated in a town called Ruislip, which has a bit of a medieval feel to it. Except for the three years at university, when I was based in Oxford, I’ve lived in London all my life.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 12, and still wanted to be one when I was 18. Before that, I wanted to be a vet, a palaeontologist or a roboticist, before I realised I was bad at science. I’m not turning 30 until later this year, but I’m confident I’ll still want to be a writer then, too.

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?

I used to think it was attractive when male characters in books were possessive, angry and jealous. Now I don’t.

4. What were three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc. – you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?

It’s hard to narrow it down to three! The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood turned me into a feminist and a fan of dystopian fiction, which I went on to write myself.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace inspires me for reasons I can’t articulate. When I saw her for the first time in the Louvre, I was so entranced that my mum was able to walk away, wander the galleries for half an hour, and come back to still find me rooted to the spot, gaping up at this ancient sculpture. I have a miniature version of her on my windowsill.

And finally, a piece of music called ‘Merchant Prince’ by Thomas Bergersen. Again, I can’t understand or express why it has such a profound effect on me, but I listened to it over and over when I was writing The Bone Season. It helped me unlock a part of my imagination I hadn’t found before.

5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?

It seems to be where I express myself naturally. I would love to learn to draw, too, but I lack the perseverance to practice. My limitation is that I always want to be brilliant at things straight away – I suspect it’s because I was a bit of an overachiever at school – and I get so frustrated when I’m not that I give up. Writing was the only exception to that. I had a knack for it from a young age, and I was then able to build on that for many years, each book making my work stronger. I’m trying to remind myself that those accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible if I wasn’t patient with myself.

6. Please tell us about your latest novel!

The Mask Falling is the fourth instalment in the Bone Season series, which is set in a version of our world where nine European countries have fallen under the control of the mysterious Republic of Scion, which hunts clairvoyants for unknown reasons. The series is a broad reimagining of the myth of Prometheus and Pandora.

In 2059, Paige Mahoney, a clairvoyant working in Scion London’s underworld, kills two guards in self-defence while they’re trying to arrest her. She expects to be executed, but instead she’s sent to a decaying prison city, where she learns the terrible truth at the heart of Scion and resolves to expose it. First, however, she has to survive long enough to escape.

In The Mask Falling, Paige is in Scion-controlled France, trying to recover from a traumatising ordeal while ramping up her revolution against the growing empire. It’s my favourite book in the series so far, and my love song to Paris.

7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?

It’s so difficult to say, as each reader brings their own perspective and experiences to a book, which means they won’t all take the same thing away. But I hope my books are thought-provoking, I hope readers see something of themselves in them, and I hope they find it difficult to guess what happens next.

8. Who do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?

To name but a few: Garth Nix, who was one of my favourite authors as a child and was immensely kind and welcoming when I met him as a star-struck adult – sometimes it is good to meet your heroes! Dhonielle Clayton, who has done so much to confront and change the lack of diversity in the industry. Malorie Blackman, who founded the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) in London – a brilliant event – and is an all-round superstar. Katherine Webber, who always goes out of her way to support other people’s books. So many people, for many different reasons. It’s an industry chock-full of generosity and talent.

9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

It’s difficult to set goals in this industry, because so much of it is beyond an author’s control. I’d love to top the New York Times bestseller list one day, for example, but whether or not that happens isn’t up to me – it’s up to readers! Ultimately, all I really want is to be able to keep writing books for the rest of my life, and for readers to keep finding them.

10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?

Don’t take too much advice. There is a lot of well-meaning guidance out there, but I find that some of it is so constricting – the sort of thing that can really put a dent in your confidence. Some authors will tell you that you absolutely must write every single day to be a writer, for example, and that just isn’t true. Treat writing ‘tips’ as guidelines, not law.

Thank you for playing!

—The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon (Bloomsbury Australia) is out now.

The Mask Falling

The Bone Season: Book 4

by Samantha Shannon

Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim's puppet empire.

The mysterious Domino Programme has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim - her former enemy - at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles...

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