Q&A with S.G. Fessel

 

 

 

S.G. Fessel is the author of the new novel Switchling. She lives in San Francisco.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Switchling, and how did you create your characters Beth and Gravel?

 

A: Inspiration struck when I was lying in bed one night, paddling in the shallows of sleep. I heard a noise from outside and an image sprang to mind of figures in flowing robes carrying staffs. They were dragging an object across a windowsill from the downstairs apartment.

 

I started to wonder who these mysterious people might be and what they were stealing. They became the Honourable Society of Beam Reapers and the story developed around them.

 

For Beth I wanted to create a character who was not an obvious all-round natural leader or hero-type and would struggle with certain aspects of the quest. She was originally inspired by a close friend who is both shy and brave. As the book progressed, Beth gained some of her own attributes and idiosyncrasies.

 

In Gravel, I tried to imagine what a person would be like who had not always been human and how his experiences might have shaped him.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them?

 

A: Their dynamic is complex and changes during the story. Initially, Beth treats Gravel as her pet but also as a friend and confidant who she feels understands her. When she discovers that he is not only a cat, she’s initially unsure how to relate to him.

 

Beth has not had many human friends and having known Gravel first as a cat helps her to trust him. Gradually, they begin to understand each other’s points of view and they learn more about cats and humans in the process.

Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: If you are asking whether I’m a “plotter” or a “pantser” (writing by the seat of one’s pants) the answer is somewhere in between; I had an idea of how I wanted the story to finish from the outset but ended up making some major changes.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: First, I hope people will enjoy the adventure for itself but also that they will think about how one’s point of view, whether animal or human, influences one’s interpretation of the world. I love the way that fiction can help us to imagine alternate perspectives and I hope Switchling does that.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: A sequel to Switchling and, with two artists, The Cake Pirate and The Fog Monster, which are both picture books for younger readers.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: There is now an audiobook available of Switchling, read by the very talented British actor Emily Bevan. I’m a huge fan of the Lockwood and Co audiobook series and was thrilled when she agreed to record my book.

 

For further details, interested readers can visit my website at www.sgfessel.com

 

Switchling has won two book awards this year.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb