| Steve
Cockayne Interview Steve talks about his novel Wanderers and
Islanders, being influenced by C.S. Lewis and Herman Hesse, and working as a TV
cameraman, a puppeteer, and dabbling in hypnotherapy
This
month our chums over at Orbit took a fast train to Leicestershire to catch up
with debut star Steve Cockayne. Actually, WANDERERS AND ISLANDERS isn't technically
Steve's debut. He does have one other piece of writing to his credit, for which
he won a National Book League commendation - at the age of four. He's since had
a forty-two year sabbatical from writing, working as a TV cameraman, a puppeteer,
and dabbling in hypnotherapy. But this long break has in no way diminished his
talents, 
What inspired you to take up writing?
It was a gradual realization.
I became interested in storytelling, initially because I thought it might be helpful
in my teaching work (it was). Rather than re-telling traditional stories, I found
that I wanted to invent stories of my own, and after a while I noticed that the
individual stories seemed to form part of some larger pattern. I decided that
a novel would be the best vehicle to combine them - so I set about writing one!
Which writers have influenced you most?
Lewis Carroll
and A.A. Milne for their imaginary landscapes and larger than life characters,
C.S. Lewis and Herman Hesse for their mystical symbolism, H.G.Wells for his mahogany
and brass technology, Ursula LeGuin for her insights into wizardry, Mervyn Peake
for his vision of a bizarre, enclosed world, and Thomas Pynchon for his complex
hidden conspiracies.
Could you explain a little of the mytho-history of your world and why
its elements were so appealing to you?
I have always liked the idea
of an ancient civilization that was displaced by the modern world but continued
to exist somewhere on the margins. The Wanderers and the Islanders fulfill this,
and also bring in elements of Gypsies, Jews, yoga and isolated mystical communities.
I like islands, I like yoga, and I like the open road.
Was there
a particular theme you wished to explore when you first put pen to paper?
At the time of writing Wanderers and Islanders, I was writing and delivering
a set of lectures entitled "Technology and Society" at West Herts College. This
dealt with the ways in which new technologies are transforming daily life, and
took a mainly sociological standpoint. Much of the thinking that went into this
project was also useful in writing the city sequences of "W&I" which dealt,
broadly, with Victorian technology displacing the Mediaeval. But, mainly, I was
writing the book I wanted to write, and putting in anything that seemed to fit.
Did the novel turn out exactly how you imagined, or were there some
unexpected twists and turns along the way?
I planned the basic plot
structure in rigorous detail, and I stuck to what I had planned. However, I allowed
myself room for a bit of ad-libbing when it came to the incidental details - Granny
Hopkins was a spur-of-the-moment character, for example, as were Sam and Harold.
Do you follow any sort of schedule when you write?
I usually write for between three and five hours per day. I have quite a disciplined
approach. Once a book is planned, I set myself deadlines for each chapter, and
for a first and second revision of the whole book. I tend to divide the narrative
into sections of 1500-2000 words, each of which takes me about a day to draft.
But I build a bit of slack into the scheme, in case I need to re-think anything
or cope with domestic emergencies.
What's the best thing about being
a writer?
Undoubtedly, the ability to work at home and set my own
schedules and deadlines. If I want to, I can work in the middle of the night,
take a three week holiday, or write nonstop for a month. Not that I usually do,
of course ...
What are you reading at the moment?
Nothing!
I've just finished Jackson's Dilemma by Iris Murdoch, and I'm about to start Mrs
P's Journey by Sarah Hartley. I read quite a few detective stories - Ruth Rendell,
Andrew Taylor, Robert Goddard - because I'm intrigued by their plot constructions,
and I try to stay away from SF and fantasy, because I'd rather avoid cluttering
my mind with other people's ideas.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears, a 'literary' historical/philosophical
novel that rubs against my personal philosophy at almost every level. I grumble
and snarl every few pages - and find my assumptions challenged. Also A Brain For
All Seasons by William Calvin, a brilliant look at how human evolution may have
been influenced by climate. When it comes to science fiction, Iain M. Banks can't
be beat. Greg Bear rattles everything you thought was true.
Does
Harry Potter make you dance or despair?
I'm very fortunate to be
starting out at a time when people are becoming interested in fantasy again, so
I think Harry has done us all a great service. And if my books do one-hundredth
as well as J.K.Rowling's, I'll be very happy indeed.
What's happening
in your world outside of writing?
A bit of puppetry. A bit of music
- I play piano and accordion. Yoga every day. I work as a volunteer at the local
Citizens' Advice Bureau one day a week. I've got the kitchen fitters in at the
moment. And I've just given up teaching and the M1.
And finally, what
next for Steve Cockayne, novelist?
There are two more books on the
way in the Legends of the Land sequence, featuring many of the same characters
and settings. The Iron Chain is almost complete, and is scheduled for publication
early next year. The Seagull Drovers, scheduled for 2004, is in the planning stage.
And after that - well, I think that's enough to be getting on with!
Thanks to Orbit Books (and Ben Sharpe) for permission to post
this interview. For more details of their SFF authors and books, visit Orbit at
www.orbitbooks.co.uk
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OTHER CONTENT - September 2004
Steve Cockayne Interview
Steve talks about his novel Wanderers and Islanders, being influenced by C.S. Lewis and Herman Hesse, and working as a TV cameraman, a puppeteer, and dabbling in hypnotherapy
(AUTHOR INTERVIEWS)
Tanith Lee Interview
Author Tanith speaks with SFF literary agent John Jarrold about how people are the starting point for her fiction, tackling pirates with Piratica, and being influenced by Rider Haggard, Viereck and Eldridge.
(AUTHOR INTERVIEWS)
Eurocon 2004
Radi Radev reports from this year's European Science Fiction Convention. While the convention was first created in 1972 in Triest, Italy, this was the first year it's been hosted in Bulgaria.
(CON REPORTS)
Westercon 2004
Mark reports on the movies at Westercon. The trailers seemed to be better accepted by the audience than they have been at recent Worldcons, while the presentation was a little more polished - and the films seemed of a higher quality.
(CON REPORTS)
Code 46
Mark discovers that Code 46 is a very odd piece of science fiction. It is a film with some very nice material that tries some interesting ideas, but it fails to capture the viewer. Its flaws outweigh its virtues.
(FILM REVIEWS)
The Bourne Supremacy
Robert Ludlum's mysterious United States government assassin again returns to the big screen from what some assumed and hoped was death. Again we have a complex plot with twists and doublecrosses. Again the infallible and deadly assassin is pitted against the agency that made him what he is.
(FILM REVIEWS)
Offworld Report: Science Fiction and Fantasy: September 2004
Interviews with Keith Brooke, Geoff Ryman, Gerry Anderson and the co-producer of the new Sapphire and Steel series, short fiction by John Grant and Walter Jon Williams, and Locus Magazine's excellent primer on genre audiobooks.
(NEWS)
Offworld Report: Weird Science: September 2004
The latest tiny flying robot, why Martian astronauts may need replacement body
tissue, harvesting helium-3 from the Moon, the threat to humanity from giant tsunamis and super volcanoes, and the possibility of life on Venus.
(NEWS)
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