Fated

Benedict Jacka became a writer almost by accident, when at nineteen he sat in his school library and started a story in the back of an exercise book. Since then he has studied philosophy at Cambridge, lived in China and worked as everything from civil servant to bouncer to teacher before returning to London to take up law.

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interview

Fatedis a fabulous read, a real urban fantasy romp – what is it that drew you to write in this particular genre?

I’ve always loved urban fantasy – something about the combination of the magical and everyday life appeals to me. I like stories that take fantastical themes and go ‘Okay, what would this be like if it was actually around in the modern world?’

You’ve previously written YA novels, butFatedis your first novel for an older audience – what issues did you face, if any, in this transition, and did you find it easier or more difficult writing for adults?

Easier, definitely! My previous novels were quite dark by YA standards, and I’d have editors asking me to lighten the story or cut bits out that they thought were too ruthless. I’ve always tended to write quite ‘serious’ stories, so the transition was easier than I’d thought it would be.

Alex Verus’s London – particularly Camden – comes to life inFated, almost as a character in its own right as he and Luna fly from landmark to landmark to solve the mystery of the fateweaver. What do you think it is about this city that is so attractive to writers of speculative fiction?

I think it’s the sense of history. London’s very old and every bit of the city has so many stories behind it – you have layers built on layers. It’s a great setting for fantasy because there’s so much material out there waiting to be used.

As a seer, Alex’s enviable ability to view potential outcomes comes into its own inFatedwhen he finds himself in increasing danger from various mage factions. If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

Difficult question! Alex’s power is incredibly useful, but I think it might be as much of a burden as anything else. Something like flight would be more fun.

Did you always want to be a writer? What sort of professions were you involved in before you turned to writing?

I wrote stories as a child, but I honestly never had any intention of becoming a writer until one day I started writing a story and it just kept going and going until it turned into a book. I kept writing through university and after – I’ve done it full-time for a couple years, but most of the time I’ve had some kind of other job to support myself. I worked in the Civil Service for almost a year, spent a while travelling as an EFL teacher, and I’ve been a bouncer too.

Do you have a particular writing routine, or do you write as and when the muse strikes? And do you have any bizarre or unusual writing-related rituals?

Back when I was writing full-time, I used to have a routine where I’d write for six hours every day – 12.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. and 12.00 a.m. to 3.00 a.m. I got a lot of work done, but I ended up sleeping at pretty weird hours!

It’s fantastic to see that genre fiction of all sorts is finding more and more mainstream readers these days. What do you think is so appealing about fantasy in particular?

I think it’s a combination of things – the fantastic elements, the idea of imagining how something so different would work, the danger and excitement and the focus on good and evil. I loved fantasy and especially urban fantasy when I was younger, so it’s really satisfying to me to see it become so popular now.