Stop 4 on the Vigil blog tour is over at the Book Smugglers’ place, where I drop in, eat all their cupcakes, drink all their coffee, and talk about the inspirations & influences behind Vigil.
Then I leave without helping do the dishes. I am a terrible guest.
Vigil did not begin life as a novel. It started as a short story, written in desperation one week at Clarion South, when my civilised veneer had been worn thin by heat, late nights, a gruelling critique schedule, and more than a little writerly self-loathing. It started as ‘Brisneyland by Night’ – a rough Hansel and Gretel core loosely wrapped in a noir aesthetic, and tied together with an urban fantasy vibe. That’s a long somewhat wanky way of saying I wanted to write – or at least ended up writing – a crime story set in a Brisbane sprinkled with fantasy elements. When I say ‘sprinkled’ I mean with the same subtlety as a five-year-old throws handfuls of chocolate chips into the cookies they’re helping Mum bake.
For the rest, go here.