1: What is your book about?
The Girl With No Soul is about Iris, who has no memories or feelings until she finds part of her lost soul hidden in a ring. She knows something bad happened to her on a night no one can remember, so she teams up with a shadowy scholar of psychometry to solve the mystery.
2: Which one of your characters was the hardest to write?
Other than Iris, whose identity I had to piece together as she did, the Chancellor was difficult. It’s always a challenge stepping into the shoes of a character you personally detest but I had plenty of inspiration in real life politics. Also Ruben Renato is a morally grey character and even I was never quite sure what he would say or do.
3: Where did the idea for your book come from?
It came from two things that merged together over time. One was a set of magic lantern slides I bought at a car boot sale. The other was the idea that your soul is something you assemble throughout life – part of it in a song, part of it in a movie or a piece of art… like a treasure hunt of the self.
4: What are your book or movie recommendations for people who have read and enjoyed your book?
I see pieces of TGWNS everywhere! In the Sandman. In Studio Ghibli. In His Dark Materials. Mindwalker by Kate Dylan if you’re all about getting into people’s heads. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon on a good day. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind if you specifically want people falling in and out of love while lost in their own memories. And my number one world building recommendation for 2022 is still Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin.
5: If you were stranded on a desert island what 2 books, 2 movies and 2 animals would you bring?
The animals is easy: I have two cats who would add a delightful layer of chaos to the whole experience. The two movies: my list of favourite movies is so vast I usually just say something I’ve watched or thought about recently so I’ll pick The Princess Bride and Arrival. Books: I’ll take TGWNS because I might find some comfort in it during the dark lonely nights but I’ll also take The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet because I still haven’t read it yet and I really want to (my TBR pile is very intimidating!). But if I can swap my own book and take Animal Crossing instead, I’ll do that.