K.M. McKinley is the author behind the popular fantasy series, The Gates of the World. Her latest book, The Brass God, is out now. We caught up with her to find out more.
STARBURST: What’s the elevator pitch for The Brass God?
K.M. McKinley: An epic, multi-character fantasy set in a world undergoing a rapid, magically fuelled industrial revolution, where ancient gods sit uneasily alongside fantastical machines and a terrible evil stirs.
How would you describe the entire series to an elderly relative?
If I were as good a writer as either of them, Dickens meets George R. R. Martin.
Why is Fantasy making such a come back?
Did it every really go away? I’m not sure it did. Like all the elements of the speculative fiction family (horror, fantasy, and science fiction), its undergone peaks and troughs of popularity, but as far as I’m aware fantasy novels have always had the strongest sales. What’s changed in recent years is that the three genres are no longer treated with the contempt they once were. They have become more mainstream, or more accurately, all those thousands of people who read and enjoyed are no longer embarrassed to say so. That’s down to a loosening on the monopoly of opinion by cultural elites thanks to the Internet, but perhaps more important is the ageing and coming to influence of the generations raised on this stuff. The renaissance in TV has really helped all the fantastical genres. It’s a confluence of attitude and technology, in my opinion.
Which of your characters would you want to go lunch with?
The unkindly named Hag of Mogawn. She’d be a great lady to go out with. Though I suspect lunch wouldn’t finish until 4am the next day.
Which of your characters would you want to give advice to? What would it be?
All my characters are as real as I can make them, so none of them are perfect. They all need advice. Guis probably needs a kick in the backside to get over himself most though.
How important is world building to story?
I’ve read lots of books that other people love that I’ve hated because the world seemed unreal. I do tons of world building. There are perils aplenty around it though. Explain too much, it derails the story. Explain too little, people get lost. It’s probably not as important as I think it is, but let’s just say if you like ‘whole cloth’ settings, then you’ll like The Gates of the World (I hope. Ah, the terrible task of balancing publicising one’s fiction while being British).
What’s your favourite part of The Gates of the World series?
Again, another opportunity for me to cringe inside. I don’t like to say. I really believe that’s up to the reader. But if I had to pick, I’d have to say I’m pleased with the roundedness of both the characters and the world. It all feels satisfyingly real.
Which writers inspire you?
Adam Roberts, Richard Morgan (his fantasy stuff more than the SF), Neal Asher, JRR Tolkien, Ursula Le Guin, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber… Too many to say!
If you had the change to write in someone else’s world, what world would that be?
That’s a tough one. I have written shared world fiction under, ahem, other names. But another writer’s private world? Hmmm. Middle-earth, maybe, or Moorcock’s multiverse. Perhaps Asher’s Polity. Yeah, the polity.
What are you reading (and enjoying) at the moment?
Haha! I have so little time to read, as I’m always writing. I really enjoyed the Dragon Round last year, by Stephen S Power, and I’ve got Adam Roberts’ The Real Town Murders lined up to read this weekend.
What are the most fun scenes to write?
Honestly? I don’t know. Every kind has something to recommend it. Every kind can be the most immense pain to write. I enjoy writing, and I hate it at the same time. I think a lot of writers are the same. Some scenes come easier than others. The best ones are those that pop into your head whole, and, if you’re lucky enough, when you get them down on paper they are as cool as you envisaged them being.
What’s next for you?
More words, every day. I’ve been pitching ideas to a couple of publishers, and have novels on the go that unfortunately I cannot speak of yet…
The Brass God is out now.
