Magic or Madness - Questions

Here are some of the questions readers have asked me about the Magic or Madness trilogy and being a writer. If you have a question send it to me at this address.

Q: Belinda asks: "Have you and your husband ever written a book together? If not have either of you ever considered it?"

A: We haven't, though we have written a section of a short story together that was auctioned to raise money for Clarion South. We have considered it, but so far we've both been way too busy with our own projects to make way for a collaborative one. Some day . . .

Q: When will the sequel to Magic Lessons be available?

A: The third book in the Magic or Madness trilogy will be published by Razorbill in March 2007.

Q: When will the Australian edition of Magic Lessons be available?

A: In September 2006.

Q: How do you pronounce your surname?

A: Lar-bal-est-ee-er. It can also be pronounced Lar-bal-est-ee-ay. Either way is fine by me. Friends at school used to pronounce it: Lavaworm. I have to really like you to let you get away with that one, but.

Q: Did you get to choose the cover of Magic or Madness?

A: No. Authors rarely get to choose their own covers. But I was consulted about it, and was able to tell them that I wasn't wild about the first version (it was completely different to how it is now). That version was dropped. I don't know how much influence my not liking it had. Fortunately I adored the second version which became the final cover. I still can't get over how beautiful it is. Marc J. Cohen is the artist responsible.

Q: Did you get to choose the cover of Magic Lessons?

A: No. However, I was very lucky and my editors asked me to write the cover brief—the description of what the cover should look like that's sent to the artist. I described Camperdown Cemetery and the moreton bay fig tree there and all the gravestones. Scott and me took photos of the cemetery to be used as references, but Marc J. Cohen used our actual photos. I took the photo of the tree on the front and Scott took the photo of the gravestones on the back. Cool, huh? And very unusual. Most authors don't even see their cover until it's a done deal.

Q: I was wondering about the ending of Magic or Madness. The part where there were black and purple feathers. I went back to the pages around the middle of the book and re-read the part where there was feathers too under the pillow when she was with Jay-Tee but I didnt quite understand what the feathers meant or symbolised. Do you mind explaining it to me? Thanks—Maria Ng, Singapore.

A: What the feathers are for is something that will be explained in book 2, Magic Lessons, and I really don't want to spoil that book for you. What I can say is that I wanted that last line of Magic or Madness—"Underneath there were five black and purple feathers"—to show that there is still a lot Reason doesn't understand or know about magic (or her grandmother), that her journey isn't even halfway over. So I guess you could say the feathers symbolise how much Reason has to learn. But I'm sure other readers might explain them differently.

Q: What's it like living with another writer?

A: Wonderful. I'm very lucky because even if I wasn't married to him I'd be a Scott Westerfeld fan. This way I get to read and comment on everything he writes first. He's also a fabulous editor and reads and comments on all my work.

Q: Do you both write in the same room? Or do you have separate studies? Isn't it annoying having someone else working so close by?

A: Mostly we write in the same room, sometimes not, though we're always within shouting distance of one another. Scott and me travel a lot and write in many different places on our trusty and very transportable laptops. Magic or Madness was written in three different houses in Sydney, one in New York City and two in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Magic Lessons was written in two different houses in Sydney, one in New York City and one in Buenos Aires. The third book was written in San Miguel de Allende, Sydney and New York City. Who knows where I'll finish work on the great Australian cricket, mangosteen, Elvis, young adult (YA) novel?

It's not even slightly annoying writing in the same room as Scott. We get to ask each other for synonyms, how to spell things, and whether Agnetha is an okay name for a character? (Apparently not.) It makes writing even more fun.

Q: What's it like writing for a young adult audience?

A: I don't feel like I wrote the Magic or Madness trilogy specifically for kids aged twelve and up (which is what a young adult audience is meant to be). I simply wrote the story of Reason Cansino the best I could. I hope it will be read by all ages. So far the books have been read and enjoyed by quite a few people who are considerably older than twelve.

I find that there's a much bigger difference between writing fiction and non-fiction than there is between writing for kids and adults. Fiction is much, much easier. For starters: no pesky footnotes!

Q: I want to get my novel published but I'm a teenager, will publishers give me the time of day?—asked by several young writers.

A: You can find my detailed answer here. Most of it applies to aspiring writers of all ages. The short answer is that your age is irrelevant; it's the quality of your novel that counts.

Q: Why is nothing resolved at the end of Magic or Madness?

A: Magic or Madness is the first book of a trilogy. I promise everything will be resolved by the end of the final book. Honest. Also some things are resolved by the end of the Magic or Madness. Of course, I can't go into say what those things are here for fear of spoiling those who haven't read it yet.

Q: Are you as good at mathematics as Reason is?

A: No, I'm not. Not even close. I wish!

Q: Is there really no snow in Australia?—asked by Andrew at my first Books of Wonder signing.

A: Yes, there is snow in Australia. We even have Snowy Mountains. Most winters there'll be snow in some parts of Australia, like those aforementioned mountains and Tasmania. But it's very easy to grow up in Australia and never see snow. I grew up in the inner city of Sydney and never in all the years I've lived there has it snowed. I didn't see snow falling from the sky until I was an adult and that was in Spain. In some remote areas there are kids who've never seen rain because the droughts can last five years or more.

Q: How did you come up with that particular character’s name? Our five-year old daughter is named Reason. We liked this virtue, not traditionally associated with females. Is it popular in Australia, just as Justice is here? Thanks—Suzy Jacobs, Burbank, California.

A: As far as I know neither Reason nor Justice are popular names in Australia. I've certainly never heard of either one as names before.

I chose the name pretty much as described in the book:

My name is Reason Cansino. I was named Reason because my mother, Sarafina, thought it was prettier than Logic or Rationality or Intellect and had better nicknames, too. Not that Sarafina has ever called me anything but Reason.

My mother believes in all those things: logic, reason, and the rest, and in mathematics, which fortunately wasn’t on the list of possible names. I’m grateful to have a head full of numbers, but I wouldn’t want to answer to the name of Algebra, Trigonometry, or Calculus.

I had thought that I was the first to come up with Reason as a name and had imagined my book setting off a wave of kids being called Reason. Such hubris! I think it's quite wonderful as a name. Your daughter is very lucky.