A Pint with… JIM BUTCHER! Our inaugural interview with the Master of Urban Fantasy…
IN THE BEGINNING…
The first thing I learned of Jim Butcher was from his book jacket bio: “A martial arts enthusiast whose resume includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago.” It seemed a good place to start, especially as I had some interest in the same. So what particular skills were these?
‘Leather-making. Saddle-making. Blacksmithing…’ More making and smithing. On the martial arts side? Aside from eastern forms (and I’m already scrawling as fast as I can to keep up) fencing, kendo, archery… I ask, having discovered schools in London, if he’d touched base with the growing scene of medieval swordfighting. Not yet, but he’s moving state and hopes to when he has.
So – quite aside from wanting a top storyteller in your party – Jim’s likely to be your practical choice in a post-apocalyptic scenario.
RUMOURS OF THE CODEX ALERA…
*
Well, says Jim’s antagonist, put your money where your mouth is: I’ll give you a hackneyed idea and let’s see you turn it into something worthwhile.
Jim’s response was, for the writer and creatives generally, perfection itself:
‘Give me two.’
And they did. Two proven but worn ideas to test the writer and the principle:
‘Forgotten Roman legion (I’m sick of all these books on that)
‘…
‘And Pokemon.’
Oh yes. Yes yes yes. This part is exactly what I’d heard; and it takes the Codex Alera from being a good read with a rather bizarre premise to the fabulous result of a persistent, original and skilled author.
But there’s more to hear. Because for all the world of the Furies of Calderon had given me pause for thought it nevertheless breathes fully-formed from the printed page. It’s the writer’s magic, the casting of the illusion that their world is not the product of a fevered magpie-mind’s efforts, of painstaking research for shiny things, scavenging ideas from history and culture to knit together. So how did it come about?
*
It seems the denouement of Jim’s challenge was to be in the Del Rey court of writers opinion but he was ‘having fun with this’ and his gut told him not to make it public just then.
Ultimately ‘he kind of proved his point,’ Jim concedes: ‘and I got a book deal out of it.’ Mind it would have been Jim’s ‘originality and skill’ that made the book sellable, quite apart from the requisite bloody-mindedness that would lead a writer to take on such a challenge and then succeed in it – but it’s his story and a damn good one.
ON URBAN FANTASY, PREDECESSORS, CONTEMPORARIES AND MORE ON ORIGINAL THOUGHT…
When I first read The Dresden Files as a reader I was over the moon to discover a favourite new series. Meanwhile the aspiring writer in me was exclaiming ‘Damn-you-Jim-Butcher!’ and ‘why didn’t I think of doing that?’
*
How about his contemporaries then? ‘I don’t actually read much urban fantasy,’ he tells me.
*
So, researches aside, if he’s not reading UF what is he reading? The great and much missed Terry Pratchett.
‘I only got into Pratchett over the last three years,’ Jim explains, and then of course we’re into what his (our) favourite Discworld characters are. ‘Sam Vimes.’ One of mine as well, then ‘Death – he’s the champion of humankind. He defends humanity over and over again.’ Another of mine and he’s absolutely right – it hadn’t exactly passed me by but neither had I quite articulated this. ‘He’s a sympathetic character.’
DRESDEN, DRINKS, POWER, RESPONSIBILITY, AND NICE PROBLEMS
We’re over halfway through the hour we have. Time for another bottled lager for me, a full titular pint now being had. Jim’s UK Editor and Publicist are enjoying a red. Jim and partner are exploring the beverage list, sharing a Dark Stormy Mojito and a dry cider, less the ale man that Dresden is. The all-too believable scenario of Harry Dresden drinking his takeouts of Mac’s ale chilled – which, Dresden tells us, the publican would in no respect approve of – comes from yet more research and the consultation of ale-aficionado friends.
And yes, Jim confirms, there’s always been a story with (the laconic) “Mac” McAnally. But not one we’re likely to hear just yet I would imagine. Mac’s has been the most patiently lingering untold story in this – and frankly any – series. I can’t be the only one speculating and more than a little keen to hear it…
*
Now we’re onto message. Because Harry Dresden is undoubtedly a hero and a strong socially-minded conscience runs throughout the books.
He clearly does take stock and responsibility of where he is now. As a comparatively infrequent tweeter he has 43.5 thousand followers and plenty more outside of twitter. When you have that number of followers, he’s more than aware, you’ll have a good number of people who don’t like you and crazies besides but also supporters who’ll take your side. He does involve himself in online discussion but he gives consideration to and takes responsibility for what he says and the subjects he’s drawn into – it’s a good thing and certainly wise when you have that many followers.
‘It’s a nice problem to have,’ Jim says having, not so long ago in the conversation, said the same while rubbing an aching hand after a long period of signing.
WRITING, RULES AND LEARNING THE CRAFT (IN THE END)
But that’s where he is now; we move onto – or back to – how Jim started out.
He’d completed a 4-year Batchelor’s degree in English Literature at University which, he believes, set his writing back at least two years. Professors of English Lit are far more keen to get you to take apart someone else’s text rather than putting together your own.
As a postgrad Jim took a conference course in Creative Writing under author-professor Deborah Chester. He was likewise dissatisfied with the curriculum, being around story structure, character studies and the like. Chester’s approach didn’t chime with his creative spirit. As Jim wryly puts it he’d got a batchelors in English Lit; she’d only written 39 novels.
Never one for false praise – more one for rolling up a student’s ‘effort’ and banging them on the head with it – she didn’t express any particular regard for his work either.
‘He loves hearing that,’ his Publicist chimes in, but of course he does. And on the subject of readers love-hate relationship with authors who do… unwelcome things to their characters, we’re of course firmly George R. R. Martin territory where we share our favourite memes before moving on before GRRM can do anything particularly nasty to us. |
*
Anyway determined to prove his professor wrong Jim decided he’d do exactly what she’d told him: fill out the forms, do the exercises, be one of her writing zombies…
And, more or less, the beginning of Jim’s career takes us, with time for a few photos, to closing at Waterstone’s Piccadilly and the end of the interview.
*
It was an absolute pleasure to meet Jim not to mention to interview him for our very first ‘A Pint with…’ article. Many, many thanks to Gemma and Orbit Books and Jim Butcher himself for affording me the time and opportunity to do so. | |
More on Jim Butcher’s Skin Game and further awesome titles on our: | |
URBAN FANTASY (and choice associated fictions) publishing Jan-Jun 15 page… | |
URBAN FANTASY (and choice associated fictions) publishing Jan-Jun 15 page… | |
March New Book Recommends page… |
*