Can you tell me what Albion is about?
Albion is the first in a trilogy called The Jewel Keepers. It is a magical story that centres around two girls, separated by centuries of time, but united by a mysterious jewel. The first novel is set in Katie's world, the modern world of Britain but we are also taken to Mortunda's world - the Celtic past when people lived in tribes and believed that the world around them was alive and magical. Mortunda's tribe is the Brigante and it was one of the largest tribes in pre-roman Britain.
Did you have to do a lot of research for this book?
Yes and I have drawn on lots of historical research in particular to paint Mortunda's world and give it life. Although Mortunda is not a historical figure herself, there are people in the novel who are (especially in book two). The trilogy is set at the time when Albion was on the brink of being taken into the Roman Empire and explores what that might have been like or the different tribes, as well as following the mystical story of the Jewel Keeper.
What is the Jewel?
Well I don't want to give too much away! Essentially the jewel is a sacred stone that is the doorway between the world of man and the world of Gods. But there is more to it than that.... you will have to read the trilogy to discover more! The Jewel Keepers is a tale of power, religion, war, belief and friendship.
Who is your book aimed at? What did you see as your primary target audience?
This is really a novel for older children.
My own children range from 12 to 19 years old and they have all said that they enjoyed Albion. I have had positive feedback from young people aged 12 and upwards. In many ways I hope the trilogy will be what you would call a 'cross over' novel. I want adults to find something in it too. But the truth is I wrote something that I would have enjoyed as a child. I didn't get too caught up in worrying about what 'market' I was writing for.
You work as a counsellor for young people. Has your experience of working with this age group influenced your writing in any way?
Definitely. I have worked with young people for over 15 years and for many of those years I have been a counsellor. My work and my training have helped me to understand people better, why we behave the way we do and what shapes us as people. This knowledge or insight helps tremendously with characterisation. It has also helped me understand what sorts of problems young people face today. In the novel, Katie's Dad has left the family home and she is very sad about this, but she remains very stoical; holding it together for her Mum's sake and her own mental health as well. Katie's experience is something I have encountered a lot in my work. But the other elemens that shape us are the culture and belief systems we are born into.
You have a very busy life. When do you find the time to write?
I still work full time in my day job and it is a very full on career! I have to do my writing early in the morning because by the time it gets to the evening I can't even think straight! I try and get up at 5am in the summer (I don't always succeed) but always by 6am at the latest. Then I will write until 7.30am, when I stop to make breakfast for my younger daughter, help her find her lost glasses, school tie, shoes etc.
In winter it is harder. 6am is a struggle but is has been known for me to be at my computer at 5am even in the depths of winter.
As I travel a lot with my job I also utilise my time on trains. I will make notes, plot changes and sketch chapters in long hand. I also take books with me for research purposes.
What have you got planned for the future?
I am busy writing the second book in the trilogy, Mona and sketching the third as I go. This will keep me busy for a couple of years. However I have another novel in the wings! I saw something on a beach in Abersoch that inspired me and I can't get the image out of my head. There are characters waiting to be born from this place. As soon as I finish the trilogy I will return to this image and turn it into flesh and bone. I feel all tingly just thinking about it!
One of the most difficult tasks for any writer is finding a publisher or agent to take their work on. How hard was it for you to find a publisher?
Yes, I was lucky to find King Hart Publishers who are a very small independent publisher based in Oxford. They only print up to 4 books a year!. When I contacted them their lists were closed until Spring 2009 and this was 2007. They did however recommend script surgery and gave me contact details. In the meantime they read my novel and in December 2008 said they would like to publish it! I do not have an agent and I know finding one is incredibly difficult. For the time being I am just going to concentrate on finishing the trilogy, holding my job together and then in a couple of year's time I will review the situation. Maybe then I will be brave enough to face the storm of rejection slips all over again! I do feel the Jewel Keepers has enormous film potential, so securing an agent may be the key to that! But for now I need to write books two and three.
Albion by Elaine Bousfield is available from Amazon and all good bookshops. Recommended for young adults and grown adults alike!
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