Isabelle writes…

Hello, Michelle! Hope you’re doing well!

I fell in love with the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books as a pre-teen and has since re-read them in about every stage of my life and each re-read gives new perspectives on the books as my own life experiences grow. For example, while as a kid, I despised Hord, as an adult, I can also feel empathy for him. Sure, he is vain, prideful and a bully but as someone who has gone through the teen years, I can also see how he is insecure, desperate to prove that he’s capable, perhaps even trying to gain the approval of his uncle who seems to be emotionally closer to Hord’s younger sister while navigating the complicated passage from being an adolescent to becoming a man. It also makes me wonder if Renn perhaps sees her brother differently as she gets older.

In the last three books Renn and Torak are practically adults (while in our times they would still be considered teenagers). How did you approach writing them as older and more mature while still maintaining the same target age group and rating? I think you balanced it really well without alienating neither the younger readers nor the older. Were there any themes you had to leave out to maintain that balance?

Michelle Replies…

Thanks so much for this, Isabelle.  I’m delighted that you’ve found different things in the books at different stages of your life, and I love your insights into Hord; I think that shows great empathy on your part.  As for the last three books (Viper’s Daughter, Skintaker & Wolf Bane), it was hard to find the right balance between showing that Torak and Renn are (in Stone Age terms) adults, albeit young ones, without alienating younger readers.  But as with all writing, that was largely a matter of trial and error, and endless re-writing!  I’m glad you think that I struck the right balance.  I don’t recall deliberately avoiding any themes, becaue I don’t believe in doing that.  It was more a question of dealing sensitively with those that arose.  Thanks so much for such great questions!  With very best wishes, Michelle