Nina D’Aleo Interview

Last month I reviewed the outstanding science-fiction/fantasy novel The Last City. This month I’ve been fortunate enough to chat (time zones allowing) with its Australian author, the lovely Nina D’Aleo, about everything from taglines, to character profiling, to cat petting…

The Last City is billed as Blade Runner meets Perdido Street Station—about the best tagline you could ask for! Did either of these stories, or storytellers, specifically inspire you to write the book?

I have to admit I did shed a tear of happy shock to see that tagline. It’s very humbling to have a story compared to such awesome and seminal works, which I’ve admired for such a long time. I’d definitely say they were among the many inspirations for the book—not so much that I looked at them and wanted to replicate them (because that could only be second rate), but because they inspire complex, daring and original creativity.

Let’s cut to the chase, how on earth do you begin to craft such a complex world? Did you have it all in your head before you began writing or did it develop with each revision?

A bit of both really. I recently looked over one of the very first drafts, from around ten years ago, and noticed a lot of elements of Scorpia City already in there. But there have definitely been major developments and refinements since then. It feels like the more time passes the larger the world grows.

Okay, so talk us through your writing process. You’ve got the germ of an idea in your head. How do you go about getting it down and building the story?

It really depends on the idea. Sometimes I’ll write for a bit first if I feel like I have something I need to get out, but mostly I’ll get straight into planning, which usually includes a rough outline of the general overarching storyline, then character profiling (including plotting character trajectory/journey), and world research and construction (going through world building questions, collecting images and other inspiration, writing descriptions and world backstory). Then often I’ll go back to the plot and add in the journeys of all point-of-view characters, and chop and change until everything fits. The story plans do change as I write, but I like having at least a rough idea of where I’m going.

Speaking of character profiling, you have a degree in Psychology—did you find this background helped with creating three-dimensional characters?

I found that psychology puts you in the unique (and privileged) position of people trusting in you their life stories and their secrets. And for me, that really opened my eyes to the diversity of people, and to the fact that for most people there is an outward persona they present, and then beneath that there is a whole multitude of thoughts and feelings that they don’t, or can’t, talk about. Usually it’s in these thoughts and feelings that the ‘real’ person exists. So I guess it helps with characterisation in a way because it gets you into a mind frame of never accepting the first layer of your characters, but digging a little further down to see what else is there.

It goes without saying that some characters are always more enjoyable to flesh out than others, but every member of the cast here is rich in flaws, secrets and ‘real’ personas. It truly is an ensemble piece. Yet did you have a favourite while writing?

It’s true, writing ensemble casts can be very tricky. Sometimes you feel yourself falling into the voice of one character easier than others. It’s really tough to pick a favourite. The feedback I’ve received so far from readers has been overwhelmingly positive for the character Eli, but, personally, I like and dislike all the characters for various reasons. If I had to kill off one of them (permanently) it would be a really tough decision of who would go…

Ah, Eli is my favourite too! Do you think there is a particular reason he resonated so well with your readers?

To be honest I’m not sure! He isn’t a typical hero, I guess. I really wasn’t sure how he’d be received by others, so the positive response has been surprising and overwhelming.

Getting back to the writing process—as a mother of two young children, and two cats, how on earth do you find time to write?

I’m lucky enough to have a wonderfully supportive mum who lives very close and takes the boys twice a week, and I’ll also write at nights after they’re in bed. The cats do their best to sit on my keyboard at every opportunity though. Writing takes up too much patting time.

And yet the cats were generous enough to let you finish this book, so we definitely owe them for that. Talk us through your journey from those late-night writing sessions to finally getting published with Momentum, the exciting new digital arm of Pan Macmillan Australia.

I was 13 when I first submitted a manuscript to a publisher, and then spent the next 14 years writing, and submitting (and reading LOTS). At times it was tough (the rejection can be grueling), there is a lot of inner pain and self-doubt (as well as the doubts of others who wonder when you’re going to stop dreaming and get a real job), and the process either hones you into the terminator or crushes you.

I had a few lucky breaks along the way that kept me pushing forward. One was a mentorship through the Queensland Writers Centre about ten years ago, and the second was meeting my wonderful agent also through a Writers’ Centre event.

Eventually this lead to The Last City being read by Momentum. And from there it’s been a dream come true. So don’t let anyone tell you to stop dreaming!

Do you have any tips for other ‘dreamers’ about to submit their queries to agents and publishers?

To be honest just the thought of this gives me shivers! It’s a terrifying thing to package up your heart and soul in an email and press the send the button. But we do it because we have to—we’re driven by the desire to write and to have others read our stories. So if I was about to send something out there cold, there are a few things I would do:

– Carefully follow the submission or query guidelines (and be obsessive about it). This is the first impression they will have of you. If whoever you’re sending it to doesn’t feel like you’ve read the guidelines they’ve written, they’re not going to read what you’ve written. I try not to give anyone easy reasons to reject my work—in this industry people don’t need much of a reason.

– Proofread EVERYTHING you’re sending in. Or, even better, get someone else to proofread it!

– Join the local Writers Centre and attend a seminar, event or one-on-one to strengthen your query or submission skills.

– If possible meet the person you’re sending to (e.g. in pitch sessions or meet-the-agent events). Become something more than a faceless email (but no stalking – because obviously that’s creepy).

– Expect rejection. Depressing I know, but then the shock of acceptance will be even more monumental. And it will happen!

Momentum is a digital-only publisher. Is there much promoting that goes along with the release of an ebook and how do you fit that in around your young family (and cats)?

There is some promoting, but luckily it’s mainly online, so very baby friendly! I’m actually writing this with one son on my shoulders and another using my face as a sticker book…

I know you’ve been working on the sequel. Without offering any spoilers for those who haven’t yet read The Last City, can you give us a hint of what’s to come?

The main cast returns, which features Scorpia City again, as well as a few new worlds and a few new characters. That’s all I’m saying!

And finally, why fantasy?

I read somewhere that fantasy is imagination unrestricted by reality and that’s why I love it. It transports us, inspires us and fills our world with magic.

Many thanks to Nina for taking the time away from writing that sequel to chat (with apologies to her agent and publisher)! The Last City is out now. You can find out more about The Last City on her website or follow her on Twitter.

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