INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET CHIAVETTA, AUTHOR OF THE ALCHEMIST'S THEMOREM
"Chiavetta employs a gale-force imagination in conjuring her alchemical realm... While immersed in this crowd-pleasing adventure, young readers should marvel at Chiavetta’s Alice in Wonderland vibe, and adults should appreciate the sweeping mythos.” —Kirkus Reviews
1.
As an author myself, I’m always intrigued by
other author’s bios. It seems as though your own journey to writing was long
and winding (anthropologist, academic, etc.) Was the process of writing THE
ALCHEMIST’S THEOREM long and winding as well? How long was Mendel’s story in
your mind before it got down on the page?
The story of The Alchemist’s Theorem got in and out of my head relatively
quickly, but I think that’s because of the long, winding journey. I was in my
mid-twenties when the first universe exploded in my head. It was about angels
and demons. For years that was the only story I had, and I was convinced it was
the only story I would ever have. When I finally decided to take the plunge,
change careers, and start my MFA in the fall of 2012 (at age 29) I spent the
summer before with nothing to do but write. Due to the reprieve from career
restlessness and doubts, there was an outbreak of universes and stories in my
head. Having the time, focus, and inspiration was perfect for creative
incubation. That’s when Mendel and Sir Duffy showed up. I wrote the first dozen
pages, which I carried into the first year of my graduate program, but I didn’t
work on it at all that year. I had so many stories I wanted to write, but I
couldn’t decide which to pursue. Finally, a good friend told me the story I was
most animated about was The Alchemist’s
Theorem. That following summer I worked on it a little more, but during my
second and final year I completed the first draft. After graduating spring
2014, I picked at it a little, until the beginning of 2015. I finally set the
goal of finishing, crowdfunding, and publishing the book by the end of the
year. And I did it!
2.
How did your scientific background contribute to
the process of worldbuilding?
My background in science and animal
behavior has been invaluable to me as a writer. People always laugh when I say
this, but it’s true. Studying monkeys as closely as I did gave me real insights
into the human condition. And isn’t that what stories are mostly about?
Understanding ourselves better? I used to work on this island full of monkeys,
and the researchers would always accidently refer to the monkeys as people.
Everyone did it. Once I got to know how complex other species of animals are,
and how layered their personalities are, it was second nature to build animal
characters into the book. So not only did my experience and expertise help me
develop my human characters, but the plant and animal characters as well. And
when it comes to building the rest of the world, I mix and match attributes
from all the different creatures I’ve learned about over the years.
3.
Independent publishing has been drawing a wider
array of authors in recent years. What drew you to the independent platform?
First, I don’t like being told what to do.
When I started looking into the writing industry I encountered a lot of
directives. There is this linear, rigid, impossible process everyone must go through, and even then their
chances are slim. Whenever people told me that I have to do something,
otherwise I shouldn’t bother, my knee-jerk reply was always, “The hell I do!”
Second, I think my time and effort is valuable, and I should be paid
accordingly. The unchanging 15% royalty just isn’t enough for me. It used to
make sense when the publisher did everything for the author, but these days a
publisher won’t even look at your work unless your manuscript is finished,
professionally edited, and you already have a platform/audience built around
it. And then if they do take you on, you are expected to do a lot of your own
marketing. Which brings me to the third reason: I have an inner entrepreneur. I
get it from my father. If I’m expected to do that much work, I might as well
try and do the whole thing myself.
4.
It sounds like the Kickstarter experience filled
you with positive feelings and helped fuel your writing—please tell us all
about it.
I put many long, grueling hours into
planning, managing, and executing that Kickstarter last August. When I
fantasized about it being successful, I imagined the campaign getting picked up
by a good media outlet, and bringing in a ton of strangers to back me up. I was
not only surprised but emotionally overwhelmed by the community of people I
didn’t even realize had been there all this time, watching me, ready to support
my creative ambitions. I grew up in a small farming community, the town of
Brant. Half my backers came from that community. It definitely gave me, and
still gives me, a ton of momentum that keeps me going. When I went home for Christmas
I signed a bunch of copies of my book. It just warmed the cockles of my heart.
5.
What do you read for fun—are you a fantasy
junkie? How did your reading background influence your writing?
I used to either avoid this question or
straight up lie, but now that I am more confident as a writer I can answer
honestly. I’m not a voracious reader, I never have been. Reading has always
been difficult for me. I don’t know why exactly. I know that my father has a
difficult time reading, too. I can blow through a book in a couple of
days if the story grabs me, and grabs me fast, but when it
doesn’t grab me, reading is a struggle. I don’t read a lot of fantasy either,
especially high fantasy. I got nervous about this while writing The Alchemist’s Theorem since it’s
considered a high fantasy book. I felt better though when I found out that
Terry Pratchett didn’t read fantasy books. Apparently he felt he’d just be
re-writing other peoples’ work if he did. When I got the idea for my book,
though, I was binge-reading the Harry
Potter books, and playing a ton of the video game Skyrim. And whilst in the process of finishing the book I was
reading Jonathan Strange & Mr.
Norrell, which is a masterpiece. Because of my atypical reading practices
combined with my alternate methods of consuming story (video games, TV, movies
etc.) I think my writing has a pleasant undercurrent of quirkiness.
6.
Yes. I have two nephews who are on the spectrum.
They are amazing for so many reasons. But for whatever reason, people are
always focusing on the aspects of who they are that don’t mesh well with our
culture. The memoir written by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump really helped me understand what it’s like inside
the mind of spectrum kids. FangirlNation reviewed my book and really hit on what
I was trying to do with Mendel:
"Chiavetta avoids showing autism as
either an entirely crippling illness or a special gift in and of itself. Mendel
has autism and he has to learn ways of coping with the world . . . It becomes
one aspect of who he is, not the sole defining quality of an inquisitive and
inventive young man.” —Fangirlnation
I think it is important to let spectrum
characters be characters like any other.
7.
What drew you to the MG audience?
When I turned 12, life suddenly got really
hard. Middle grade years are the hardest in my opinion, and I think that’s when
we need the most help. Stories at that age kept me afloat.
8.
THE ALCHEMIST’S THEOREM is the first book in a
series. How are you approaching the series? Did you have a complete outline
from the beginning?
There are going to be four books in The Alchemist’s Theorem series, plus one
prequel about Sir Esther and Sir Mostly’s adventures during the mistake. George R.R. Martin says that
there are architects and there are gardeners. I am a gardener. I don’t create
outlines. I know the main premise of every book, major events, twists, and how
it’s all going to end, but the rest gets filled in when I write. If I ever get
stuck I make sloppy bubble maps to help me arrange the plot. And once I see the
scene in my head I can recall it like a movie clip. It’s really like having an
alternate universe in my head that I can visit whenever I want.
9.
I find teachers are continually seeking
read-alouds for their classroom. Did this in any way play into your word
choice? (Babylump bushes, gargoyle vines, etc.) How important do you find humor
to be when writing for this age group?
I didn’t know teachers seek read-alouds.
The reason I use easier names is because I can’t stand complicated,
hard-to-pronounce, made-up fantasy names. It’s part of the reason why I don’t
like to read a lot of high fantasy. I like to take recognizable names and mix
and match them.
Humor is very important. My science and
monkey background taught me that we can stand a lot of stress if we have ways
to counteract it. That’s why I wrote a fart into my story. Because farts are
funny.
10. Can
you give us a hint or sneak peek as to what will happen in the next installment
of THE ALCHEMIST’S THEOREM?
I’ve had a number of readers tell me they
want the next one to be longer, and have more of everything. The next book will
definitely be longer, dig deeper into the characters and mythos, and I will
reveal a lot of the mystery from the first book. For example, I thought it was
obvious what the creature from the
mistake was, but apparently it is not. So readers will find out more about
it in this next installment. But I will also be introducing all new mysteries
(Mwhahaha). There is a new character and animal companion being added to the
main characters, too, who I absolutely adore. And I’m stopping there.
~
THE ALCHEMIST'S THEOREM can be ordered wholesale through Ingram as well as Baker & Taylor.
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