Lucy A. McLaren

Lucy: Hello Marjorie! Thanks so much for joining us at Introverted Indies. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your writing. So, to get things started, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Marjorie: Many thanks for inviting me for an interview. I’m a young adult contemporary fantasy author currently working on the third book in my Curse of Time series. 

The first book Bloodstone is inspired by the extraordinary grasshopper mechanism of the eerie Corpus Christi clock chronophage in Cambridge, England, (where I used to live,) and the two other magnificent chronophages, (all designed by inventor Dr. John C. Taylor, OBE, ) the midsummer fly and the dragon also come to life in later books! Hubby and I travel between Edinburgh, (where I grew up,) and Tavira, Portugal, (our sunshine  home from home.) 

Currently, I’m soaking up the cultural and literary scene in Edinburgh. There’s so much to do in the city for poets, writers, artists, and creatives. Poetry open mics, creative writing groups, and cultural, music, and artistic events. I’m loving it! 

L: That’s awesome, thanks Marjorie! I am really intrigued by the inspiration behind your series. Can you tell us more about the grasshopper mechanism you mentioned? And how it played a role in inspiring your Curse of Time series?

M: The grasshopper escapement is the largest in the world and a wonder of modern inventiveness. It is a working timepiece which represents the swift passing of time and life in general as the grasshopper eats time! 

We are at the mercy of the ticking clock. No one knows how long they have on this earth. 

In the Curse of Time series, the villain has power over the clock creatures and imprisons the mirror girl, and much later the dragon (of the third timepiece) in chains.

In the first book, Bloodstone, our heroine, Amelina Scott, must overcome the aging curse that has struck her father and restore her family’s happiness. To overcome the dark forces at work, she sets out to discover the secrets of The Crystal Cottage to become a Krystallos magician. 

The series tackles mental health issues in a subtle, caring way. This is particularly so with one of my favourite characters, Esme, the mirror girl. 

L: That’s really fascinating. I’d never heard of it, so thank you for enlightening me! It’s evident how the mechanism inspired you in terms of how you look at time and explore it in your series. You also mentioned mental health being explored within the story. Was this an element you felt important to include in your writing? 

M: Yes, it is of utmost importance to highlight mental health. It’s an important topic to discuss and be open about. It affects one in eight people, with young people (16–24) and women particularly affected. Severe stress is commonplace, with somewhere near 1.7 million people on NHS waiting lists. Those are the statistics, but mental health crises can affect anyone. 

Therefore, I write sensitively on the subject, drawing on some of my own and other people’s experiences to do so. Mental health affects many characters in the series, including my main protagonist, Amelina, and her parents.  But it is Esme, the mirror girl, who epitomises and represents the depth of these struggles. Trapped by her mental health crises, her entrapment in the mirrors reflects this too. 

Relevant Bookbub review quotes: 

“Issues of self harm and mental health are tackled in a very sensitive way in this book.”

“This author of this novel is extremely gifted and is able to bring to the surface many issues that are not often discussed in a dysfunctional family system.”

“This is one of the weirdest books I have ever read but it is exceptional in the way it portrays the life of a young teenage girl, (Amelina,) coming from a dysfunctional family with all the problems and pains this brings with it. It is a story of turmoil, of striving to find one’s identity…” 

The trigger warning makes all of this clear. Added to Bloodstone, Book 1, (and also applies to book 2, Golden Healer): This book contains mention of self-harm, mental health issues and alludes to the potential dangers of sexual attraction, which may trigger younger/sensitive readers.

L: I wholeheartedly agree, Marjorie. I’m a therapist as well as writer so always appreciate hearing about writers who want to sensitively include and explore mental health issues within their work. I believe it’s highly valuable both for us as writers and for the readers of our books, too. Do you mind sharing a little about how you ensured the topics you covered were done so sensitively? 

M: I trained as a reflexologist and aromatherapist when I was younger, so I have an insight into sensitivity and therapy. And I collect crystals, so there had to be a magical crystal cottage!

Giving an example of the mirror girl, Esme, she has a reflection, Sunflower Esme, who helps her in times of crisis. Also, Esme confides in Amelina. As the story continues, Esme becomes stronger, seeking her freedom and overcoming so much. Throughout, Esme makes it clear just how much she detests Ryder, the villain of the story.

In terms of sensitivity, there are no vivid, gratuitous mentions of her cutting herself during the series, as her cuts happened in the past. Instead, the narrative has her talking about her mental health struggles with Amelina, and later on in Book 2, Golden Healer, Sunflower Esme encourages Esme to use art coming alive as magical therapy.

Amelina talks to Esme about her troubles, too. Esme has plenty of time to listen, (as she’s trapped in the mirrors of Esme’s house,) and becomes like a therapist, or confidante, for various other members of the household, including her Mum, Dad, and aunt Karissa who can’t see her but sense her soothing presence. 

Art coming alive is one of the themes portrayed in the first two books.

I’m currently working on the third book, which has a tentative, still to be decided upon title, but at the moment I prefer Shadow Dragon Pearl. 

L: Oh, I love the idea of magical therapy and how you’ve incorporated that into your story. It all sounds really interesting! How are you finding working on the third book? Is that the final one in the series? 

M: Oh, thank you so much! 

I’m getting there. Writing a series is a complex challenge. I’ve learnt a lot about the process. The first book in the series, Bloodstone, was my debut; I’d never written a book before!

In hindsight, my advice for a series is to write all the books and then publish with brief intervals. That way you’re fresh to it and don’t have gaps in your memory that need refreshing!

The story is developing wonderfully and I’m delighted to say there will be a few new characters: Sarayan, the dragon chronophage, The Demon King of the Shadowlands, (who is Ryder’s father,) and his walking, talking dog, the Queen dove of The Crystal Cottage, and a surprise character at the end who wraps up the story.

I always envisioned a three-book series. 

Whether there will be further books or spin-off novellas depends on the reader reaction to the ‘final’ book. The third book has the potential to make the series discoverable and more marketable as it has several sizzling elements which I believe will be popular: a dragon, (everyone loves a dragon and this dragon is no ordinary one,) crystal magic swords, a walking dead army, the creepy coffin fairies, battle scenes set in Arthur Seat in Edinburgh, secrets and revelations, and a couple of subplots of young and past love, set against a battle between good, (light,) and evil, (darkness.)

In the meantime, please support me by reading Bloodstone, which is free from most suppliers in Kindle/ebook, and Golden Healer is less than the price of a coffee! The books are also available in hard copy, or beautifully narrated in audiobook. 

L: Sounds great, Marjorie. And I agree with that advice on writing a series, as someone about to delve into the third book in my series. But that’s hindsight for you, ha! Aside from that advice, what else would you say you’ve learned in your journey publishing your first two books? 

M: I’ve learnt a lot along the way! Recently, I’ve had so many emails from various companies pushing book marketing options. There are a lot of scammers out there. So, be careful. Use tried and tested marketing services and word of mouth. 

Read books, make genuine connections, support your fellow authors. 

When self editing read your manuscript out loud. This really does work well. Persevere, believe in yourself, and keep doing what you love! 

L: All fantastic advice, thanks Marjorie! You mentioned as well that you take part in creative writing groups. Are they in-person? How do you find those help you as an author? 

M: I travel a lot to Portugal and various places in the UK. When I’m in Edinburgh, I attend a writing group in a local cafe and also join in various open mic groups to meet fellow creatives and get feedback on my poetry. 

I’ve performed at open mics in Tavira, Portugal, too. These are in Portuguese and English and organised by Sue Hall.

Recently, I joined a meetup group in Edinburgh for poetry, as well as one called Living Writing, which seems supportive too.

When I lived in Cambridge, I was a member of Cambridge Writers and SCBWI (the Society of Childrens’ Writers and illustrators.)

I also joined Scribophile, which I would highly recommend for online feedback on your WIP. 

I intend to write a blog post soon about all the wonderful opportunities for writers and poets in Edinburgh. It really is a cultural city brimming with opportunities for writers and poets.

L: Oh wow, it sounds like you are involved in lots of amazing communities and groups! I’ve certainly found as an indie author that getting to know other authors and creatives is so, so helpful. Having that community of people you can turn to for feedback, advice, or for support is invaluable! You’ve mentioned there you write poetry, too. How do you find poetry writing compared to story writing? 

M: I love them both! In many ways, I’m a poet at heart, so poetry sneaks into a lot of what I do. Both of my YA fantasy novels have poems in them: short, puzzling tanka poems at the beginning of each chapter, followed by the story in prose. 

The third novel will also have some poetry, but perhaps not as much. Decisions, decisions! 

With poetry, you get to play with words, (using various forms or writing freely,) taking a nugget of an idea and embellishing upon the initial thought. It continues to astonish me how you can say so much with so few words! It’s such fun.

Novel writing is more disciplined. It allows you to create characters who become a part of you. It is particularly good at the lead-up to climactic moments, such as revelations. There are choices: you can plot (or be a pantser – like me!) creating detail either by planning, or by discovering where your characters choose to take you. 

Of the two, I find novel writing more challenging. But it’s rewarding too. The nugget of inspiration is big and at times unwieldy. The editing is hard. But when you finish the manuscript, the rewards are there in abundance: relief, pride, a sense of accomplishment, and joy! I love writing endings.  But I’ll be sad to write The End on the third book, because I’ll be saying a fond goodbye to at least one, if not all of my characters. And I do love them all. 

L: Ahh that’s a really great insight, thanks Marjorie. I’ve never written poems but certain agree about the challenge but ultimate sense of pride and accomplishment that comes of writing a book!

So, to wrap up our chat, please could you share one piece of advice you’d give to anyone setting out on their author journey? 

M: Thank you so much for the interview, Lucy & Lydia! 

One piece of advice: be careful what you do with your cherished work. If you decide to use a print on demand publisher to help with your self-publishing journey, make sure they’re properly vetted. If they have a caution rating or worse, think twice about using them.

I discovered The Alliance of Indie Authors’ review of self-publishing services after I’d chosen mine. In the future, I’m considering doing everything myself! Here is the link.