Hello everybody! So thrilled to be sharing this interview with 2024 debut author Piu DasGupta with you all today.
1. Hi Piu, it’s so lovely to have you here today! Can you please describe your debut Secrets of the Snakestone for us in 5 words?
Cursed stone in Paris sewers
2. Though I’ve read books set in other places during this time period, I can’t recall ever having read a book set during La Belle Époque. I loved that you showed both the glamour of it and how difficult it was for poorer people during this time. Were there any facts that you found out during your research that didn’t make it into the book that you think readers might find interesting?
I did a lot of research for Secrets of the Snakestone, not all of which made its way into the book. For instance, I read about Belle Époque circus performers, and was sad not to be able to include all the fascinating background that I found. The “iron jaw” performer Miss La-La, for example – who appears as a minor character in Secrets of the Snakestone – was an actual historical person. Her real name was Olga Brown and she was born in Szczecin, Poland, in 1858, with a black father and white mother. She became an international star of the circus, was painted by the painter Edgar Degas, and eventually married an American contortionist. They had three daughters who formed their own circus act, called the Three Keziahs. Maybe I’ll tell their stories in a future Snakestone book!
3. On a similar note, are there any historical periods that you feel you haven’t seen much in fiction that you’d like to explore in future books?
Yes! It’s definitely true that certain periods of history – such as World War II – get a great deal of exposure in British children’s fiction, while others, unfortunately, hardly any. One such under-explored period by which I’m currently fascinated is nineteenth century Bengal. I can’t say too much now, but I’ll be writing more shortly!
4. Also on the theme of settings, the book is set in Paris, where you actually live I believe? What are your favourite parts of the city? And another question linking to that historical element- what period of history would you most like to have experienced in Paris other than La Belle Époque?
I’ve lived in Paris for almost two decades now. I love all the city, but one of my favourite areas is Montmartre/the 18th arrondissement, where Snakestone is mainly set. It’s a place alive with the ghosts of La Belle Époque, where you can imagine Toulouse-Lautrec hanging out at the bar of the Moulin Rouge. In terms of other historical periods I’d like to have experienced, I would choose the inter-war years, the 1920s/early 30s – the “Lost Generation” of Parisian writers and artists who hung around Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas’ salon including Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Picasso and James Joyce. That was a unique moment, a decade when Paris really was the centre of an avant-garde movement.
5. Another part of the book I found super interesting was that your main character Zélie has heterochromia. What made you want to include this? What sort of research did you do on the condition ?
I wanted to focus on a character with heterochromia because there was a girl at school many years ago who had this condition, and I remember her complaining that it’s so often portrayed as a characteristic of villains. I wanted to change that narrative: I personally found it striking and beautiful. Heterochromia is not classed as a disability as it doesn’t generally impact vision, but it is a physical difference. As I don’t have this condition myself, I researched/read up on it, and the book was checked by a reader with lived experience (who is credited at the end). Her input was invaluable.
6. You recently mentioned on social media that you’ve just completed a course about writing. What has that experience been like? What do you think it’s taught you?
I recently completed an MA in Creative Writing for Children and Young People. It was a real eye-opener, especially the chance to read and analyse children’s books from the perspective of a practitioner. I read English at university so I was used to traditional critical analysis, but actually analysing classic works from the perspective of a working writer as opposed to academic was revelatory. It gave me so many ideas!
7. Something that really stood out to me reading the book was that the pacing is fantastic. What tips would you give other authors when trying to achieve that “I must read one more chapter” effect ?
I think pacing, in particular cliff-hanger chapter endings, is key to children’s writing. There are so many competing distractions, we have to keep those kids turning the pages! I remember an interview with Neil Gaiman once, where he said this was a basic but necessary writer’s trick. You have to break an action in the middle. For example – That man in the hood – she knew him. End the chapter there! The reader will be impelled to turn the page, to find out WHO it was!
8. Also on the theme of writing, what’s your writing routine like? Do you have any unusual habits or quirks ?
Before Covid I used to have a writing regime of writing in cafés around Paris. Since Covid I have gotten to writing from home. I have a tiny office perched in the Paris rooftops, piled with books, books, and more books! I love being surrounded by books. It makes me feel a sense of solidarity with all those writers through time, whispering me encouragement in my endeavours.
9. Finally, I’d absolutely love to hear what might be coming next from you/what you’re working on at the moment ?
I can’t wait to read whatever it may be! I touched on this earlier, with my reference to nineteenth century Bengal! It’s another book set in the world of the Snakestone….. but I can’t say more!
QUICKFIRE
Favourite French word or phrase? Mon jardin secret = My private world
In honour of the Brotherhood of Blood, what clubs/societies have you been part of? I’m a member of an informal writers’ group called the Southbank Writers
Punctuation mark you think you’d be? …
Top 3 books you read in 2023?
Yellowface by RF Kuang – A masterpiece. Everything we need to know about publishing and race is in this book.
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes – Fabulous book which perfectly interweaves history and today, helps us understand the impact of past on present.
Loveless by Alice Oseman – helped me understand the meaning/experience of asexuality.
The 3 books you’re most excited for this year?
The forthcoming new edition of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology , illustrated by Levi Pinfold (November 2024) – I’m a huge fan of both Neil and Levi, so can’t wait for this!
Staged: the origins of YA’s greatest tropes – a new collection by Penguin of selected Shakespeare plays, introduced by YA writers (March 2024) – a fun new edition of selected Shakespeare plays with fluorescent covers and introductions by YA writers like Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories, ed. Arunava Sinha (March 2024) – a new anthology of stories old and new, many translated into English for the first time, by a master Bengali translator and anthologist.
Thank you so much for reading! Have you picked up Secrets of the Snakestone, or are you planning to? What’s your favourite historical period to read about? I’d love to chat in the comments!
Amy xx
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