TALKING WITH - AUTHOR - GED MAYBURY

"For me, writing is about chopping up the millions of experiences I've had, and gluing thousands of them back together into a unique and bizarre beast."
This was the response from Ged Maybury, Steampunk Author and Cosplayer, when I asked him if he would like to participate in an interview. Over the last year I've had some pretty great talks with Ged and am always impressed with his knowledge of Japan. His book, Into the Storm's Domain, is available now through Satalyte Publishing (www.satalyte.com.au) and your local book store.

1. Into the Storm's Domain is Book 1 of the Across the Stonewind Sky Series but I've heard it wasn't always. Where was this part of the story originally and what led to the moving around?

In 2008/2009 I wrote two entire books and was well into book-3 when I looked back and realised that book-1 just wasn’t good enough. Book-3 was full of much better ideas! So I went back and stitched the original opening sequence onto the middle of book-3 (before it was even finished). That worked so much better as an opening book. There was far more action and adventure, and more importantly character development.
Then of course I was forced to look at all the body parts now lying around my operating room. Book-2 no longer made any sense, so it was designated ‘book-3’ and I set about grafting a new head and legs onto the remains of my original book-1. That is now Book II – “Into the Heart Of Varste” (coming out late-2014!).
I’ve never done such a dramatic re-write. Doctor Frankenstein would’ve been proud of me!


2. To give readers an idea of each character or if your series is ever made into a movie or tv show, who would be your dream cast?

Well first of all I’d love to see it as an anime. Studio Gonzo, of course. (But I’d have to make my main characters a lot younger! Isn’t everyone a teenager in anime?)
Otherwise I’d want to hand it over to the team that did the Sherlock Holmes movies: Racy action and epic special effects. Everything huge and mindboggling! Dream actors? My lead characters are Rodney Hoverrim (played by Jude Law with muttonchops!), and Romarny Skijypzee (played by Noomi Rapace).  Oh – there are too many! I’ll stop there.


3. You have quite a lot of experience as a writer. How has your Path evolved over the years from children's books to now, on regards to finding inspiration and the individual journey of each book?

There has been no change, except in scale. I still write the way I did from the very beginning – from instinct, without a perfect plan, and with nothing more than a ‘pirate’s map’ with the vaguest of clues sketched upon it; just a hint of where, and how, it will end.
Without that – well: let’s just say I have a few unfinished books in my computer.
As to characters: well I have to let my crew come aboard whenever and however they want, and with whatever they have to offer. It requires a willingness to trust them. After all, they’re lurching out of the swamps of my unconscious, sometimes with extra bits of the map in hand. I cannot deny them life! And when I do let them in – remarkable things happen!
And sometimes this thing called Story just demands that something has to happen. A twist. I can’t argue with it! (Well, I try, but it always wins.) It means that I never control my books. They control me.
However these day I make a lot more notes. I try and map out more of their past, or how they are going to pull my plans about in the future. I create machines and creatures that might come later. For example I’ve got extensive notes for a huge adventure they all have much later in the series, but I still do not know every detail. I won’t until I start writing scene one.


4. Do you have a ritual, a routine, for writing?

Nope. I’m terrible. No discipline at all. It’s totally random. The only pattern is that when I’m full of ideas I write like there’s no tomorrow. i.e. – I write with a passion when I can see the way forward.
But when I’m stuck, I’ll keep going back to it, again and again, sometimes leaving it for months, forever seeking the way through the maze, or a way to rewrite the maze itself. Call me pig-headed.


5. There is a music video of Storm's Domain. How did that come about?

The idea developed during 2010. I had created the ‘theme song’ years earlier and so I set about finding a composer, then a vocalist – just by word-of-mouth.  The song went public that December at a Steampunk meet-up. It went well, but I wanted a bigger better way to promote my epic.
At that stage I still did not have a publisher for the book, but on a leap of faith I raised money via Pozible and began contacting film-makers and Steampunks in Brisbane. None of us had ever done anything as complex.  It was shot in September 2011, and belatedly released in March 2012 because the VFX took so long!
Oh, and I’m claiming a world first here: It is the world's first custom-written theme song to a book. I did search the internet at the time, and found no other reference to such a concept.
(Curiously and by chance, our Director of Photography (DoP) was awarded the Australian Student Cinematographer of the Year Award 2011 for her previous work. I got the best!)


6. You've explained to me in the past the connection between Japanese movies/anime and steampunk. Can you tell the readers a little about that?

My first encounter with Steampunk was not via western literature (I hardly ever read books), it was via anime. “Laputa” by Hayao Miyazaki, to be exact. It caught my interest, but it was not until I came across the word ‘steampunk’ that I realized what that particular style was, and quickly fell in love with it.


7. For the Martial Artists out there, what weapons and methods of combat do you have in your books and how do you go about creating these while keeping the authenticity you have?

My world is very European, but in keeping with one of the realities of Victorian England, I’ve included a character from ‘Japan’ – Goro Karakuri – who travels to the ’west’ and, among other things, becomes a martial arts instructor at a secret finishing school for young ladies. Thus my principal female Romarny Skijypzee is well-trained in a number of martial arts before my story begins.
As to weapons and combat – well I keep it rather fuzzy and let my readers fill in the choreography. My fight scenes are often chaotic, between wildly mismatched combatants. (And of course my main character is always wearing ‘plot-armour’!) If any weapons do appear they’re usually western weapons common at the time, plus a few science-fiction weapons.

8. Considering you have certain training/fighting sequences done so well, did you yourself swing a sword or take any lessons to get the feel?

I’ve handled and fired a few guns in my time, but as far as martial arts go – I’ve only ever taken a little instruction in Tai-Chi. (Therefore there is at least *one* convincing scene!!)
To write a fight scene, I try to imagine myself in the fight myself and how things might swing; the forces and the physics; the pain and panic; the misses and hits. I’ve been in a few scrappy schoolyard fights so at least that stuff is familiar! But also – a big fight scene is generally shown from Rodney’s point of view, so a lot goes on that he simply doesn’t see. He’s always too busy!
If readers want perfectly researched fight scenes, they’d better go elsewhere. My story is a light-hearted steampunk adventure with a touch of romance, not a martial arts classic!

TALKING WITH - MARTIAL ARTS - IAN MCNALLY

Ian McNally is not only a very talented Martial Artist and writer but also a dear friend. My Kung Fu Brother, in fact. He has recently moved back to USA and has started teaching Magui Baguazhang and I thought he would be a great place to start off the Talking With posts for Martial Artists.


1. Why Bagua? What was it about Baguazhang that appealed to you?

Well, I first heard about Baguazhang when I was studying Hung Ga Kuen while in college. After I moved to Japan, I found there was no Hung Ga schools there. I was looking into other Traditional Chinese Martial Arts in the area and finally came across The Magui Baguazhang Promotional Center. I went to the beginner class there and I met Li Baohua Laoshi. His skills were real, his teaching was traditional, and after I'd finished circle walking for an hour and a half I had so much energy. I was hooked from that day on.

2. Can you describe the importance of Circle Walking?

Circle Walking is the main practice and foundational training of Magui Baguazhang (and baguazhang in general). It is what makes the body rooted and balanced. Circle walking enhances qi and blood flow as it unites the tendons and bones, making them strong. It is what develops a strong structure, foundation and internal power. Circle Walking is the roots from which grows the tree that is Magui Baguazhang.

3. What is the class structure? As far as warm ups etc.

My teacher doesn't believe much in warming up. He follows the old proverb "Qi follows Yi (mind/intention)." He explained to us that tigers don't stretch before they hunt. The circle waling is the warm up.
In my classes, especially with beginners, I will do some basic Qigong warm ups before they learn how to circle walk. But after that, I try to make the circle the warm up in itself.
From there, we train Dragon Shape circle walking (which is the first you learn and the foundation for all the others). After that we move onto any other postures we are learning, then go into whatever palm changes are being studied. Most of the class involves going over and practicing a given palm change.
The end of class usually sees Bears Shape walking, which focuses on balance and helps to work out any lingering issues from practice and re-balance the body. Finally, We run through some more Qigong as a cool down.
That is the basic structure of a given class, which can be changed if we are going to be going through form practice, pair practice, etc.

4. What is the "Magui" in the name reference to and how does it differ from other methods of Baguazhang?

Ma Gui is the name of the grand master who learned Baguazhang from Dong Haichuan. It is his lineage of Baguazhang that I practice.
In terms of differences between lineages, I feel that Baguazhang is one of the most interesting Martial Arts. Dong Haichuan had hundreds, even thousands of student. He taught each of them individually, which means that there is very little in terms of standardization between lineages beyond Circle Walking and the Mother Palms (specifically the Single Palm Change).
Ma Gui was know for his strong, heavy body. He was well known for his Crab circle walking which made his ramming palm hard and fierce. These skills along with many others are passed down through his lineage of Baguazhang.

5. You've mentioned animals above. What animals are there within Magui Baguazhang ?

There are eight postures in Magui Baguazhang that we use to practice circle walking. Some are called "Shapes" others are "Postures" or "Forms."
They are as follows:
1. Dragon
2. Bear
3. Lion
4. Crab
5. Eagle
6. Single Hook
7. Reaching Toward Heaven and Earth
8. Yin Yang Fish

6. Do you use weapons in Magui Baguazhang ?

We do. The main weapons associated with Magui Baguazhang are the Bagua Broadsword, the Deer Horn Knives, The Seven Star Stick, and the Caligraphy Brush.

7. As someone with experience in Hung Ga, what differences have you discovered and what similarities? Beyond the immediate, noticeable differences.

The biggest difference is in the practice. In Bagua the weapons are associate directly with the empty hand movement (as most are), but that also means that in Magui Bagua when you walk the circle and practice the palm changes, you are practicing the weapons at the same time. There is less of an emphasis on learning a specific set of forms or movements that are associated only with the weapons.

8. And you write as well. Can you tell us a bit about your writing?

Yes, I am an aspiring fantasy fiction writer. I've always loved fantasy stories and things like magic have always intrigued me. I think that's part of what drew me to martial arts when I was young. To a young person, Qi sounds very similar to "Magic."
I write many different kinds of fantasy, urban to epic, etc, but one thing I try to do with every story is to look into the causes and justifications for violence. I find myself enjoying making any fight scenes feel authentic while also delving into the reasons the characters are engaging in combat in the first place.
I think the drive to understand combat and violence in a fantasy setting is also something that I've gained from a study of marital arts.

9. Where can people learn more about your classes?

My classes are going to be starting soon, both group classes and private lessons. People can go to my website, though it is still under construction: wordpress.maguibaguanj.com
They can go to my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/maguibaguanj
I also am on twitter, though I'm new to that medium as well: @maguibaguanj
And if anyone has questions for me or would like to contact me about scheduling private lessons they can reach me as maguibaguanj@gmail.com

TALIKING WITH-WRITER- SATIMA FLAVELL

Satima Flavell is a stablemate of mine on Satalyte Publishing, her book the Dagger of Dresnia has recently been released to a wonderful reception. She recently had the great idea of us all letting our friends get to know each other and we "sat down" for a chat. Her book is available now through the Satalyte website (www.satalyte.com.au) or from your local book store.

1. Considering genealogy is a hobby of yours, how have your discoveries played a part of your trilogy? Any links in there to your family?

Not directly, but my interest in Medieval genealogy was part of the reason the story was set in a time and place that somewhat resembles the British Isles in the late twelfth century. That’s a period that has appealed to me ever since I was in grade one at school. Being in England, we started with the Romans, then the Saxons, then the Vikings and finally the Normans. When I got my genealogy that far back I was very excited, because they kept pretty good records in those days. That meant I was actually able to learn something about what my ancestors got up to! (Mostly it was suing each other and squabbling. There will be a bit of that in the second book, the Cloak of Challiver.)

2. Being a networking master, how important has that been to your success? You're in Perth, I'm in Japan, Satalyte is in Melbourne. Your fans are all over!

Heh heh – ‘Networking Master’! Love it! No, I’m just interested in probably far too many things – reading, writing, criticism, dancing, music, theatre (especially Shakespeare), astrology, genealogy and history generally – so it’s easy for me to develop a wide acquaintance. I do think networking is important if you’re going to sell books or anything else, but not the kind of networking that’s developed purely to build a market. If someone friends me and immediately tries to sell me something, I unfriend them at once. Networking, at heart, means being a good friend to everyone, not just people you see as possibly useful in some way. I love my friends and I love my characters, so of course I want to introduce them to each other!

3. How important was historical accuracy to you considering the amount of research you did?

Pretty important. I always keep in mind something Tim Powers said at a convention when I was first starting out: ‘Get your facts right, because there is sure to be someone on a desert island somewhere who just happens to be an expert and you can be sure that person will take pleasure in pointing out your errors!’

4. Although your reviews have been amazing, full of stars, how would you deal with negative criticism, especially when they have completely missed the mark on your story?

Well, if someone has missed the point, that’s their problem, not mine. And if someone just doesn’t like my book, that’s their problem, too, and it’s also their right to make their dislike public, if they wish! But if someone takes the time to write a thoughtful critique that might help me to do better next time, that’s all to the good.

5. For us martial artists, how many weapons are included in your story? Does each nation fight differently? Where did the inspiration/technique come from for them?

I did a bit of research on weaponry of the era, and stuck to the slash and stab style using swords and daggers that was prevalent at the time. Beverak and his knights would have been a bit astonished if they suddenly came up against a bunch of fighters with scimitars, for instance! I learnt a lot from re-enactment web sites and of course I did quite a bit of ‘secondary research’ – i.e. reading other writers such as Bernard Cornwell who are a lot more knowledgeable than I am. 

6. Have you ever swung a dagger like your characters, or shot a bow? How was the feeling?

My knowledge of martial arts is limited to a few tai chi classes, a couple of attempts with a bow (I couldn’t even draw the darned thing!) and a bit of fencing with foils when I was studying at NIDA as a girl. Alan Baxter let me have a play with a sword at a con once. It was heavy! But there have been women fighters throughout history, just like Brianne in Game of Thrones. There’s a story about a lady in my family tree – her name was Agnes, if remember rightly – who donned her father’s armour and rode out to meet a local man who thought he had a right to her father’s property, seeing as Agnes was the only child and there was no son to inherit. She beat him fair and square, in front of his squires, then removed her breast plate to show she was a woman. I’ll bet that fellow went home with his tail between his legs! My character Tammi owes a bit to Agnes.