Author Interview - Gemma Clatworthy

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with urban fantasy author, Gemma Clatworthy!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I started writing during the 2020 lockdown (my first book was called The Girl Who Lost Her Listening Ears, which tells you all you need to know about lockdown!). I soon switched to urban fantasy because I love mixing the magical with the mundane, especially if it involves dragons! 

I've got one complete series out featuring a half-dwarf, an arrogant elf and dragons set in modern day Cardiff and my current series is urban fantasy with a dash of murder mystery - think if Jessica Fletcher worked in IT, lived in an English village and had magic.

I live in the magical county of Wiltshire in the UK with my family and two cats. When I'm not writing, I enjoy playing board games, drinking tea and eating chocolate.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

This is so tough because I love reading -anything from Jane Austen, Tolkein of course, Agatha Christie, through to more modern authors like Jonathan Stroud or Nicholas Eames. I really love eclectic British authors. My absolute favourite is Terry Pratchett - his Discworld series is incredible. I also enjoy Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, Tom Holt and more modern fantasy authors too. Recently, I've gotten into cosy fantasy (I'm sorry, I just can't bring myself to spell it with a 'z'!) and enjoyed Legends and Lattes and The Bookshop and the Barbarian. 

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

I actually used to do medieval reenactment at university and studied it a bit too, so it's important to me to get details right. While I usually write more modern urban fantasy, when it comes to the big battle in Attack on Avalon (book 5 of my Rise of the Dragons series), I definitely drew on more middle ages style warfare and weaponry. For example, did you know that you don't 'fire' an arrow? Unless it's literally on fire, you 'loose' it or shoot it. I try to aim for accuracy where I can because I always appreciate it when I read books that you know the author has researched. 

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

My Rise of the Dragons series has been described as 'Bridget Jones meets Lord of the Rings' so his writing has definitely influenced me. I was a teenager when the films came out and remember reading the books for the first time - the vivid sense of this other world and the journey through it with this cast of intriguing characters was so amazing and gave me a sense of just how epic a fantasy world can be. I reference his books quite a bit too - you can find the mead halls of Rohan discussed in one of them! One big difference between Tolkein's writing and mine is that his humour was more subtle whereas my writing is much more irreverent.

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

I'm really enjoying seeing more representation in the fantasy genre as a whole and urban fantasy in particular. I always try to have a diverse set of characters, and it's something I try to work on. I'm reading Legendborn at the moment and enjoying the new take on Arthurian legends and that it doesn't shy away from issues around race. I want to read more books like this.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

[answered in 5]

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I'm a little bored of the chosen one trope, I much prefer it when a hero learns and grows into their power. The accidental or reluctant hero is much more interesting to me. Another thing that I don't enjoy reading so much is the young hero who is an expert in their craft or a master assassin by the time they're sixteen. When I was a teenager, I was a mess - not a hot mess, just a mess -  and even now I don't think I'd say I was the top of my field in anything, unless you count eating chocolate! 

Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?

Nope

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

You can find me at my website www.gemmaclatworthy.com where you can also join my mailing list and get some free stories (you can unsubscribe straight away, I don't mind!)

You can also find me on most of the socials if you want to hang out and chat books and I'd really appreciate some follows on Amazon or Bookbub if you can!

The Socials:
Fb page: www.facebook.com/gemmaclatworthy
Book Wyrm Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/227215732518863
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gclatworthy_author
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gemmaclatworthy
Patreon: www.pateron.com/G_Clatworthy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-G-Clatworthy/s...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21719551.G_Clatworthy
Website (where you can join my awesome newsletter!): www.gemmaclatworthy.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gemma-clatworthy

Gemma, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your thoughts and experiences on Post-Tolkien and Post-Middle Ages influence!