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Balefire Interview
This is a short interview I did with Cate Tiernan in June 2005. It's all about Balefire (and some Sweep stuff added in). Anyway, enjoy!
- What was your inspiration for Balefire?
I was just thinking about interesting plot lines, things I would like to read myself. I think a lot of people like the twins-separated-at-birth idea. And I missed the magick and witches of Sweep and wanted to explore that more.
- Why did you decide to set the story in New Orleans, Louisiana?
I'm from New Orleans, but now live in North Carolina. But I really miss New Orleans, and this was a way to get me back there--in my mind, at least.
- Why write on the subject of twins?
Twins are inherently interesting. I'm not a twin, but to me the idea of identical twins feels like different aspects of one person--as if one person can push beyond ordinary boundaries because the "other one" is doing it. So looking at that in more depth is very interesting and fun to play with, as a writer. Like, if I could have a bolder, more reckless me, what would she be like?
- What made you decide on the names for the two main characters?
Clio is from Clio, the Greek muse of history. This is a story about the history of a group of people, hundreds of years of their stories. So I liked having one of the twins be the muse of history. The name Thais is also Greek and it means "the bond". These twins are bound together and bound also to the other people in their personal histories. So these names seemed really appropriate. Also, I think the names are pretty and sexy and fun to say.
- Will the series be close-ended or open-ended?
I actually don't know! Right now I'm contracted for only four books, but the way the plot is structured and set up, it's meant to go on past that. But just like with Sweep, it all depends on sales.
- In your opinion, how it this series different from Sweep?
In my mind, this is an "older," maybe more sophisticated plot and backstory. The characters are a bit older, and adult characters are much more significant. Sweep had the one major character, Morgan, and some strong secondary characters. Balefire has two main characters and a whole bunch of strong secondary characters. Plus, the whole history and backstory and basis of the series is entirely different from Sweep--based in French history as opposed to Irish/Scottish/English. Sweep was more grounded in Morgan's high school friendships, her circle of peers. Balefire steps outside that and deals with the twins interacting much more with the larger world.
- How is the "magic" in Balefire different from Sweep?
In some ways it's similar--the feeling of drawing magick from the world around you, being able to shoot energy at something or someone, ways that one might use magick to influence things or people. I also reference the "Threefold Law," and the eight sabbats of the Bonne Magie correspond to the eight Wiccan sabbats. These elements seem very universal to me, and I've seen them in any number of magick-based books.
But it's also different in that it's not so strongly tied to real Wicca--it doesn't have as much cultural or historical identity as the magick in Sweep did. In some ways it's looser, more open to interpretation. In Sweep I was being very faithful to and respectful of Wicca, which I loved. In Balefire I can be more flexible, which is also good.
- Do you feel Balefire shows more your full writing capability and/or creative vision?
Sweep was a great, great idea--a girl discovering she's a witch--and I had so much fun and creative satisfaction developing that whole world and all those characters. But of course, it's easier with only one editorial vision--mine--and of course it's more satisfying and gratifying to have so much more authorial freedom, in terms of the plots and characters, what I want to happen. But Sweep was a monthly series, and therefore had a different set of requirements, both practical and plotwise, than Balefire does, because Balefire is seasonal, and not a book a month.
- You've probably already know that some people have already compared Balefire to T'Witches--an intermediate-reader series about twin witches who were separated at birth. What is your opinion on this (if you have one)? Is it a fair comparison?
I've heard of T'Witches, but I haven't read any of them. I almost never read similar-genre books for this age range, precisely because I don't want to be influenced by anyone else, or be accused of ripping off someone else's ideas. So, given that I really don't know much about T'Witches besides what you just told me, I don't know if it's a fair comparison or not. I'm sure people will let me know! But twins and witches are both popular and universal topics, not unique to either Balefire nor T'Witches, and I'm sure each series will have its own distinctive voice, development, aspects.
- At first glance, Thais Allard predicament appears to echo Morgan's (both "ordinary girls" finding out they have a witchy legacy). Is this conclusion (from summaries that are issued out about the series) a premature judgment?
No, Thais's predicament does echo Morgan's--where they've lived this long without knowing anything about their magickal pasts. But their personal histories are very different; the reasons why they don't know are very different. And Thais has a twin, Clio, who was brought up as a witch and always knew about it, so that's different also. It's fun exploring both ideas. For myself, I love the idea of suddenly discovering something new and special and wonderful about yourself. It's what I hope most teens experience as they discover the adult within them--the adult that will eventually crowd out and replace the child they once were. In Sweep and Balefire, I use discovering magick as a metaphor for that self-discovery.
Closing thoughts from Cate Tiernan:
I hope people read it, I hope people like it as much as they liked Sweep. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and have fallen in love with these characters, the way I did with Sweep. There are a couple of characters who are making me crazy, and that's always fun and unexpected.
Last Modified: Thursday, 01/15/09
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