It's a talkative crowd at the Ngaio Marsh Theatre on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday where an audience of almost all women, most of whom are under 40 have gathered to hear from author, Callie Hart. If the audience is not your typical literary event crowd (which tends to skew older) then that's because this is not your typical author talk. Though WORD Christchurch's events have become more and more diverse over the years, it's still rare to have an event featuring a Romantasy author despite the fact that romance readers are keeping the lights on in bookstores throughout the western world. Furthermore, though Hart has a number of books (and series) to her name, it was the enthusiastic readers of Booktok (the book-obsessed corner of social media platform, TikTok) not literary events or book industry buzz that sent sales of her faerie smut romantasy, Quicksilver, into the stratosphere last year. When I chat with one of my fellow audience members (Hi, Rachel!) after this event she confesses that she would have made the trip to Auckland to see Hart there if she hadn't booked a Christchurch appearance. This is an audience of fans.
Another way this event differs from others I've been to is that there will be no signing table after the event - a stack of paperback copies of Quicksilver have been pre-signed, but additionally the Q&A section of the event will take up half of the time. Usually punters at this kind of event get 10-15 minutes to ask questions at the end of a session but in this case, probably because of the lack of opportunity for one-on-one time afterward, they're getting a generous 45 minutes.
The chat for the first half of the event will be steered by local fantasy author, Rachael Craw and she and Hart emerge onto the stage both dressed in different shades of green. So far, so faerie. Craw is clearly a fan of Hart's work and the rapport between the two is amiable and humorous throughout. After asking about Hart's recent travel, Craw confesses that she hopes that this Ōtautahi event, being the last in Hart's whistlestop Aus/NZ tour, might find her so exhausted she'll let slip some information she shouldn't and "spill the beans". Hart's confident response? "Try me!"
Challenge issued!
Hart was born and raised in Britain but now lives in California, so when she speaks to answer questions her accent is an intriguing mix of American along with occasional vowels that definitely originated elsewhere. She has a collection of large silver rings on her fingers that catch the light as she gestures and talks. She has, if it weren't already apparent from the comedic elements in her books, a sharp sense of humour.
"Stubborn" protagonist, Saeris Fane
Craw wants to know about the character of Saeris Fane, the main protagonist who, as the book opens, is scrabbling to survive in a very inhospitable environment in the desert city of Zilvaren which Hart describes as a "hellscape". Hart says that Saeris is "a strong, resilient, fierce young woman who isn't afraid to do what needs to be done to take care of the people she cares about". This includes a younger "idiotic brother who is too stupid to live". This description gets some sounds of appreciation from the audience. Maybe Saeris isn't the only one with a dufus brother...
But Saeris's circumstances change significantly when she's taken through a portal by a faerie named Kingfisher to the snowy fae kingdom of Yvelia which Hart confirms isn't a parallel dimension (it's a different planet) and which she specifically designed to be the polar opposite to Saeris's home. Even so, with the hard life that Saeris has had in Zilvaren "she's already armed to survive in that world" (though as the book progresses there's plenty more peril and those skills are put to the test, including some interesting powers she's been doing her best to ignore).
Craw asks more about Saeris's character arc. Can Hart talk about her vices and virtues, or her strengths and weaknesses? Hart describes Saeris as "very stubborn" and this is both a strength and a weakness, saying:
"I think that all of her character traits are a double-edged sword... She's also loyal, keeps her word, she cares for the people around her... She stands up when something is wrong... she's hot-headed... I tried to make her as multi-layered as possible... "
Kingfisher, hot but burdened
Regarding the main male character in the book, Kingfisher, Saeris's need to keep him at a distance is part of her defensive, survival instinct, but also, as Hart reminds us "he was a mean, vile, a**hole for a long time".
Speaking of Kingfisher, Craw reads a couple of descriptions from the book; his first entrance and a later passage describing his features, at which point Craw goes full fan-mode "Description of the jaw, guys... He's hot, guys. He's hot. He's really, really, really hot".
He is. He's a big tall hot faerie guy. We're all in agreement.
But he's also a mystery and a man of secrets. Hart says that Quicksilver is the first time in 43 books that she didn't include a male POV because the "enemies to lovers" storyline wouldn't work so well if you were privy to his thoughts, not to mention all those tantalising secrets needing to remain secrets throughout most of the book. Hart revealed, to excited gasps from the audience, that Quicksilver's sequel, Brimstone, will have chapters from Kingfisher's perspective and that it's about 50/50, "you're in his head, for better or worse..." Hart says before sharing that's she's "very nervous" about how the second book will be received,
"Oh my God. I hope they [the readers] don't find out where I live."
Kingfisher will continue to have secrets even to the end of book two "he's still not telling you everything" but that it's also an opportunity to peel back the layers of his character.
When Craw asks about Kingfisher's character and what he needs to learn Hart says he needs to be less self-sacrificing, that he doesn't have to bear the burden for everything and everyone, "it's fundamentally who he is at his core". He sees Saeris and his relationship with her as a weakness, a chink in his armour, "loving her makes him weak". But sometimes he doesn't know how to express that very well. Upon hearing that Saeris had a forced sterilisation he goes into "complete shutdown" about it. He has strong feelings about it but he's not really able to engage with that, at least in the moment.
Rachael Craw: I love him!
Callie Hart: Me too!
Building the world of Quicksilver
Having got the universal love for Kingfisher out of the way, Craw leans into some more writerly questions, wanting to know about the worldbuilding of the novel, the magic system, the role of the element Quicksilver - anything and everything.
Hart says that "Kingfisher came first..." and everybody gets on board with the unintentional double entendre and the Ngaio Marsh Theatre rings with the sound of feminine, smut-induced laughter. Craw points out that surely he is a "lady's first" man, and again the audience is amused.
But in all seriousness, Hart says that "everything kind of formed around him" but she knew she wanted to include alchemy because it was something that she was interested in and had researched for a long time. She knew she wanted to have a portal in the story and magic + alchemy seemed to lead naturally to quicksilver/mercury.
Hart's quicksilver has a sort of sentience, and she wanted the nature of the element to be ambiguous - sometimes it helps, sometimes it hinders, sometimes it's laughing at a dumb joke, sometimes it's torturing Kingfisher (who has some of the element in his body).
"Quicksilver," says Hart "is a literal mirror". It's Kingfisher's weakness but also Saeris's strength. But it also might be Kingfisher's strength... Hart confirms that the magic system will be expanded on in books two and three.
About the magical creatures that populate the books, Hart says that she obviously drew on existing lore about the fae, and creatures like sprites. But also... "Ta da... Vampires!"
She's a great fan of Lord of the Rings and admits "there are many tips of the cap to Lord of the Rings, for sure" - there's an ent-like tree character, Kingfisher's horse is named "Bill", and some of the names of characters draw on Tolkien's phonetics.
Asked about her favourite of "the baddies" in the novel, Hart jokingly says, "frigging Hayden... that guy" (the idiot brother mentioned earlier) before saying she despises Malcolm and calls Belicon, Kingfisher's stepfather and all-round terrible person, "a total dick".
Brimstone, aka Book Two
Book two will definitely reveal more about Malcolm's world and the hierarchy thereof but Hart trails of with, "I can't say any more on the matter... secrets..." before saying "Everybody dies. Yeah, sorry..." But what she will say about Brimstone (aka book two) is that the book is "all gas, no brakes", though it was definitely harder to write. Partly this is because in book one the romance is being established and in book two it's harder as you move into more of a "are we a thing?" storyline and that kind of thing can fall flat but she's worked really hard on that to make sure it doesn't, "we've got a lot of spice - we didn't skimp on that, so hopefully you guys will be happy" (murmurs of spice-loving appreciation could be heard in the audience).
We'll also learn more about sometime romantic interest and comic foil, Carrion Swift, a man who is "fun and ridiculous in the best way".
When Craw asks about fae side character, Renfis, Hart (who is clearly in a playful mood) says "Renfis dies..." to which Craw replies, "that is NOT okay to joke about".
The writing process
Asked about how Hart plotted Quicksilver Hart admits that she has "historically been a pantser" meaning someone who doesn't have the whole plot of the story planned out ahead and that Quicksilver was her first time "plotting" a book. This was necessitated by how long and complicated it was. In terms of her writing discipline, she likes to write early in the day "before the world wakes up" but that this is getting harder as she juggles commitments in different timezones.
She was able to write half of Brimstone while on the road but book three is proving much harder as she has more responsibilities (this includes as an executive producer on the Netflix film adaptation of Quicksilver) and she's "looking forward to being at home and writing... Between now and the end of the year it's all book three, baby!"
Q & A
The second half of the session was for audience questions and everyone was politely asked not to tell a story and to "keep it friendly" and "Callie gets to pass on anything that does not bring her joy".
How many books we talking?
Hart is contracted for three books but would like to write three more about different characters.
When people look back at this book in 50 years what symbolism will they see in it?
"I just love your optimism..." says Hart, who thinks maybe at that point, "AI has totally destroyed mankind" before telling us what we all know - that Quicksilver is "just a romp". It's entertainment. It's not a classic of literature like War and Peace which has actual deeper meaning, "that's not the case here, guys - we're just getting laid". I may have whispered a quiet "preach, sister" to this very honest and straightforward description.
It's alluded to, in the book, that names have power. Is "Kingfisher" his real name?
"It's, 'Bob', guys..."
Hart then points out that it's mentioned that everyone in Yvelia has a true name that is not shared and kept secret, before saying, "There's a reason for everything in the book... that's all I can say..."
MYSTERIOUS
The butterflies on the bookcover are blue as are the feathers of the bird, the kingfisher... that anything?
Just a nice coincidence.
Is it ever going to be safe to get a Kingfisher tattoo?
Tattoos in the world of Quicksilver aren't necessarily permanent but... if you want a Kingfisher tattoo just do it.
Do you base your male lead characters on anyone - a male muse maybe?
No. Hart tries specifically not to draw inspiration from real people because it's "awkward" but she is "a sucker for a tall, dark man". That said, for the cover of Quicksilver the idea was for a cross between Timothy Chalamet and Adam Driver.
Christchurch is the last stop on this tour. What is something you've liked her?
Hart admits she's had absolutely no free time to do anything but has travelled to New Zealand previously, loves us, thinks it's beautiful, we're very welcoming, loves seeing Māori culture. All the stuff you're supposed to say about us as a visiting foreigner.
Also, she would like to frolick in a field of flowers.
Does the character Carrion Swift get a love story?
"So many love stories - he's a very generous man...".
Ultimately the answer comes out as "I can neither confirm nor deny..."
What kind of voice does the quicksilver have? Thinking about how it will be portrayed in the movie
Hart liked the multilayered voices used in the audiobook. It's not male or female so maybe someone like... Tilda Swinton?
Why did you go with a forge-based magic system?
Hart liked the idea of Saeris being able to do something that would traditionally be done by a man. She did a lot of research on sword-making and metalwork.
What's your biggest inspiration in terms of writing?
"The burning desire to get the words out of my head before they destroy me."
Is there a Quicksilver playlist?
Only "a half-arsed one". She has a Spotify playlist of "hype music" that's mostly Trap and Drill cut that doesn't reflect the content of the book at all, it's just to get her energy up for the writing.
She is open to doing a playlist for some of the characters like Saeris, Kingfisher and Carrion.
Saeris underwent a sterilisation procedure when she was young but at the end of Quicksilver she undergoes a transformation so...
Hart confirms that Saeris's "biological makeup has completely changed".
Everyone in the audience infers the possibility of Kingfisher-Saeris offspring...
Where did the inspiration for the names of the characters come from?
From Gaelige, from Tolkien. Hart admits that coming up with character names is not her favourite part of writing a book and "that's why we ended up with 'Simon'".
Can you talk about the decision to make quicksilver sentient and the deal-making aspect of that "character"?
Deal-making is very common in faerie lore - faeries are tricksters. Hart thought it would be cool as quicksilver is a part of that realm but also it's a really good way of getting people in the story to do things that they don't want to.
What's your ideal casting for the movie?
"I can't tell you guys who it is because we're going to be talking to those people". Hart points out that Elizabeth Cantillon who worked on both Alien: Romulus and The Love Hypothesis is producing. Hart wants it to be a dark and gritty adaptation rather than something fluffy. She talks a bit more about the process of getting the book to the screen, citing the "glacial" pace that Hollywood moves at. She was nervous about making a movie with Netfilx, concerned at what might need to be cut, but they said "We're Netflix - we can make it as long as you want".
She confirms she has final say on script, something that an author would not usually get with a "studio" film.
Any favourite romantasy books you can recommend?
Hart reads slowly these days but has enjoyed the books in Joe Abercrombie's The First Law series, The Blade Itself and Before they are hanged.
Because she's currently writing in the romantasy genre she doesn't read other romantasy. When she moves into writing High Fantasy she'll avoid reading any of that which she'll miss because she loves it.
Did you consider making the movie adaptation animated?
No, "I wanna see physical actors (not doing that) acting on the screen".
Hart asks for a show of hands who we'd prefer to see in the role of Kingfisher: a known actor vs a new name. Very few people put their hands up for a known actor. Interesting.
"I don't know who it's gonna be."
Will you revisit some of your earlier (non-genre) stories?
She's not done with Alex and Silver (of the Raleigh Rebels series) and may revisit some dark romance characters from other books too.
UPDATE: Callie Hart felt bad that not everyone's questions got answered so there's now a form to fill out if you didn't get a chance at the mic, and she will try and answer them with WORD Christchurch forwarding these on. Amazing!
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