Today we are delighted to welcome author Genevieve Carver to My Book Corner to take part in our infamous Q&As!
1. What was it about Doggerland which fascinated you so much you went on to make the imaginary island of Dogga a major setting in this story?
I have spent a lot of my life in or near the North Sea and I think the idea of a lost land just below the surface is so intriguing. I was also inspired by similarities between ancient worlds like Meg and Kalø’s, and the world that young people live in today. Like in my story, today climate change is causing oceans to rise and weather to become more extreme and unpredictable. People are fighting hard for equality and inclusivity, but society is divided and many act with hatred and suspicion towards anybody seen as ‘other.’ But if you look back into the past, ideas about difference fall away and even the land itself is something that has moved and changed over time.
2. If you were a character in The Ocean and the Bones, would you imagine yourself as a descendent of the Water Ancestor or the Earth Ancestor?
I’m definitely part Water-Spirit!
3. Kalø’s Dyr is the seal, which creature would you choose to be your Dyr?
Like Kalø, I’d have a water Dyr. I think I’d choose a whale because I’m always on the move and I love music and song.
4. You have mentioned that the Evernight and the Spirits came from your own imagination. Can you tell us a bit more about what your inspiration for these were?
I loosely based Little Meg’s beliefs about the world on some of the ideas we might recognise from modern western culture, like going up into the sky after death. Kalø’s beliefs are more in line with indigenous concepts like being a part of nature, which we could learn a lot from in our society.
5. Is there a sequel to The Ocean and the Bones planned?
No, but I am writing a second book for the same age range which is also set in a prehistoric world – watch this space for stone circles and ancient riddles!
6. What one piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
Read, read, read! Don’t feel you have to read any particular style or genre, just find what you love and spend as much of your time inside those pages as you can.
Read the review of The Ocean and the Bones on My Book Corner here.
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