Interviews - Storm Constantine

Storm Constantine has written over 20 books, numerous shorts and a host of other work including poetry and historical studies. She is both author and scholar and took the time to enlighten us about herself, her work and her life.

2HC:Name, occupation and favourite ancient city please.

SC: Storm Constantine, writer, Thebes

2HC: OK, I have to ask... why Thebes? What about it makes it more of a favourite than say... Sumer?

SC: Ok, it was actually the first one that came into my head! How about that for deepness of meaning? Seriously, I would love to be able to visit ancient cultures and see how they smelled, tasted and sounded. What were the people really like? Egypt has always fascinated me.

2HC: A lot of your work encompasses the theme of duality and frequently reflect a gothic/magical sensibility, what draws you to these various foci so heavily?

SC: It's very difficult to pinpoint exactly what draws me to these things, because I've always been interested in them, ever since I was very young. I guess it's in my blood. I was very imaginative as a child, and was always making up fantasy worlds and playing in them. Luckily, I had a couple of friends who were similar, so we'd constantly add to these worlds, making little illustrated books about them. I was always into the supernatural, even though it used to scare me. My father is quite psychic, and has 'seen things' all his life, so I think I must have inherited a bit of that.

2HC: Are there then any themes and topics you want to address but have yet to find the right outlet for?

SC: There are a few things I'd like to do, but haven't yet had the time. One thing that draws me is to do a satirical, probably quite bitchy, novel in the mainstream about the New Age movement and all its attendant therapies and practices. I learned Reiki a few years ago, and became a Reiki Master in 2000. I was astounded by a phenomenon known as the Reiki Wars, which is basically a cat fight for territory, kudos and publicity by warring factions within the New Age healing community. These people are supposed to be gentle, enlightened healers? What was all this about law suits, trademarks, etc? Also, as a practicing witch (for want of a better word) for many years, I'm amazed at modern Paganism and how territorial and bitchy that is too. In all instances, it's a case of 'I have the truth! Mine is the way!' Amusing. It is food for fiction, though, and something I would relish getting my teeth into!

2HC: History also seems to attract you within your works often, and you invest it with it's own magic. Is there something about historical settings that you just find more interesting than "modern" settings?

SC: In a word, yes, although you have to bear in mind that modern interpretations of historical periods are inevitably coloured by a romantic rather than realistic view! We can read as many history books as we like, but I think that when we write about the past, we are really writing fantasy. We never lived then, we can never fully understand the mind set of those who did, so we make it up. Fantasy is escapism, and historical fiction often falls into the same category. We all have an ideal world we'd like to live in and fiction can provide this, for the short time you're immersed in a book.

2HC: Would you then say that any Historical writing is, in a sense, fantasy even down to history books and the like?

SC: To a degree, yes. All you can get is interpretation of history, which is prone to fallibility, not true history. Perception is a fluid, unreliable thing, even if you've witnessed an event, so if you're going by historical reports, it could have been changed, or influenced by personal or political opinion, many times.

2HC: The first books you had published were the Wraeththu books. Since then you have seen many of your works get printed, and yet the Wraeththu trilogy still seems to stick heavily in the minds of your fans. Why do you think so many people relate so strongly to that trilogy?

SC: I think it's because I poured a lot of myself into those books; they came straight from the heart. Looking back, you can see that the first one, Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit, was actually rather badly written! Recently, I lent the trilogy to a friend of mine who'd never read it, and warned her about the quality of the writing in book one, but afterwards she said that it didn't matter, that the world of the story drew her in. So perhaps a riveting story isn't just about style and competence! I've striven hard to learn my craft, but the Wraeththu books were written from a kind of innocent perspective. I didn't know about rules and narrative structure: I just wrote. I'm now writing a new Wraeththu trilogy, and it's a much harder task than the original one was. Now, I'm thinking about all those rules of writing, rhythm and pace, and all the rest of it. Knowledge can sometimes be a restricting thing!

2HC: How have publishers, both in the U.S. and England, helped and hindered your career so far?

SC: Initially, it took a lot for me to 'break through' in the States. TOR bought the original Wraeththu trilogy at the end of the 80s, and it has remained in print for over ten years. But despite this, for some years they were reluctant to take more of my stuff. Happily, that has now changed. TOR have been immensely supportive, and so have the smaller American presses, Meisha Merlin and Stark House, who have brought out my back catalogue. I get far more support in the States than I do in the UK. At the moment, I don't have an English publisher, because none of them wanted to do more Wraeththu books. I had a choice: either submit new synopses to them on other themes or stick to my guns. Then TOR came to my agent with an offer, so Fate made the choice for me. Both my loyal readers and myself want more Wraeththu, so that's what I'm doing! My editor at TOR is really behind the idea too, as she bought the original trilogy. I'm really disenchanted with UK publishers at the moment, as you can imagine. I've been writing professionally for fifteen years, and have a loyal following. This apparently means nothing to publishers. They must just want the next fad, the next quick fix. It's easier to hype a new name, even if that name might subsequently sink into insignificance. Books are seen only as product, like cans of beans, and they now have the shelf life in stores of a magazine. Writers are expendable, and there's so many hopeful newcomers banging on publishers' doors that they don't have to treat you with any respect - unless you're J K Rowling, of course, in which case they feed you on caviar and throw down the red carpet, but she's a rare phenomenon, who had an immensely lucky break. I'm not the only UK writer with problems. Quite a few of us are pretty jaded with the industry over here. It's not about quality any more, nor slowly and steadily building up a career. In the face of that, the only thing that keeps me going is the support of readers. So, a big thank you to any who are reading this.

2HC: Speaking of both the U.S. and England, do you see a difference in your fans from either country?

SC: Not really. I've been lucky enough to have great support from fans all over the place.

2HC: In what ways has that fan support been instrumental in your career?

SC: Well, as I said above, it's kept me going during dark days and lean years. Sometimes, because of the faceless and grinding nature of the industry, it's easy to lose heart and give up. I've heard of many writers who've done just that, because they were so sick of the way things were. On the other hand, the industry had to change and become more competitive, otherwise it might have died completely in the modern world of commerce. So, a necessary evil, perhaps. Fans remind you why you're really doing what you do: a love of words, fantastical worlds and surreal dreams. When someone writes to you and says you hit the spot for them, you remember you're not just churning out product for men in suits.

2HC: What drove you to write in the first place?

SC: It wasn't a case of being driven, as I've always written, ever since childhood. It's just something I've always done. A desire to get out of the nine-to-five rut of day jobs probably drove me to be more disciplined and get material sent off to publishers, but even if I'd never been published, I'd still be doing it for myself.

2HC: When did you start submitting and how hard was it to break in in the first place?

SC: Once I reached 25, I realised that it was a quick step to 30, and panic set in. I was in a foul day job, watching the clock every day, literally wishing my life away. So I had to do something to escape that trap, and this was the motivation to actually finish a novel and send it off to a publisher. I was really scared of doing so, because up until then, my writing had been so personal. I'd never showed it to anyone. But I was determined to make a career out of it, and this determination eventually paid off. I was lucky enough to meet a sales representative who worked for Macdonald Futura, and he helped me find an editor. It was a very lucky break, but once I'd got my foot in the door, it wasn't thrown wide, nor did I ever tread on a red carpet! Since then, it's been a hard slog to build up my readership. Like so many other writers, I've never had massive publicity or promotion. Half the time the distribution of my books has been risible too, and I could decorate a house with the letters I used to get from fans complaining how they couldn't get hold of my novels. For a long time, my information service used to have to buy lots of copies of new books, just so that we could get them to those who wanted to read them! Now, thanks to Internet booksellers like amazon.co.uk and amazon.com, this isn't as necessary. Most of my relative success is down to word of mouth between readers. The Internet has helped a lot in other ways too, because it had made me, as a writer, more accessible to my readers, and this helps generate interest.

2HC: Was it something you ever questioned in yourself? Did you resist the urge ever or jump right into it as soon as you got the itch?

SC: I've never questioned the desire to write. It's a gift, so how can I question it? Neither have I ever resisted the urge to get working when it arises. See answer to next question!

2HC: How do you find your way past a block (when it happens?)?

SC: Block is a strange thing, and manifests differently for every author I'm sure. With me, it's when the 'voice' disappears, the certain mood of a book, and everything I write seems at the level of 'Jack throws the ball. The dog catches the ball. Where is the dog?' Every sentence is like pulling out my own teeth. The flow just isn't there. And yet other times, when it is there, I think to myself, 'how can I ever find this difficult?' It's a bizarre circumstance. As to what causes the presence or absence of this 'voice' I don't know. It's not related to mood or health, as far as I can see. It's a thing on its own - what you'd call my muse, I suppose. Last time it happened, an Australian fan of mine, with whom I correspond quite regularly, said that my muse must be getting drunk down the pub with hers and that we should go and drag them out! Block happens to just about every writer. The only way to deal with it is to work through it - even if that means painfully forcing myself to produce a paragraph or half a page a day. One day, I go to the computer and the muse is back, and when it is I work like fury, because I know there will come a day when I sit down to write and - nothing!

2HC: Where do you go from here? What future projects do you have lined up for yourself (both literary and ... well ... whatever else you have going that you can talk about)?

SC: I'm working on the new Wraeththu trilogy, which will take up the next three years or so of my fiction-writing life, but I'm also working on non-fiction projects with a friend, writer and historian Graham Phillips. Graham virtually invented psychic questing in the 80s, and after years of writing 'serious' historical books, wants to get back into the weird stuff a little. We've got a book called 'Egyptian Birth Signs' coming out through Thorsons in the UK in Feb 2002, which is based on research Graham picked up while he was working on 'Act of God', a book about the pharaoh Akhenaten. We've also got other ideas in the pipeline, which we'll be submitting to publishers next year. As well as that, I co-run an Iseum with Eloise Coquio, which is a magical group affiliated to the Fellowship of Isis. Lou and I are now writing training courses on magical subjects. We also train people in Reiki, which is a kind of hands-on healing. So, all in all, I'm very busy.

2HC: Could you tell us more about both Iseum and Reiki?

SC: As I said earlier, I've been into occultism or magic for most of my life. I originally trained in a Wiccan coven, then hived off to set up groups of my own with like-minded friends. We didn't like the hierarchical nature of Wicca; it reminded us too much of Christianity. Over the years, a core group emerged, which included Eloise and myself. Lou and I wrote a book called 'Bast and Sekhmet: Eyes of Ra' (Robert Hale, 1999), which was about our work in Egyptian magic with the feline and leonine goddesses. Soon after that, Caroline Wise from the Fellowship of Isis suggested it might be a good idea for us to join the organisation. The only brief the Fellowship has is that no member group should be into racism or sacrifice, and should promote the feminine aspect of the divine, which was fine by us. Other than that, the organisation has no influence over how member groups practice. Quite recently, Lou and I decided we'd like to start teaching others, because it was plain to us there is a great need for it. We investigated the Internet pagan chat rooms and came across lots of people who complained that they'd read all the books, but wanted experience with others. So we started the training courses, with no nonsense and no dogma. We are into self-evolution rather than religion and see Paganism, not as a crutch to replace organised religions that have fallen out of favour or fashion, but a tool for self-empowerment. We run a beginners and advanced in basic witchcraft, and will also be running a course based on our Egyptian work next year. It's taken a lot of hard work - more than we thought it would!
As for Reiki, I got into it because a friend of mine, Paul Weston, suggested it. He is a Reiki Master, and has trained in many other healing modalities, and is also an experienced occultist, having worked with Andy Collins (author of 'The Black Alchemist' and 'From the Ashes of Angels' among others) for many years. Paul said that he thought Reiki was useful for those who did a lot of magical work and meditation, because it helps ground you. I knew it was a healing energy, but not much else. I just thought it was some 'eastern thing' that Paul was into. For some time, I didn't bother taking him up on his offer of First Degree Reiki, but then I hit a familiar hideous patch with work, and went down to Glastonbury to get Reiki off Paul, thinking it might stop me feeling so 'down'. I was actually amazed by the experience. I took First and Second Degree over a long weekend, and by the Monday, I was so spaced, I could hear the grass grow! I could feel this 'stuff' coming out of my hands, and had never felt anything like that before. I went to Glastonbury a rahter jaded sceptic and came away surprised and excited. That excitement and surprise has never faded. It was weird enough being able to heal people, and for them to feel this strange energy coming out of me. It was even weirder once I became a Master and I learned how to pass on the ability to channel Reiki to others. But the weirdest of all was when I 'made' my first Reiki Master and they began to pass the ability to channel Reiki on to others too. I still can't believe it works. A strange and wondrous thing! Lou was one of my first Master students and we teach it together now, as part of the Iseum. Our teaching is probably not quite the fluffy New Age way that most people want, so we prefer to take students who are into the same things we are. Weirdly enough, when I was rewriting the first book of Wraeththu recently, I noticed that the Wraeththu use a very similar technique to Reiki, but I'd never heard of it when I first wrote the book.

2HC: Do you have any cats? Names and occupations please.

SC: Any cats? I have nine. Tubbsy is the oldest (he was named after a character in Miami Vice, which just shows how old!) and at 17 is still spry. Pashtarina is my 'special' cat, a brute of a lady, if you like and one of the boss cats. The other 'boss' is Ishti, a very small black cat who has a will of iron. We also own the most expensive cat in the world, Sammael: expensive because he's so accident prone. The last episode, when he nearly lost a leg, cost us around £1000 in vet's bills! He made a full recovery though, so it was worth it. Uriel, a sleek gingery beastie, is the rat-killer, or rather rat-releaser, as he catches the damn things, then lets them go in the house, which causes much hilarity and hysteria. Cleo is a monstrous black Persian. Tara Lovebeast is a beautiful little white cat, with the sweetest personality. Grommit is my husband Jim's 'special' cat, a brindled tabby who likes to drool in your hair in bed. And finally, Tabitha is a fierce little tabby spitfire, who loathes all other cats but loves humans. That about covers it!

2HC: Any final words for us? Rant as much and as long as you like, promote yourself, whatever comes to mind.

SC: All I'd like to say is that I'm really excited to be working in the world of Wraeththu again. It's grown so much since I first visited it and there's so much more to say about it. The first book of the new trilogy will be out in 2003. An artist friend of mine, Ruby, is currently working on a Wraeththu Tarot, which is superb. We hope to find a publisher for it, so it can come out at the same time as the first book of the trilogy. People can view some sample cards of this at: http://www.rubysasylum.co.uk/Tarot.htm

As the woman said, she has a great website up at http://www.stormconstantine.com where you can find all sorts of information on her works and what she's up to. It also has a message board filled with her fans, all ready to educate and enlighten as well. Look, she writes great books and has nine cats. NINE! That's like ... four and a half two headed ones. Go find some of her stuff and explore her worlds, they aren't as far as you might think.