H.G. Parry lives in a book-infested flat on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand, which she shares with her sister, a cat, three guinea-pigs, and two overactive rabbits. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington and has taught English, film, and media studies. Her new novel is A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians, and she recently agreed to talk about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians?
It really just grew out of reading a lot of biographies of people from the late eighteenth century and growing fascinated with them. Before that, I'd read a lot of literature from and about the period, but I don't think I'd ever really understood the scale of the social upheavals taking place—that dangerous and thrilling mix of new thought and new politics and revolution. Writing about those times with magic was a way of trying to understand them, and particularly the people involved.
Did you have a background in European history prior to beginning this novel, or did you have to do research prior to beginning? If you had to do research, how long did it take you to do the necessary research and then write A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians?
No, I didn't—I have a background in English literature, which does cross over quite a bit with English history, but I'm not a historian. I started writing the first draft of this book in 2014, and reading about the time period before that, so I've been researching on and off for a long time!
What was the most interesting or surprising thing that you learned during your research?
I am totally fascinated by tiny personal details about historical figures that probably nobody else finds very interesting—things like the fact that Robespierre bit his fingernails and had a dog called Brount, and Wilberforce proposed to his wife at Bath after eight days' acquaintance via a letter that wasn't really supposed to be sent, like he was in a rom-com.
Did you tailor the story you wanted to tell to what happened historically or did you take "liberties" with the history to tell the story you wanted to tell?
Definitely the former—the first version of this was almost straight history, and then each subsequent version layered in the magic more and more. I really wanted it to stay true to the shape of what happened historically, so that the magical elements were heightening the issues and personalities and not hiding them.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters, scenes, or events that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
It started life as a much quieter, smaller, stand-alone book that grew and spiraled into a two-volume epic, so a lot changed! What carried over from the first version was the friendship between Wilberforce and Pitt, which fascinated me from the start, and Fina, though her story grew in unexpected ways. The whole French Revolution plotline took place off-stage in the first draft, which seems bizarre to me now. This means there was a lot more added than lost, fortunately. There are still some bits of banter and conversations I miss, but there's always the second book!
What’s currently on your nightstand?
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel, and a gap waiting for The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison. And on my kindle, which is also on my nightstand, I have electronic ARCs of The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart and The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Oh, so many. Some of them: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Ella Enchanted, The Juniper Game, The Fox Cub Bold, anything by Dick King Smith, and anything with a horse on the cover.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
I was far too well-behaved to hide any book from my parents, but I might not have told them about everything in The Time-Traveller’s Wife…
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
The real answer is probably “no,” to be honest! Off the top of my head: J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Sherryl Jordan, Rosemary Sutcliff, Peter S. Beagle. But this changes every day.
What is a book you've faked reading?
I made a very solemn pledge to myself when I first started teaching at university that I would never fake reading a book I hadn't read, and I've pretty much kept it—but I might have pretended to have read more of James Joyce's Ulysses than I actually had.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. Zero regrets.
Is there a book that changed your life?
The Lord of the Rings, honestly. It got me through high school; it was the reason I went to university in Wellington, the reason I studied Old English, the subject of my MA, and despite all the ways my readings habits broadened and changed it's still the reason I write about half of what I do.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
Watership Down by Richard Adams. I based my Ph.D. around it, I've lectured on it, I've read it many, many times, and I still keep finding new ways to love it.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. The first time I read it, I was just astonished by how perfect it was. It's still perfect, but I know I'll never be astonished by it in quite the same way again.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
I'm pretty sure had this in August 2015, when I was in London on my way back from a children's literature conference. It was glorious and sunny, and I took a train out to explore an amazing castle by the sea, got lost getting there and found a roadside fruit and vegetable market, met a baby fox playing the gardens, got back in time to browse bookshops and see John Simm and Mark Gatiss do a play at the National Theatre, and ate ice cream at midnight on the way home. So I'd do that again, but bring my sister along next time!
What is the question that you're always hoping you'll be asked, but never have been? What is your answer?
Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester? And the answer is yes. (The real answer is Mr. Darcy.)
What are you working on now?
I’ve just started editing Declaration’s sequel, so I’ll be working on that for a few weeks! I’m also drafting a few more projects—one of them is a Dickens retelling, one of them is a children’s book—that I would love to see out in the world one day.
