Shane Hegarty

Shane Hegarty

About Author

Shane Hegarty was the Arts Editor of the Irish Times but left to write full time in 2013 when he secured a publishing contract for Darkmouth with HarperCollins alongside record-breaking publishing deals in the US, Germany, Brazil and more.

He lives on the east coast of Ireland in a village not unlike Darkmouth. Only with no monsters. That he knows about.

Interview

DARKMOUTH: WORLDS EXPLODE

JULY 2015

HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN'S BOOKS


In the second Darkmouth adventure for children aged nine years plus, Finn has a lot resting on his young shoulders. He is a 'Legend Hunter', charged with stopping the monsters that occasionally emerge into his home town, Darkmouth, through gateways from the 'Infested Side'.

Darkmouth: Worlds Explode sees Finn setting out to rescue his father who has been lost on the Infested Side. But in doing so, is Finn also in danger of fulfilling a prophecy in which he is responsible for destroying the world of Legends, and ours....?

We speak to author Shane Hegarty about WORLDS EXPLODE, the second DARKMOUTH adventure.

 

Q: There is a lot happening in this story. Would you recommend that readers pick up the first book before starting to read Darkmouth: Worlds Explode?

A: I do understand the appeal of being able to jump into a series at any stage - I grew up on series like The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators, which do just that, but in the Darkmouth series it would be best if readers began with the first book.

A lot of the world is explained in book one and you need that background when you're reading books two and three. There will be three books in this storyline (there may be more Darkmouth books after that!) and they do follow on from one to the next.

I was also very keen to keep the things that are good about book one in the subsequent books, so in book two you will still see the same characters from book one and it has the same tone and spark of humour; it doesn't get dark. If you liked the first book, I think you will also like the second one.


Q: What do you enjoy about writing the Darkmouth books?

A: I like the raw elements that come together to make the story. I like the jokes and the silliness and the unusual characters, the peril and the dark and lighter moments. I think the challenge is to keep the same voice in all the books, and I hope I'm managing to do that. I also really enjoy chatting to readers and hearing the things they've enjoyed about it.


Q: Can you tell us more about the setting of Darkmouth?

A: Darkmouth is a variation of the town I live in, Skerries, and others I've visited on the east coast of Ireland. I basically come to my office and live in Darkmouth from 9am to 5pm while I'm writing every day. It's nice to have the map of the town in the book because I can look at it and wonder, 'what's going on in that house there, or that one over there', so the detail provided by the illustration has been really important.

Darkmouth feels quite familiar but I like to take things that are familiar and to give them a bit of a twist. In book three, for example, there's an icecream shop and the flake on the giant plastic cone outside the shop turns out to be a lever that takes you off to a different place. I like to take things that are everyday, normal, and make them different, surreal or silly - but still useful to the plot.


Q: The town of Darkmouth is periodically invaded by mythical creatures. How did you come up with your array of 'Legends' in these stories?

A: I loved finding out about legends when I was a kid; I loved how they could be really scary or completely ridiculous and it was nice to be able to decide if mine were going to be scary or heroic or tragic.

Take the Hydra, for example, with all those heads - what happens if those heads don't get on with each other? We'll be meeting a Hydra in the third book. In Worlds Explode, we meet the Orthrus which has a dog's body and the tail of a snake, and in my version the snake really feels stuck with the dog and wants but also doesn't want to be there. It's tragic, or potentially heroic.

The Legends in Darkmouth are all based on existing legends, some of which are familiar like the Minotaur while others come from different parts of the world. For example, there's a Hogboon in the story, which come from Scottish myths. My Hogboon is called Boonie and he's one of my readers' favourite characters and I have lots of fun with him. He's one of those characters that you can do lots of awful things to!


Q: You also introduce the Shapeshifter into this story, why was he important?

A: There are stories about Shapeshifters in almost every culture. Shapeshifters have this ability to appear as something else. In this story, the Shapeshifter becomes Finn and he gives Finn an opportunity to see what he really looks like. Finn is not very confident and he when he sees 'himself', he realises he doesn't look fearsome or strong - he doesn't even fit into his Legend Hunter uniform very well - and yet here he is in this world where he's not likely to survive for very much longer...


Q: In Worlds Explode, you take us to the 'Infested Side' where the 'Legends' live; how did you develop this alternate world?

A: I envisaged somewhere that looked like it was completely run down, where all the colour has gone from it. In our human world, we have all the fresh air, the colour, and everything is good. On the other side, by contrast, everything is run down - it is as if part of our world has been cut adrift and left to run down. There are hints that there was once colour in this world but something happened long ago that made the landscape wither and die.

The Infested Side had to be somewhere that the Legends want to escape from; they have to feel a grievance of why they are there. I may explore that in a future book; the divisions between the two worlds and the consequences of that.


Q: Whereabouts wouldn't you want to end up on the Infested Side?

A: I think I'd really want to avoid Gantrua's throne room; that wouldn't be a good place to be, especially if he was in a bad mood. In the second book, Finn ends up in some pretty bad places at some pretty awful times, but in book three it gets worse and I have him sitting on the back of a Hydra. That's quite a terrible place to end up....


Q: Finn is the last in a long line of 'Legend Hunters'. Can you tell us how you use this inherited career to drive his relationship with his dad?

A: The relationship between Finn and his father is so important to these books. His father, while well-meaning, is also pushy and he doesn't hear Finn saying 'I don't want to do this'. It's an exaggeration of the kind of things you hear on the sidelines of rugby pitches; kids saying 'I don't want to play', the adult saying, 'all the other kids and dads are here; don't let me down...'

I think as a father it's something I recognise in myself when I tell my kids, 'I did it, so can you - and anyway it's good for you...'

I also like exploring the idea of skills being handed down from one generation to another - and leaving their own expectations and demands - and what you do when the father who should be there to teach you those skills isn't around?


Q: Can you tell us a bit more about book three, which will tie up this trilogy?

A: Book three will publish in February 2016. In the second book we focus on the Infested side but in book three, the two worlds come together more in an epic way. There's lots more going on and if Finn hopes to get away from the life of a Legend Hunter - well, it's not going to happen in this story!


Q: The books are very fast-paced and adventure-driven and written in a punchy style. Have you found that they appeal to readers who might not usually enjoy reading?

A: I wasn't conscious about how I wrote the books, as a journalist I use quite a punchy style, but I have been pleased to hear from children who might not be big readers normally but who have enjoyed these books. I've also had cases of dyslexic readers who have really enjoyed Darkmouth, which is great. I think the illustrations by James de la Rue and the print size in the book help here.


Q: Can we expect to see a film of the book anytime soon?

A: The film rights have been sold and I'm waiting to hear what might happen, so I'm trying not to think about it too much. I've had such a brilliant time with the book, writing it and meeting the readers, that I've really enjoyed the experience so far.

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