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We Are All Ghosts in the Forest
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"We Are All Ghosts in the Forest" Q&A with Lorraine Wilson
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My initial questions have to do with world-building.
1. How did you come up with the concept of digital ghosts and what the ghosts were capable of?
2. The main character seems to have a version of real magic which echoes a lot (for me) to wiccan. What factor lead to your design of the main character's abilities?
PS: I haven't fished the book yet, so I'll probably be back with more questions later.
Mod
This is a question from user s_sheppard18 over on our The StoryGraph version of the club:
"What was your inspiration for Orlando the cat? I just love him."
We will pass on your answer to the readalong there. :)
If anyone is interested, it can be found here:
https://app.thestorygraph.com/readalo...
Hi all, and thank you so much for picking Ghosts for your March read, and for having me on to chat. I'll be dipping in and out so please do feel free to ask me anything & I'll do my best to answer. :-)
Melanie wrote: "Hello! Thanks for joining us!!My initial questions have to do with world-building.
1. How did you come up with the concept of digital ghosts and what the ghosts were capable of?
2. The main char..."
Hi Melanie - thank you for these!
So, 1. Apologies in advance for mentioning the dreaded Global Panini, but the idea of digital ghosts came from watching my daughter navigate the loneliness of lockdown. She was in her first year at secondary (high) school, just at that point when kids are meant to be spreading their wings, and her life, her education, her friendships were all reduced overnight to pixels on a screen. I suspect my heartbreak at watching that then fed into thinking about the tracery of digital echoes of ourselves we all leave online now, and whether that's a healthy thing or not (I'm going with not!). I didn't plan the ghosts out, they just appeared on the page, but in retrospect I think that initial concept was me processing the impact of the lockdown on my daughter.
Once they'd appeared on the page though, I then spent some time thinking about how they would work, and how their presence would have impacted people, both in practical terms (the loss of computers & communications, the risk of fire and infection), and evolving superstitions around them (books being dangerous). I wanted the fears around them to be a mix of both actual definite danger and superstition, because that blend is how we respond to most unfamiliar things!
2. Yes! Katerina is, in my mind, a hedgewitch - she is capable of small herbal magics that are rooted in her a relationship with the earth, so the links to Wiccan are definitely there. That developed very organically in that I knew Katerina was an outsider in complex ways, and her abilities are an important part of that - although they connect her to her home, they also dislocate her from her community just slightly. I also have a forest that is altered into something a little *more* in this world, so the bounds of magic/reality were already a little blurred, and herbal magic felt very fitted to the themes of foresty folklore and human-nature connection.
I also just really love the tension within Katerina's character of being slightly cranky and cynical, but also being deeply emotionally connected to the world around her - it was a really fun voice to write!
Ines wrote: "Hello and welcome Lorraine, thank you for joining us!This is a question from user s_sheppard18 over on our The StoryGraph version of the club:
"What was your inspiration for Orlando the cat? I j..."
Thank you Ines for passing the question on, and for S_sheppart18 for the Orlando love!!
I have a small cat herd myself (3 rescued feral boys - Ginny, Lila and Lemony Snicket), so it was inevitable that I'd end up writing a cat into one of my books I suppose! And every self respecting witch (and author) needs a cat so the time was right! Orlando is the logical end point of all the metric mega-tonnes of cat videos that are on the cloud, I feel - surely we can't upload *that much cat content* and *not* end up with it developing its own sentience, right!?
I didn't plan this book much at all, so Orlando very much just walked in and made himself at home. Which is the way it should be.
Mod
My current question is: Did you have a Baba?
I'm only at 40%, so will be back with more. :)
Ines wrote: "Your first answer reminded me of the theory of the "internet graveyard" - that the internet in itself will soon be mainly a graveyard of dead people and forgotten content.My current question is: ..."
Hi Ines, oh crikey yes, the internet graveyard is such a haunting idea, and it's scarily real. Made even worse by ghoulish ideas like creating 'AI' chatbots of the dead (shudder)!
My Baba was my maternal grandmother - she wasn't a hedgewitch, but she did see ghosts! She started life in a workhouse, would you believe, and retired as the Matron of a teaching hospital, via nursing in a wartime military hospital and as a bush midwife in Zambia. She was a wonderful blend of prickly and no-nonsense; as well as deeply silly, daredevil and caring, and I consider myself very lucky to have had her in my life. I do see some of her voice in Katerina, if I'm honest, although that wasn't planned.
Hi Lorraine, thank you so much for joining us here. I have just finished Ghosts, and must tell you that as I closed the book for the last time I realised I was going to miss Katerina and Stefan and had thoroughly enjoyed my journey with them.Can I ask about the bees, in your mind have they always been able to talk to those sensitive enough to hear or is this an ability that became enhanced with digital ghosts like the forest and the wolves?
Katerina’s pockets were fascinating, almost a character in themselves, are they something you wish you had or just another element to Katya’s magical abilities.
Richard wrote: "Hi Lorraine, thank you so much for joining us here. I have just finished Ghosts, and must tell you that as I closed the book for the last time I realised I was going to miss Katerina and Stefan and..."Hi Richard, thank you so much for saying this - I'm so glad to hear Katerina & Stefan will linger a little!
The bees - this is a great question! I think it's a little of both to be honest. I think in this world, Katerina would always have been able to connect just a little more deeply with the bees than most people. But also it's to be expected that all the collective folklore around speaking to bees might have shaped the bees the way it has the wolves and the forest. So - yes it's the ghosts altering the bees, but also Katerina is just better at listening than most people!
And her pockets - lol. This one, I confess, came about simply because I wanted her to be able to pull random things from her pockets as needed, but I didn't want her jacket to get bulky and unwieldy. Or for her to be walking around clanking! So it needed to get a little bit magic, you know? And then because it was a little bit magic, it also got a little bit opinionated, which was fun!
I’m a professional singer and I teach singing and I loved how the Bees and other things hummed or sang in various keys or harmonies. Are you a musician?
DivaDiane wrote: "I’m a professional singer and I teach singing and I loved how the Bees and other things hummed or sang in various keys or harmonies. Are you a musician?"Oh thank you, it's lovely to hear that wee detail resonated with you! I wouldn't call myself a musician now, sadly, but I grew up in a very (folk) musical household & sang and played several instruments for a long time - mainly guitar, trumpet and clarsach, but also just anything else that was lying around!
Once a musician always a musician! That wonderful to hear.
Mod
Thank you soo much for visiting with us this month! It was such a pleasure to pick your brain.
I know you can't stay around forever, but some of us aren't quite finished reading your book and may have still questions if your willing to check back in one more time (say a week from now). If not, we appreaciate you making time for us at all.
Melanie wrote: "Lorraine, Thank you soo much for visiting with us this month! It was such a pleasure to pick your brain.
I know you can't stay around forever, but some of us aren't quite finished reading your b..."
Thank you for having me on! It's been lovely answering all your questions, and yes, of course - I'll check back in over the next wee while in case anyone has anything they'd still like to ask. :-)
Mod
-Why do you use single quotes instead of double quotes for dialog?
-All new chapters start on an odd numbered page which means you need to add several blank pages to make that happen. Is there purpose behind that decision?
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-You're a scientist, so why break into writing?
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Melanie wrote: "Random publishing questions:-Why do you use single quotes instead of double quotes for dialog?
-All new chapters start on an odd numbered page which means you need to add several blank pages to m..."
To be honest, I think the single versus double quotation marks thing is a UK/US divide? I draft with single quotation marks because I think they look cleaner and less cluttered than double, but what it ends up as in the book is a publisher house style choice.
The chapter spacing is another publisher house style thing. I think it's thought to be more readable in physical form to do that. But honestly, that sort of thing is entirely out of my hands. :-D
Melanie wrote: "Personal Question of which you can say none of my business without offense.-You're a scientist, so why break into writing?"
I don't mind answering this at all, it's something I've spoken about a few times. I left academia when I developed disabling illnesses that made carrying on in that field impossible. I took up writing initially just as something to occupy myself around my health & family, and fortunately landed on my feet in that it turned out to be something that I both love and am apparently able to pursue professionally (although that bit took a while!).
Melanie wrote: "Setting: Why choose a Slavic setting? Hedge witches are pretty universal in any culture."They are universal aren't they, in one form or another. Which is interesting in itself, honestly! But I chose the setting because I've worked in the mire forest mosaics of the northern & western Russian taiga, so that setting was already in my mind as this hugely evocative, strangely liminal water/forest boundary place. There's also something inherently powerful about the wider taiga forest itself - this vast expanse of forest that western Europe simply doesn't have any more. I wrote a book based in the (very different but still related) forests of Bulgaria where I've also lived, but that clearly didn't sufficiently sate my need to inhabit this kind of forest setting!
Stories for me generally start from a question and a setting falling into place with each other. In this case I had this northern taiga setting in my mind for a while, and when the questions around xenophobia and isolation and trust were starting to percolate in my mind, they seemed to just fit perfectly with that foresty borderland setting. I can't really explain it other than a 'Yes. That feels right.' You know?
Writing a setting I don't 'belong to' is always going to require more research & I hope I haven't committed any egregious errors against Estonian culture. But ye gods, I love that whole region so much and I hope that shows through if nothing else.
Mod
You book is a (to me) rather unique combination of elements, and I very much appreciate the Eastern European setting, so I wanted to ask about your general inspiration for the story and your starting point for writing it. But I think your last post answered this. :)
My second question is:
Most people in the readalongs noted that the book starts full of "vibes", and slower or more relaxed than other genre works. I found this to be a great way to illustrate how life slowed down after technology broke down. I am curious to know, was this a deliberate decision?
Again, thank you for doing this Q&A with us! A lot of elements in this story resonated with me, so I'm probably very much in your target group and will check out your other works!
Ines wrote: "Thank you so much for being with us and especially for your last answer to Melanie's question, because it answered the question I was about to ask. :D You book is a (to me) rather unique combinati..."
Hi Ines, thank you so much & I'm delighted you enjoyed it enough to check out my other books! (The Salt Oracle is coming out in November & is set in the same post-internet ghosty future...)
In answer to your question, it was definitely a deliberate choice to go for a slower pace than conventional modern trends. I find the current expectation for high pace, high action, 3 Act Structure quite... restrictive, if I'm honest. My natural inclination is towards stories that aren't afraid to spend time on interiority and quieter story beats, that spend time exploring nuance rather than prioritising action. There are definitely books that suit the plot forward thriller-type pacing, but I think that approach would have done a disservice to this particular story - like you said (and you noticing this delights me!!), the world Katerina starts in is quiet and steady, and she herself is very resistant to the change forced on her. I think if I'd rushed the start - throwing change at Katerina & having her act far quicker - it would have been unconvincing. And would also have undermined the internal arc of *why* she was so resistant to change, and how much it meant when she finally did accept her newfound relationships despite her fear.
Deviating from the norm of plot forward pacing is always a risk for authors, because readers expect a certain pace and can be thrown by a story that meanders or cycles or centers revelation over conflict (for example). So I always knew some readers would find Ghosts 'too quiet', but you can only tell the story in the way that feels truest to you, you know? And I feel like by publishing my slightly quieter stories, I'm helping make space in publishing's conformative machine for more books that draw outside the lines slightly with their story structures. Which I think has to be a good thing. :-)
Oh, that is absolutely a good thing! I very much appreciate the slower pace, the focus on the inner journey. It reminds me of Ursula K. LeGuin’s style. It is a gamble to recommend her, my favorite author, to readers because of her lack of plot forwardness. I’m happy to have found you and also look forward to read more of your writing, Lorraine.
DivaDiane wrote: "Oh, that is absolutely a good thing! I very much appreciate the slower pace, the focus on the inner journey. It reminds me of Ursula K. LeGuin’s style. It is a gamble to recommend her, my favorite ..."I *adore* le Guin - she is one of my guiding lights in both writing and life!! But yeah, some people will always bounce off her work because it is more pensive and thought-driven than we're used to reading. Thank you so much for your kind words, Diane :-)
I would really, really love to read this book, but as of now, the digital version is not available in the US and I tend to use a larger font than most physical books provide. Any chance you could nudge your publisher to make it available in the US? I notice that you have 4 other books available on amazon.com.
CBRetriever wrote: "I would really, really love to read this book, but as of now, the digital version is not available in the US and I tend to use a larger font than most physical books provide. Any chance you could n..."Hi & thank you so much for your interest. It's super frustrating, but as I have yet to sell US rights for Ghosts, my publishers can't make it readily available as an ebook over there. I'm really sorry, BUT I have heard from others that the process in this link allows you to access region-locked ebooks... https://www.howtogeek.com/328197/how-...
I hope it helps & opens up a world of UK only releases for you!! :-D
Lorraine wrote: "I have heard from others that the process in this link allows you to access region-locked ebooks... https://www.howtogeek.com/328197/how-...I hope it helps & opens up a world of UK only releases for you!! :-D"
thank you - I will check it out
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Members, please share your questions about We Are All Ghosts in the Forest . Our esteemed guest will stop in to answer as she is able!
Thank you again!!
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