Paper Talk: Ali Shaw conjures with the first novel

SYDNEY (Reuters) - British writer Ali Shaw was inspired by fairy tales for his first novel, and magic, with "The Girl With Glass Feet" released with great success. The novel, which was selected for the Costa First Book Award in advance, is set in a snowy, remote countries where the winged creatures and animals live albinos and Ida MacLaird turns slowly into the glass when she falls in love. The novel will be published in the United States in January. Shaw, who was born in 1982 and worked as a bookseller in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, since the graduation of the first class in English literature, spoke to Reuters about her writing: Q: Did you surprised by the reaction of your book? A: "Yes, very, very happy, of course. So many books each year and your only hope that some people read it and enjoy it, but it seems to have struck a chord with people and it is fantastic." published Q: Was it difficult? A: "I went the traditional route to an agent who has received fantastic and we have a little bit together on the book. She tried to (Publishers) and Grove Atlantic publisher was really useful and helped the book no end. I think I'm glad that you hear horror stories, but everyone has the essence of what is trying to do the book. I feel that I really got through them all with a reasonable amount of intact bone. Q: Have you always written? A: "Yes, but I think I have my voice when I about 18 or 19 years. He just kind of clicked. I read Kafka's" Metamorphosis ", and it showed me what to do with magic and fantastical elements in the literature to be done - how could they, as a means of expression of human emotions, thoughts and feelings are used. In "The Metamorphosis", the man wakes up and is an insect and not a metaphor, but an expression of what it is and how their lives . This is kind of thrown me off will see this channel as I write so that I could use my imagination to express emotions, instead could create avoidance, is often accused disadvantages More fantasy genre. con me FAI RY Produ kt in the history and folklore and to be the shrunken form of the letter seemed to express what it is to live for the person and what it means to be. "Question: You have done an MA in creative writing. Was this answer helpful? A:" It helped me a lot. I started the idea for the book at the same time. People have different opinions about the value of these formations, but I think it helps you develop your style and how you want to write. But this is not a hit-making machine, where are your ideas in the beginning of the course and come with a story. "Q: How long does the novel take? A:" Every four or five years. I should be hitting late in the night and waking up sometimes at 4 or 5 hours to one or two hours before I talk about work. Consciousness seems to be more at ease with itself at this time in the morning. But I am a perfectionist, and luckily I had some good people on the editorial part of the things that have said that and stop this now. Towards the final phase of the novel, you will be with all that obsessed, so long as you begin to hate almost everything. They spend so much time because you want to make things right, but you are desperate to quit and it is this OCD thing. Q: Have you started your second novel? A: "I'm just on my next novel, but there is still work to do. One of my writing process seems to be that I start with a rush of different ideas and they were almost to a role in the play auditions and at the end You get a casting ideas. You have to adapt and cooperate. You have to be discarded because they did not fall throughout. I think I've finished casting but I'm not a dress rehearsal for the moment. "Q: The advice for aspiring writers ? A: "The first is not to imitate anyone or aspire to write like everyone else to see but what you want to express and try to find a middle ground to explore. The second is to be disciplined and take the time do, because there is still much more to be expected when you started the process. "(Editing by Miral Fahmy)