Conn Iggulden
 Best known for his two hugely popular historical series about Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan, not to mention the Dangerous Books For Boys, Conn Iggulden has now released his first children's book Tollins: Explosive Tales For Children, about mythical creatures called Tollins that are used in fireworks (www.savethetollins.com). This interview took place in November 2009 and features questions from EnCompass readers from around the world, and Reader in Residence Susan Tranter.
Susan Tranter: Hello Conn. Can I just start by asking if you've read anything lately which you'd like to recommend to our readers?
Conn Iggulden: Yes, The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman. I was sent a preview copy. It’s a brilliant fantasy book that worked from the first page. I’ve also just finished Dara O’Briain’s book: Tickling the English which was both funny and thought provoking. I’m a mixture of Irish and English myself, so it could practically have been written for me.
DavidR: I'd like to ask Conn about how he started as a writer and whether he always knew that's what he wanted to do. And did his friends encourage him, or put him off?
CI: I started at thirteen and wrote a book a year for twenty years. The constant rejections were depressing, so I started writing just beginnings and sending those off – three chapters. Twice, those tasters resulted in a letter asking for the rest of the book. Twice, I wrote the full book and then had it rejected. I can’t honestly say I never gave up, because when I finished the first Caesar book, I said to my wife that if this one didn’t go, that was it. I knew it was the best I could possibly do (at that time!) and if it failed, writing wasn’t for me. Fortunately, it was accepted by the first agent who read it.
My friends were not always encouraging, but then they suffered through endless versions, with me saying: 'Ah, but did you see what I changed on page 80? What did you think of that, eh?'
Michael: I'm a big fan of Conn's Genghis Khan books, particularly Bones of the Hills. I'd love to know how much research he does, and indeed how much (or how little) he worries about historical accuracy.
CI: I’ve become obsessed with it. I used to think it was all right to change the history for a good tale – Irish mother, you see – but the emails became a pain and I grew tired of telling people that ‘Brutus was not Julius Caesar’s son and I don’t care how many exclamation marks you use.’ I went to Mongolia to research Genghis and I’ve read dozens of good books on him, as old and obscure as possible. I’m in contact with a few rare book shops who know I will take anything from them on the subject, regardless of price. Sometimes, it can just be a few interesting facts, but they’re incredibly useful to me. You have to know your stuff, not least because you’ll be talking about the book in a Waterstone’s at some point.
Anu: What fascinates you about revisiting the past and trying to bring it to life in your writing? Did it come from an interest in history, or just in a good story?
CI: It comes from an interest in good stories first – then the eureka moment discovery that history is chock-full of good stories. It’s almost a definition of history, as the dull parts tend to be forgotten. Also, a true event, with people who really lived, has a strange power that fiction always struggles to match. When I read a good history, I often put the book down and stare off into space as I imagine what that particular battle or event must have been like – in awe, because it actually happened. Can you imagine the scene when Napoleon returned from exile and faced his own army sent to arrest him? He threw open his jacket to reveal his decorations and asked if they would arrest their emperor. History is full of extraordinary moments of glory, courage, betrayal and sheer terror: everything I need to keep me entertained.
DBT14: I'm curious to know what prompted the move from writing books like the Emperor series to things like The Dangerous Book for Boys and the new Tollins book. Was it a conscious move to try something different, or was it always an ambition?
CI: I’m not trying to fill niches, like some sort of writer based on the NHS: ‘Iggulden: Books from Cradle to Grave’, or ‘An Iggulden for all ages’. The DBfB came about because I had a son and couldn’t find the sort of books I assumed would be still around. I wrote that as a cheerful compendium of all the things I enjoyed as a kid and some I cared about as an adult. I didn’t think it would sell to anyone, but it was such a personal project that when the first publisher (Bloomsbury) tried to cut out the bits they didn’t like, I took it to HarperCollins instead. Luckily, readers seemed to enjoy it with those bits still in.
I admit to a fascination with writing humour all my life. I’m a huge fan of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and the Pythons and I’ve always wanted to have a go myself. I’m aware that writing ‘funny’ is perhaps the hardest thing to do. Three Men in a Boat is for me, the funniest book ever written, but seeing how and why it works is practically impossible. Tollins turned out to be immense fun to write and so far, every kid who has read it, likes it. Every writer is a reader first and it gives me joy to think of my books being read with pleasure, just as I take pleasure in books and authors I adore.
Celina: You might have faced with this question many times before but please, indulge us: were you a 'Dangerous Boy' yourself in your young years?
CI: Occasionally, though this isn’t the right place to talk about police cautions. I do remember being interested in everything, which kids do instinctively and most adults don’t. That was what I was trying to recapture – that sense of infinite interest, as well as how to shoot a rabbit, build a treehouse and make an electromagnet.
Peter Kimberley: What was it like writing with your brother?
CI: I’ve written with two now, as I did a Dangerous Book of Heroes with my older brother David, as well as the DBfB with Hal. I have another brother, John, who is a chef. There’s a family joke that I’ll do a 'Dangerous Book of Cooking' one day... Writing with Hal was six months in a shed, as we said we had to make everything we put in the book, or it didn’t go in. As a result, there’s no telegraph machine, as I couldn’t get the damn thing to work. Compared to writing novels, it was very enjoyable, as I’d write up each chapter and then move on. I didn’t have to hold the whole thing in my head at all times. We didn’t come to blows during the six months, though it was really close once or twice.
John Davis: My son is a big fan of the Tollins book and I'd love to know how the idea came about. It seems a little of a departure?
CI: It came about when I was at a fireworks display and one of my four children asked me how the fireworks worked. Off the top of my head, I said that the organisers stuffed winged-creatures into the tubes. You hear that high-pitched sound, kids? That’s them screaming. Sometimes, I have quite a dark sense of humour, but they know it’s in fun.
It didn’t feel like a departure. It allowed me to tap into my love of jokes and puns. I’m glad to hear there are already fans out there. I’ve already written the next one, to come out next year. I hope your son likes it as much. I think it’s better than the first and though I probably would say that, it really helps to have the world set up and in place. Then the stories just come flooding out.
Minny: What inspired you to create the Tollins? Did you read books about fairy-type creatures when you were younger? And are there going to be any more books about them?
CI: They’re not fairies, of course.They do use fairies to clean out cups though, or as a sort of self-cleaning handkerchief. I met them first in Ireland when I was a little boy. My grandfather used to use one to scour out the bowl of his pipe. It’s a very nostalgic scene in my memory. I did read books about strange creatures, yes. I like there to be magic in the world. I haven’t lost the sense of it out there somewhere. There are three more stories out next year, under the unimaginative title: Tollins: More Explosive Tales for Children.
Anna-Maija: Who are your favourite writers?
CI: David Gemmell, James Clavell, Wilbur Smith, Terry Pratchett, CS Forester, Raymond E. Feist, Orson Scott Card. I love epic tales, written so you stay up all night and go to work with red-eyes in the morning, after very little sleep. I owe them all more than they will ever know.
Susan Tranter: Thanks for taking part Conn. Can I end by asking what you're working on at the moment?
CI: Three days ago, I finished the fourth in the Genghis books. It’s provisionally entitled: Empire of Silver and due out next September. Genghis’ son Ogedai is almost unknown, but his life and death changed the world. It’s a story worth telling.
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