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Posted by Anthony
December 10th 2009I love the Tudor period and the theatre I am involved in have allowed me to direct your wonderful play "Katherine Howard". Any advise you may have would be appreciated greatly ! Also, I have wondered why it appears this play has not been performed in Australia before ? Or am I incorrect ?
William Nicholson responded:
I too love this play of mine, but the plain fact is that when it first appeared in the UK - at the Chichester Festival - it failed to win much attention. Add to that the fact that it demands a fairly large cast, and the result is it's not well known at all. The original production, with Richard Griffiths as Henry, was terrific, but I'm still hoping for a new definitive production that will put it on the map, as it were. I'm delighted you're planning to do it.
Posted by Georgia Goold-Jones
December 6th 2009Hello, I'm a 16 year old girl from south Wales and my favourites books are your wind on fire series. They always have been ever since I bought and read them years ago. I have two questions actually. Number 1: Your ending to 'Firesong' was one of the most ingenious twists I have ever read in a book, and the final chapter brought a tear to my eye. My question is, was it always your plan to have Kestrel go with the singers? Or did you originally play to have Bowman go? Question 2: Where oh where could I get first edition copies of this trilogy?! In years to come they would be among my most treasured possesions, as are the beaten up, well thumbed copies I have now.
William Nicholson responded:
It was always my plan to have Kestrel make the final sacrifice, and for Bowman to be 'the meeting place', that is, the mid-point between kindness and action (as the cycles are called in the books). If you were to read through again you'd see that these conclusions are planted throughout - though not in the first book. When I wrote the Wind Singer I had no idea I would be adding two more books. At the last minute, as publication was coming near, after I'd realised I was going to continue the story, I inserted an extra line in the old Manth round the map, which refers to 'Sirene'. This is the only hint in the Wind Singer that there is more to come. As for first editions: I have a large number of what I must call original editions of the Wind Singer - that is, the original hardback version - but they're not the actual first edition. I can certainly let you have one of these, at no cost, if you send me your address. If you prefer not to put your address on this site, then write to my publisher, Egmont (address in all the books), and they'll pass it on to me. I have too few original copies of the other two books to part with any. What I have in large numbers is hardback copies of foreign editions of the other two books. The American edition is very handsome. I'm more than happy to pass these on at no charge to people who would value them. But this still doesn't meet your requirement for actual first editions. It's possible there are sellers out there on eBay?
Posted by Sally
December 5th 2009Your book the windsinger was amazing! But i would like to ask what inspired you to make mumpo the hero? Thanks for your time :]
William Nicholson responded:
I'm pleased you think of Mumpo as the hero. He started out as a kind of joke but I just got to love him so much, so I decided he was worth more. I asked myself what he would be good at - and his achievements grew from there.
Posted by joseph conrad
December 4th 2009just a question both the wind on fire and noble warrior trilogies seemed to share a similar philosophy, just wondered if this is a philosophy you yourself share or something that just emerged as you were writing?
William Nicholson responded:
It's definitely no accident. Yes, it is a philosophy I sort of share - only 'sort of' because it's more an act of the imagination than a fully worked-out philosophy. I use my fantasy books to explore possibilities rather than to reach final conclusions.
Posted by Elizabeth Harris
December 3rd 2009I'm a Contemporary Acting degree student hoping to start penning a 3 person play based on the love triangle between Henry VIII, Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper to be performed later in the year. As I know you've written a play yourself around these characters I was wondering if you had any advice, or any research website/book reccommendations? It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Elizabeth.
William Nicholson responded:
All I can offer you is contained within my own play, which might give you some ideas to disagree with, if nothing else. My own research came from the usual sources - there are several biographies. I rate Alison Weir.
Posted by Chris S
December 2nd 2009Hello Mr. Nicholson. I read the Noble Warriors trilogy about 5-6 months ago and loved them to pieces. I recently discovered the Wind on Fire trilogy, and finished Firesong last night. I just had to come here and tell you, even though you must get this a lot, how great your books are and how the messages in them really speak to me. The beautiful endings in both trilogies are permanently engraved into my memory. Your books are by far the best I've read, and I read a lot! I'm fourteen and do a good deal of writing myself, it started off as short stories for English lessons but I soon found myself writing in my spare time. I've started a full novel now, about sixty pages into writing it. I would never have got into writing had I not read your Noble Warriors trilogy. You're a great inspiration. All the Best. Chris
William Nicholson responded:
The very best praise a writer can receive is to know that his work inspires someone else to start writing. I do believe that the process of writing stories is valuable in and of itself, whether or not it ends in publication. If you like my books you'll know how much I value understanding the complicated things that go on inside people, and it's a lifetime of writing that gives me that. So all power to you as you pick up speed on this wonderful adventure.
