Quenby Olson is the author of the soon to be released Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons). After kindly letting me read and review her absolutely FANTASTIC book, she then answered my questions on her novel, which is going to be an incredible addition to everyone's bookshelves.
1. So, 19th century England and dragons. Where did that idea first come from?
Q: I want to say that the idea of plopping dragons into Regency-era England had been in my head for some time, but not really. Naomi Novik already did it wonderfully in her Temeraire books, but that focused primarily on dragons in the Napoleonic wars, and this is... definitely not looking at it from that angle. Growing up (and now, let's be honest) my favorite movies and shows - and books - have always been the Jane Austens, the Elizabeth Gaskells, the Brontes, and so on. But I also adored things like Good Omens and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so something just popped in my mind about wanting to somehow combine that small, English village feel, with bonnets and manners and sheep... and also with the fantasy and magic (and all the potential for humor) of dragons.
2. I love how Mildred and Mr Wiggins are not your typical 19th century romance trope. I love how they are both past what was considered the age for marriage and yet fit together so comfortably. Was it always your intention to have an older couple as the main focus when it came to the romantic side of the story?
Q:Absolutely and 100%. There are so many fantasy and sci-fi stories out there that focus on the young kid, the young boy, that chosen one (especially if they're about nineteen-ish and attractive) that shows up over and over. And I understand that, showing the world through the eyes of a character who is adventuring out into the world for the first time. But I bristle at the idea that adventures are only for younger people, that romance is for younger people. A lot of the main and supporting cast of Miss Percy are middle-aged or older, and being able to write about people who would most likely be set aside as too old to participate in a book about baby dragons coming back into the world was just tremendous fun and did my heart good.
3. You have such talent for making a sentence as witty as it could possibly be, was this pre-empted or random?
Q: Ah, thank you! And definitely random. Basically, I just leaned into the "voice" of this book while writing it, which latched onto me from the very first line and wouldn't let go. I've never written anything quite like this before, but just throwing a lot of the writing "rules" out the window and letting Miss Percy tell her story the way she wanted made for a fantastic time.
4. Mrs Babbington is the grandmother we all want. Please tell me she is in fact based off a real person who makes butter biscuits and plum cake (and, if so, can I please have an invite to tea?)
Q: She is not, unfortunately! There's a touch of my maternal grandmother in there, who always made sure everyone was well fed and had a knack for conjuring up huge meals out of what seemed like scant ingredients. But aside from that, she's pretty much just the person I want to be, the one who takes charge and has enough common sense for a dozen people (at least)!
5. Are there any plans for a particular guide, one full of illustrations, maybe a few drawings done by Nettie and Matthew?
Q: Oh my gosh. That would be amazing. But no, the most of the "Guides" anyone gets to see are the excerpts from them at the beginning of the chapters. So you're reading snippets of Miss Percy's Pocket Guide while reading a book called Miss Percy's Pocket Guide and... it's all very Bookception, I think. But no, no plans for anything more than that. Yet.
6. The detail of an old English village really is brilliant. I imagine you trawling up and down the countryside for inspiration! Or did you have a particular place in mind which inspired the setting?
Q: I've always lived in small towns. I grew up in Liverpool (not the English one) in Pennsylvania, which is tiny and rural and surrounded by fields and rolling hills and it's just always been my favorite place to be. So the English village in Miss Percy's is kind of an amalgam of my hometown mingled with... oh, let's say Cranford. Yeah, that's pretty much where it came from.
7. Lastly, this isn't a question but I have to say how much I utterly adore Fitz. He's officially my favourite dragon.
Q: I love him so much. I'd say 90% of his behavior is based on my first cat (Nermal Dog Olson - my dad called her Nermal and I called her Dog. She didn't care for either name and only came when we ran the electric can opener.) who was a fuzzy, long-haired terror. I miss her, so Fitz is my tribute to her.
Release date: 26th October.
You can preorder Miss Percy's Pocket Guide HERE.
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