“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. In this series, we invite writers to talk about their new books, older titles, and their writing overall Today we are delighted to have the amazing Frances Hardinge (author of some of our favourite books OF ALL TIME) over to talk about the inspirations for her new book, Cuckoo Song. Please give it up for Frances Hardinge, everyone! Asking when an author first ‘had the idea’ for a book is a bit like being asking where a river ‘starts’. Tiny thought-trickles and idea-streams can weave through your head for years before they combine and finally become interesting. Story-brooks gradually wear a gorge in your imagination, drawing more rivulets to them and building momentum. At some point the author notices that there is a young river flowing through his or her head, begging to become a book. Trying to identify the inspiration for Cuckoo Song is like following the river backwards, and tracing those streams to their source. At this point I should pause. We are standing at a twilight crossroads, where an old sign creaks in the […]