DEBUT JOURNEYS Antonia Maxwell
For this month's Debut Journeys Robynn Hyde talks to Antonia Maxwell whose book Terra Electrica: The Guardians of the North was published on 4 July 2024 by Neem Tree Press.
Where are you now and where did you write your book?
I live near Cambridge. I work from home – my ‘day job’ is a freelance book editor and I work on all sorts of books, both fiction and non-fiction for various publishers, agents and book packagers. I also teach editing and writing skills. My own writing has to fit in around all that – so I’m usually up early in the morning to capture the best bit of my creativity before the books I'm editing get their turn!
What’s it all about?
Terra Electrica is set in the Arctic and imagines a near-future where all the ice has melted. Something has been released from the melt – a deadly force that behaves like a virus. It feeds on electricity – the power on which our modern civilisation depends – and it has ripped across the world, destroying everything in its wake. In an attempt to combat it, the world has Switched Off (a kind of lockdown – but I started writing this in 2019!). The book tells the story of a girl who has a gift – an ancestral mask which gives her access to another world where the ice hasn’t melted. She has other powers connected with the mask. Book 1 tells her story as she discovers these powers and searches for her missing father. Book 2 will deal with the responsibility of owning the mask.
Tell us about your route to publication.
I have been writing for ages – just bits and pieces for myself really – alongside my editing work. I realise now that over the years I was slowly developing my craft. In 2018, I decided to start taking it a bit more seriously, and started to enter some competitions. I had some low-key successes, but soon became weary of the hefty entry fees the big competitions charge. But then I came across one run by The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook in conjunction with a storyworld producer Kickback Media. The task was to write a 2000-word submission for an MG children’s story and the prize was to develop the idea with Kickback. I thought this was the best possible prize and the competition was free to enter. I didn’t win, but my submission was shortlisted, and the development of Mani, her mask and her world of snow and ice began. It was a bumpy road – not least because it was first submitted to publishers in 2020 at the start of the pandemic (and there was uncertainty about whether the world really wanted a story about a deadly force being unleashed on the world!). Much later, as the world returned to normal, I spotted that Neem Tree Press had a submission window open, and they were looking for children’s books that invoke a sense of adventure and exploration – I knew my book had found a perfect home!
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| Cover of Terra Electric: The Guardians of the North |
What do you do when you are not writing?
I love film – and through my learning about the craft of writing I have become fascinated by the idea of ‘story’ and how we use it in our lives. I also like walking, swimming and spending time with my family.
What was the biggest bump in the road when trying to get your book out into the world and how did you overcome it.
Children’s publishing is quite tightly segmented – on lines of reading age, boy and girl readers, etc., and publishers seem to like stories that follow strict conventions in terms of story structure and presentation of the main character. It’s challenging to hold on to the story you want to tell, and balance this against the industry requirements (which you have to do if you want to get it published).
Any tips for budding writers hoping to follow in your footsteps?
The best advice I was given is quite simple. Show up – every day – and write. Even if it’s just for five minutes and what you produce is a load of rubbish. Just write. Writing is a muscle and you have to exercise it. Putting words onto a blank page is really important – I heard someone describe it as lugging boulders of rough stone into position, and then you can set about chiselling them and making them perfect. But without that raw material, you’ve got nothing.
What’s next for you?
I have just finished writing Terra Electrica Book 2 – which has been fun! I have written both books very much with film in mind and it is a dream of mine that this potential will be recognised. And I’m in the early stages of developing another film idea… and another Middle Grade novel – I have definitely got the writing bug and a day is no longer complete if I haven’t set some words down on a page!
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| Antonia Maxwell (Credit: Antonia Maxwell) |
Antonia Maxwell grew up in Nottingham and now lives near Cambridge with her husband, children and dog. She writes stories for children because, for her, growing up was a time when reading was magical. She tries to create worlds that she thinks 10-year-old her would have loved – adventures with magic and animals and lots of camping!
Follow her on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at her website: antoniamaxwell.com
If you would like to feature in a future Debut Journeys, please email Robynn Hyde at robynn.marie.hyde@gmail.com or find her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
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