Jean Swan is a fantasy author from South-Eastern Australia. When not writing or working, you’ll find her anywhere there’s beach or snow, hanging with her gang of nieces and godchildren, or in the garden trying to stay on top of the weeds. And reading, of course.
- To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I am a Canberran – born, raised, and unlikely to move away! I love living in the bush capital, and being close(ish) to both the beach and the snow makes it the perfect all-season home for me. I have a very small family, so I am a big advocate of living the ‘chosen family’ trope. I am a psychologist by day, and Jean Swan is a pen name so that if my clients need to look me up, they can find my practice and not a list of fantasy books!
I was reading early and thoroughly. I adored every version of fairy picture books when I was small (Shirley Barber, Cicely Mary Baker, May Gibbs) and sat for hours reading the assorted children’s encyclopaedias popular in the mid-90s. I think my first fantasy novel was either Sabriel or the Deltora Quest series.
I have been creating stories for as long as I can remember. My brother and I used books and video games to inspire our own imaginative play. I drew character sheets, maps, and wrote lore for vast worlds in which my brother and myself played. Was I bossy about how the game went? Well, I’m an eldest daughter so you can probably guess that answer!
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
Twelve – an actress. I won my school’s prize for Drama and was known as a bit of a drama queen (potentially in more ways than one). I loved the thrill of the performing arts and embodying a character. Nowadays, even though I dabble in amateur theatre, I am content to embody characters in writing instead.
Eighteen – a psychologist. I managed to tick that one off! Initially I wanted to be a forensic psychologist as I was fascinated by the intersection of the mind and the law, but after going to law school and finding it not to my taste, I switched to the clinical psychology track instead.
Thirty – to have a PhD. At that point in my career, I was in a job that was at the forefront of my field, and I had a long list of research ideas. In the end, I didn’t want to wind back my clinical work, about which I was very passionate, so passed up a spot with a great supervisor. Perhaps I have a little bit of regret about that now.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
I was a vocal atheist (which went down like a tonne of bricks at my Anglican school) and eschewed anything that had a whiff of spirituality about it. I think this was a reaction, in part, to learning of the horrors perpetrated in the name of religion, as well as rebelling against the conformist nature of many spiritual ideologies. Now, I’m not sure how you’d categorise me, but I have a very strong sense of my own personal spirituality and more tolerance of the versions of religion that bring peace to people, and don’t cause systemic harm.
4. What were three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc – you can now say had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
Sara Douglass’ Wayfarer Redemption series. I think I was around 12 years old when I read this. I believe there must have been a moment of synchronicity where my maturing brain was ready to read adult epic fantasy and a second-hand copy of Battleaxe fell into my lap. I breathed this world for several years, and it sparked what I hope will be an eternal fire in me for creating epic tales, with flawed characters at the heart.
Massive Attack’s Mezzanine album – particularly the song Teardrop. There is something so atmospheric and varied about this album, I feel it could be the soundtrack to writing any book. I would love my writing to capture the emotional qualities that music like this album can evoke.
Samantha Shannon’s Priory of the Orange Tree. I finished Priory on holiday in Fiji and promptly wrote 30k words of a new novel. There is something so visually appealing about Shannon’s storytelling and prose in this series that inspires my creativity.
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?
Initially I never set out to write a novel. I have always liked the act of writing, as I have a quite vivid imagination, and writing allows me to structure and savour the feelings and ideas I have. So perhaps it was initially just because I enjoy it so much. However, now I have completed a few stories, I like writing because it feels to me the only medium to show the complexity of people’s inner worlds. The written word allows me to show the reader threads of a person’s life, evoke feeling, and bring parts of a story together in a satisfying way.
6. Please tell us about your novel, The Book of Origins.
This book is for people who like to have fun alongside their sociological and philosophical themes. On the surface, The Book of Origins is an assassin ‘coming of age’ story: our protagonists are young holy spy/assassins, who are sent on their first mission to a mysterious, newly discovered land where rebellion has taken hold.
Underneath, it is a character study in indoctrination, religion, trauma, colonialism, and more. Each chapter begins with a vignette from the protagonists’ childhood, and, as the story unfolds, the reader begins to understand the characters better than they know themselves. As the characters develop, so too, the reader might find themselves uncertain where their loyalties lie.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
I hope people are more open to nuance, to understanding that their first emotional response to something is often the result of conditioning or some automatic belief system that might be worth challenging. I made a point of making every character ‘good’ and ‘bad’. There are no clear villains in this book. They’re all challenging in some way, just like (most) regular people. I hope that sparks some self-examination as to what it is in the reader that reacts to certain characters, and indeed, certain people in real life.
8. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?
Ursula K Le Guin is a writer I hold in immense regard. I love how she has incorporated important philosophical and political themes into her works of fiction, and the pioneering role she had for women in the fantasy genre.
Her subversion of expected tropes of the era and incorporation of diverse spiritual themes has heavily influenced my own writing, particularly in world building for The Book of Origins.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
I would like to complete a multi-book body of work. I have several interlinked stories planned, somewhat akin to Sanderson’s Cosmere. All my published works are set in the world of Ahira, and I have a vision for a historical arc of events that spans millennia. The publication order will be crucial in revealing the lore for the world in a tantalising way, so as to bring the reader on a journey to unravel the mysteries of this world.
10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
For anyone who wants to write simply for the joy of it – I’d say just enjoy yourself and write like no one will ever read it.
But for those wishing to be published writers: firstly, I’d say have courage to seek critique – whether that is hiring editors or submitting to magazines or writing competitions. The newer you are to a craft, the less refined your style. Growing your own flavour of writing requires time cutting away habits or idiosyncrasies that don’t ultimately align with the way you’d like your writing perceived. For example, I overwrite. I feel and visualise so much while I am writing that I overdo it on the page trying to convey my own experience. On editing, I cut a lot.
Then, once you feel you have a handle on your weaker areas and are revising and reviewing your writing style, just get your work out there. It could always be ‘better’ so don’t strive for perfection, or you’ll never be done. Otherwise, what was all that learning for?
The Book of Origins
"You are the silent knife in the night, the eyes everywhere, that will do what no other can or will..."
The vast Vol Supremacy maintains an iron grip over its people through a secret cabal of spies and assassins known as the dakir. Offered as tribute by their parents, and trained from childhood, the dakir are skilled and ruthless - tasked with crushing dissent in any way they see fit. Three dakir novices approach their final trial, having long relinquished any hope of a future for themselves. Their only wish is to serve their religious order.
Or so they tell themselves.
Meanwhile, the Supremacy has discovered a lush, wild continent to the south. The settlement there slips slowly toward rebellion - dissenting voices speaking in public, attendance at holy ceremonies dwindling, and an underground resistance fanning the flames of an uprising. And what of the mysteries of this strange new land itself - apparently uninhabited, yet so suited to human life?
Something awaits that will alter the Supremacy forever. This is where it begins.
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