By Gollancz author M.D. Lachlan
Wolfsangel is published now in hardback.

I met someone at a party a few years ago who, when he heard I was an author, started to grill me about the literary life. Did I know Nick Hornby? His books were said to be similar to mine so, of course I would have met him. Had I met Jonathan Coe? What was he like? Did Salman Rushdie often hop round for tea and, if so, did the boys from Special Branch join in the book chat? I had to disappoint him and tell him that I didn’t actually know any authors at all.

Yes, I’d met a few authors at the odd event but I couldn’t call any of them friends. ‘So what is the literary life like then?’ he asked. I told him there really wasn’t one. Most of the authors I’d met were quite defensive and viewed me as a rival. I didn’t get to know them at all. I remember one very well known author saying to me at a party: ‘I’ve read your book.’ There was a long pause and someone in the gathered throng said ‘what do you think of it?’ He sniffed. ‘I never discuss my opinions on other people’s work,’ he said. Later in the evening he approached me and said that he hadn’t meant to imply that he didn’t like my writing. I told him that I didn’t have time to talk to him right then because I was busy reading the care label on my new jacket.

Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan

In my career so far I’ve produced five books – not under the M.D. Lachlan name - all broadly comedy. During this time I have been a member of the most exclusive literary salon in history – membership one. Yes there were publishers parties where I hob nobbed with other authors but I honestly never formed a relationship with anyone that lasted past the end of the night.

That all changed, though, when I penned my first fantasy novel, Wolfsangel. I now know other authors. I drink with them, I argue about music with them at conventions and reduce the room to tears of boredom insisting on the rather obvious fact that The Smiths are a better band than New Model Army . I continue this argument on the internet. I stalk the author in question and follow him around in my car playing ‘How Soon Is Now?’ at loud volume in the hope that he will crack.

Fantasy authors are much less up their own bums than mainstream authors. They’re approachable and friendly . I can honestly say I’m yet to encounter a bad attitude from anyone at all. I arrange to meet other authors for drinks in town, I go to dinner with them, sit on panels with them at conventions and talk about writing.

The judge of someone is how they treat you when they have nothing to gain, and nothing to lose from acting badly towards you. Take the Advanced Review Copies for Wolfsangel. When I published my first comedy novel in 2000, ARCs were sent to a number of writers to see if they’d be willing to comment. One did - the lovely and gracious Jill Mansell. Another famous author phoned me up to tell me how much he’d enjoyed the book. ‘Can we use your quote on the front?’ I asked. ‘Are you joking?’ he said, ‘you’re a rival now’.

Wolfsangel was sent to about 12 authors. Eight replied with quotes. I was staggered, not so much that people had agreed to say nice things about my work but that they’d read it in the first place. That’s a serious commitment of time to a new author. But this is the thing about fantasy – the authors tend to be fans. They actually love the genre they write in and are baying to snap up anything new.

That’s not always the case for some mainstream authors. To my considerable annoyance, my earlier work was labelled ‘lad lit’. Not only did I – rightly or wrongly - disagree with that label I never read another novel that fell into that category. If I was sent a review copy – which amazingly I never was – I would not have read it because I wasn’t interested in the genre in which I was supposed to be writing. Fantasy and SF authors are proud to belong to the genre and are as excited as any fan when something new comes along.

And talking of fans, I’ve actually met some since I became a fantasy novelist.

I can honestly say I’d never met a fan of mine until I wrote Wolfsangel. What about book signings? What about them? I did one at Waterstones Oxford Street that involved me – a hot author at that time – the multi-bestseller Mike Gayle and several other people who were shifting books by the shedload. Five people turned up, three of them for the free wine. I was home by 9.30.

I did do a reading late night at the Lattitude festival once and that went very well. However, the 300 people crammed into the literary tent weren’t there for me. They were there because Franz Ferdinand had just finished and there was nothing else to do. They were fans, just not mine.

Yet at Eastercon last month the place was rammed with fans – even at least one of mine! I met someone who had read my book and loved it, really wanted to talk about it and asked me to sign a promotional flyer for them. The book wasn’t available for two months. This chap had heard about it on the internet and tracked down an advanced review copy.

The amazing thing about the genre of fantasy – much sneered at though it is by mainstream writers – is that it actually has a literary culture. Now a literary culture may exist if you’re one of those authors who’s regularly invited to the Cheltenham Literary Festival or Hay on Wye but the bulk of authors go nowhere near these places except as paying punters. I know one mega-famous misery novel writer (I knew her independently of writing) who complains she never gets invited anywhere.

But fantasy and SF have an infrastructure that allows authors to interact with each other and the people who are reading their books – namely the conventions and the internet.

These are great for marketing, if I’m speaking cynically. I can go to places where I know I can meet potential buyers for my work. But they also do genuinely work as forums for ideas. I have never had an SF idea in my life before Eastercon. I came away with about three really good novel ideas that had occurred to me while listening to other authors talk.

Conventions are really precious things. They forge a camaraderie between the writers and the fans and also – crucially – bring a little humility to the writers. I’ve been amazed at the breadth and depth of knowledge I’ve encountered in some bloggers and fans I’ve met at conventions.

So, as I look forward to the publication of Wolfsangel, I’m very pleased to be writing in the fantasy genre. It has engaged fans, a thriving community at conventions and on the internet and supportive fellow authors. But most of all it has passion, people really feel strongly about what they are reading.

Fantasy fans take this to the extreme, even dressing up as their favourite characters. I dream of the day I spot my first Authun the White Wolf at a convention because very few authors outside of fantasy ever get an honour like that. For all the literary plaudits Franz Kafka received, he never walked into a bookshop to be greeted by a fan dressed as a giant insect asking him to sign his mandible. Perhaps he would have been less miserable if he had.

This sort of engagement is, from an author’s point of view, what makes fantasy so seductive. We all write because we want people to feel strongly about our work and no readers feel more strongly than those in SF&F. So for that reason more than any other, it’s great to be here.