Interviewing Barry Nugent
Hellooooo!
I recently reviewed and loved Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers by Barry Nugent a return to the 1980s and an incredible group of teenagers taking on the supernatural. Fun, smart and hugely enjoyable it is fun for all age! It was a pleasure to invite Barry back to the blog to talk about the book, the wider world of the books and a few other things.
How do you like to booktempt Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers?
This book is the follow-up to my novel, Trail of the Cursed Cobras. It can work as a standalone story, but I would recommend people read Trail of the Cursed Cobras first.
The stories take place in and around a secondary school in the early 1980s, featuring five twelve-year-olds who get caught up in supernatural mysteries. This time around, it involves a group of lost heroes from the 1930s, the theft of an ancient relic, and a talking hamster.
What struck me reading is all the gang have some aftermath from the last adventure to deal with. Was that something you were keen to explore?
Yes, very much so. Originally, I hadn’t planned to write a follow-up to Trail of the Cursed Cobras. I had gone into that first story having written no middle-grade fiction before. I threw everything I had into the story, had a lot of fun in the process and gave my ‘infamous five’ the adventure of a lifetime. At first, I didn’t know where to go with another story, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised I wanted to test these kids, both individually and as a unit. The second book became about happens after you’ve ridden off into the sunset, after saving the day. These five kids have had this grand adventure and now must embrace a new reality. What does that look like? For some, it’s dealing with loss all over again or coping with all new fears. They must deal with all that while tackling a whole new enemy who’s not about to give them the time to sort themselves out. Good job the kids have a talking hamster to help them this time around.
Which of the cast is the most fun to write and which was the hardest for you to find the voice for?
Honestly? My fave character to write changes daily because each member of my infamous five taps into a different vibe. Ada is my love of mystery and logic, Bobby is my love of adventure, and swinging over traps filled with spikes or snakes (but not spiders. NEVER FLIPPING SPIDERS!), Nikki brings out my need to see justice, honour and the good in everyone. Tony is a wide-eyed innocent, with no idea just how resilient he is. Finally, there is DJ who can embody everything I’ve just said in one scene, then be farting like his life depends on it in the next.
The hardest character to write was Ada. Right up to my final draft, I was tweaking her dialogue, trying to get her tone right. Because of her arc, she verged on being unlikeable in my early drafts. I had to work hard to dial her back a little while still staying true to her normal ‘Ada doesn’t suffer fools’ vibe.
There is a big supernatural world hiding in these books have you a larger idea how these fit around the series’ development?
Well, all my books, both these two and the ones aimed at adults, are all set in the same world. There are a lot of easter eggs connecting all the books. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that the theme will continue in a big way.
Talking hamsters – easy or hard to write?
Creating any character can be challenging, but the hill I had to climb with Rex the hamster was to stop the reader thinking he’s a ‘Pixar-style comedy sidekick’. I mean, he wears a scarf, and nothing says comedy sidekick than a talking animal with dress sense. My problem was that I wanted the readers to take him seriously from the start. I played around with a lot of ideas trying to get the tone right, but the main thing I did was ask myself, “What if Indiana Jones was a hamster?” Having that question in my mind whenever I wrote Rex gave me a great place to find the tone I wanted with him. Not that there isn’t humour with Rex, but it comes from him acting against what I think readers are expecting. Well, that’s the plan.
Best 1980s sweets? It’s a tie between Cola Cubes andRefreshers.
If you return to this series what would you like to explore next? Are we ready to find out about Norfolk?
Well, this story completes my first ever duology and I’m very pleased about that. I’ve got another book I need to finish first, but after that I will be returning to my Infamous Five.
As for where my next novel will go, I've planted a few hints in this book to pick up on. Let’s just say while the events of Mystery of the Midnight Cartographers were happening, something else was going on. Ada and the others have no idea what’s out there moving in the shadows.
As for Norfolk? Well, I could tell you everything about what happened, but where would be the fun in that? And besides, once I told you I’d have to kill you and no one wants that, right?
What else can we look forward to from you in the future and in this strange age of social media where can we find out more?
Well, I’m already several chapters into my first draft of Silent Immortals which is the last book in my Unseen Shadows trilogy. Hopefully, this one won’t take me as long as the others but I’ve probably just jinxed myself now.
Folks can find me mainly on Threads and Instagram. My main website is barrynugent.com.
