TQ: Welcome to The Qwillery. What is
the first fiction piece you remember writing?
JPO: When I was 4 or 5, I remember writing a one-page story about The Milky
Bar kid who was in TV ads, and who seemed pretty cool to me at the time. I’m
fairly sure there was an illustration involved as well.
TQ: Are you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?
JPO: A plotter. At least from a narrative perspective. If I know how a scene
opens and ends, and what critical information needs to be relayed that gives me
the space to explore character, themes, and dialogue with that frame. For
example, I’ll know a fight is going to happen, and who’s going to win, but I
don’t know exactly how the fight is going to play out.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
JPO: Balancing the flow of information to the reader. Going into a project
knowing everything about the backstory and motives, it’s tough to judge exactly
when a reveal needs to be made, and what information has to be conveyed at what
point. But my agent and editors help immeasurably with that.
TQ: What has influenced / influences your writing?
JPO: This might be a bit of a cop out answer, but I have a hard time thinking of
things that haven’t influenced my writing. Books I read, TV shows I watch, games
I play, politics, parenting, memes on social media… it’s all material, it all
goes into the hopper. In broad strokes, I like New Weird, noir, fantasy,
action-adventures. I think some of that shows through.
TQ: Describe City of Iron and Dust using only 5 words.
JPO: Goblins. Fae. Revolution. Drugs. Magic.
TQ: Tell us something about City of Iron and Dust that is not found in the book
description.
JPO: The books pretty ambitious in its themes. Along the way I think I touch
on capitalism, racism, and the redemptive power of art, among a fair few other
things.
TQ: What inspired you to write City of Iron and Dust?
JPO: Fundamentally, my kids and the phrase “Make America Great Again.” Over
the past few years, there seems to have been a lot of looking back at a sort of
1950s golden age that never existed. Meanwhile, where I see hope, is when I look
at the youth of today, and the generations to come. There’s so much progressive
energy in Generation Z that fills me with joy, and I wanted to put those two
forces against each other.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for City of Iron and Dust?
JPO: Virtually none, I’m afraid. A little bit into the different types of
fae, but I’ve taken enough liberties that it may not show.
TQ: Please tell us about the cover for City of Iron and Dust.
JPO: The cover doesn’t show a precise scene from the book. Rather, it’s a
more evocative design piece by Julia Lloyd. I think she did an amazing job
capturing the oppressive feel of the Iron City that’s at the heart of this book.
TQ: In City of Iron and Dust who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?
JPO: I have a character, Granny Spregg, who’ the deposed matriarch of a
goblin house, who was an absolute joy to write. She foul-mouthed, and sarcastic,
and wickedly clever, and whatever the thing you absolutely definitely shouldn’t
say was exactly what she’d say. As someone who always struggles with a filter,
that was fun. Meanwhile, Edwyll, who is a very earnest fae looking to transform
the city through art was a much harder note for me to hit. I’m not sure what
that says about me as a person…
TQ: Does City of Iron and Dust touch on any social issues?
JPO: Yes it does. For me, the Iron City—the city where the whole story takes
place—is a metaphor for America, and the struggles and battles that are
occurring in it right now. So, a lot of social ideas made their way into the
book, or, at least, they did for me. Whether they translate to the reader or
not, I can’t be sure, but even if they don’t hopefully there’s a fun story there
for everyone anyway.
TQ: Which question about City of Iron and Dust do you wish someone would ask?
Ask it and answer it!
JPO: The question I’d loved to be asked is: has an awesome metal band
written a song inspired by your book? Because, yes, they have! The black/death
metal band Ashen Horde is releasing a track called “Archaic Convictions”
inspired by the book, and it is absurdly cool. Check it out on bandcamp when you
have a chance.
TQ: Give us one or two of your favorite
non-spoilery quotes from City of Iron and Dust.
JPO:
“A bouncer hulks in a doorway—the type with more knuckles than IQ
points”
“Bravery, in his opinion, is just stupidity that happens to benefit others”
TQ: What's next?
JPO: That’s a little up in the air right now. Writing has been slowed by the
pandemic, but I have two dark fantasy projects I’m working on at the moment.
Hopefully something good will happen with one of them.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
JPO: Thank you so much for having me, and thank you for the thoughtful
questions.
Titan Books, July 6, 2021
Trade Paperback and eBook, 400 pages
“A fantastic book, full of wit and sharp humor, City of Iron and Dust careens through a modernized faerie at a breakneck pace, full of verve and unforgettable characters. Oakes spins a smart, electric, and sometimes snarky tale, showing that the beating heart of modern fantasy is alive and well.” – John Hornor Jacobs, author of A Lush and Seething Hell and The IncorruptiblesThe Iron City is a prison, a maze, an industrial blight. It is the result of a war that saw the goblins grind the fae beneath their collective boot heels. And tonight, it is also a city that churns with life. Tonight, a young fae is trying to make his fortune one drug deal at a time; a goblin princess is searching for a path between her own dreams and others’ expectations; her bodyguard is deciding who to kill first; an artist is hunting for his own voice; an old soldier is starting a new revolution; a young rebel is finding fresh ways to fight; and an old goblin is dreaming of reclaiming her power over them all. Tonight, all their stories are twisting together, wrapped up around a single bag of Dust—the only drug that can still fuel fae magic—and its fate and theirs will change the Iron City forever.
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