We are delighted to welcome Francesca Gibbons to the blog to discuss writing Clock of Stars: Beyond the Mountains,  the brilliant second book in the series, now available in paperback and how the impact of the pandemic influenced world-building for the series.

Imogen and Marie are sisters. Like many siblings, they don’t always get along. In the first Clock of Stars book, they find themselves trapped in a magical world, where they must work together if they want to get home.

I wrote that book in quite a few different places – visiting family in the Czech Republic, on holiday, in cafes and on trains. Some of the adventures I had made their way into the story.

For the second book in the series, I wanted to take Imogen and Marie somewhere new.

They return to the magical kingdom. But when Marie is kidnapped, Imogen gives chase. The pursuit takes her beyond the mountains (which is the title of the second book).

I hoped to stuff this story full journeys, danger and fun. I planned to do some travelling of my own...

And then the pandemic happened.

Suddenly, I wasn’t having any adventures. Like everyone else, I was hardly leaving the house. How could I offer other people escapism? Where would I find new ideas?

It’s a privilege to be able to work from home, but I’m not going to lie… I often got in a big flap about this book. And when that happened, I did the only thing I could – I went for a walk.

I’m lucky enough to have some good footpaths near my house. A neighbour told me about a circular route, one I hadn’t explored before. So I packed some snacks and headed off.

Sometimes, my characters would come with me. I’d imagine Imogen, walking at my side. She’d look at my local river and wonder what lived beneath the surface.

“A river sprite,” I’d tell her, imagining webbed fingers clutching muddy banks. Then Imogen would get curious and stand too close and the webbed fingers would reach for her ankle.

“Stay back,” I’d hiss, but she wouldn’t listen. Imogen is naughty like that.

I walked at night, at day, in rain and in sun – exploring the area around my home. Some of the paths began to join up in my head, and I realised how much I didn’t know.

I kept walking…

Slowly, the landscape around where I live began to filter into my book. The lands beyond the mountains started to look a little like images 2 and 3.

Sometimes, after a very long walk, Imogen would come home with me. She’d look at my ginger cat, who was very friendly, and I knew she’d have questions.

“He’s a sněehoolark,” I’d tell her. “A giant and very rare cat.”

One time, Imogen and I got back from our walk early and my husband was in the kitchen. We caught him red handed – drinking tea straight from the tea pot. Imogen thought that was hilarious. So we put it into the book.

Except it wasn’t my husband who drank from the tea pot in the story, it was Zuby (pictured below).

Some of the things in Beyond the Mountains can be found in the “real” world: slow-moving rivers, coppiced willows and rulers who don’t care for their people.

I don’t think I realised it at the time, but I was writing during a lockdown about the separation of two sisters. How would Imogen cope without Marie? How far would she go to be reunited? The answers to these questions felt close at hand.

Other things were harder to find: river sprites, witches and giant cats. But they are there if you look hard enough.

A Clock of Stars, Beyond the Mountains is about being separated from the people you love. It’s about worry… and many other things…

But most of all, I hope it provides ESCAPISM and FUN. I think those things are very important – especially during a pandemic.

A huge thank you to Francesca Gibbons for the excellent blog and to HarperCollins for the opportunity.