The Falcon's Eye is a monster of a book, and it's gone through many drafts and revisions. My involvement over almost a year was as content and copy editor. What struck me about the book is the depth of the world building and characterisation, coupled with the creation of a culture that is a far cry from the usual medieval European setting. The attention to detail and the labor of multiple redrafts really shows, and the result is a compelling protagonist (Ava Noface) through whom the reader is led piecemeal into a world as tangible as the one around us.
Here are some reflections from the author:
I grew up with Ava Noface.
She started out as a sketch in the corner of my notebook while I was supposed to be studying for a Maths exam. Within an hour, she had a name and a past, and her story evolved over the seven years I spent writing it. What started out as a hundred pages of scribbles and drawings grew into a complete story, and Ava was always there to give me reprieve from the daily grind.
I learned how to be a storyteller from her, and once I actually got around to editing and publishing, I learned how to be a writer from a lot of brilliant people. Participating in writing workshops and NaNoWriMo gave me the discipline to write every day, and my background with science, history, and architecture helped me build the world that Ava lives in. I had the support of my family to pull me through my slumps and keep up my ambition and optimism. Writing ‘The Falcon’s Eye’ wasn’t easy, and it involved a lot of hard work, late nights, and frustration, but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
All in all, it’s been a journey–a wild, wonderful journey–and it’s only just begun.
