FLR: You have won awards for your poetry as well as for your novels. Which do you enjoy writing more?

CF: I enjoy writing both poetry and novels but I have to say novels are easier than poetry, which demands concentration on every word and nuance. But both are fun.

FLR: How did you get the idea to write about a prison that was a self-contained world? Did you plan the entire book before you started writing, or make changes as the story developed?

CF: I have long been interested in the idea of the sentient building, and have used it before, but not as fully as in Incarceron. And because this was a prison it had to be self-contained and totally inward-looking. I had some of the plot in my head before I started but most of it came as the book progressed. For example, I did not know who, if anyone, would escape from the prison until the very end.

FLR: You have mentioned that your writing is influenced by your Celtic background. In what ways is Incarceron a Celtic story?

CF: Incarceron is only a Celtic story in that I wrote it, I suppose! But the prison does behave rather like the inhabitants of the various Celtic Otherworlds—it has a total disregard of human feelings, but can be very charming in its own way.

FLR: Do you have any news to share about the making of the Incarceron movie?

CF: The movie is still at the contract stage, so there are no details yet. I feel the book is very cinematic, so it will be interesting to see what sort of project a director makes of it.

FLR: Mythology is an important element in your books. Why did you choose to use an imaginary mythology in Incarceron, centered around the character of Sapphique? Is it based on any ancient stories?

CF: I wanted the world of the Prison to have depth and history, and part of that was inventing the mythology of Sapphique. In any closed society ideas and stories circle and grow, and legends form. I wanted the sense that over the years the prisoners' desire for freedom helped create the legend of a man who had once escaped, but I also wanted the reader to feel the possibility that Sapphique might once have really existed. Like much of the novel, the reader in not sure what is true and what is not.

The legend is not based on any one story, just a mixture of tales about heroes and returning gods and fallen angels.

FLR: The worlds of both Finn and Claudia are failed attempts to improve civilization by controlling it. Do you think a Utopia can ever be achieved?

CF: No, I don't think Utopia can be achieved, but I think we should never stop trying. Both the Prison and the Realm are, as you say, attempts to control, but they have become rigid and have stopped developing, the Realm in particular. It is always tempting to think things were better in the past, but it's not true, and trying to go back doesn't work. There is also some speculation in the book about human nature, and whether man himself is the flaw in any perfect world.

FLR: Did you have teachers that encouraged and inspired you to write?

CF: Yes, I had one or two teachers who encouraged my writing, but there wasn't a great deal of creative writing on the syllabus in those days. I did most of it on my own and learned as I went along from my own mistakes, and from writers I admired.

FLR: Do you have a favorite spot for writing and composing your thoughts and ideas?

CF: I usually work at a small desk in the corner of a room that looks out onto the garden. I often like to have music on, and if it's hot I can open the door and wander in and out, because writing can be a restless business!

FLR: Who is your favorite author?

CF: My favorite author is Alan Garner, whose books, especially The Owl Service and Red Shift really inspired me to start writing myself. Try them! They are amazing.

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