Inspiration for artists…
One of the things that really continually surprised me about The Snow Witch Project was how many creatives used it as the springboard for their own art. Just so with the installation of two of my characters into Southsea Model Village made by the extraordinary force of nature that is artist James Waterfield.
The model village is absolutely central to the action in the the book. This is a kind of haven where Donitza and her friend Eddie go to escape ordinary life. It’s a place for Donitza of memories, and it is the influence of the model village that on several occasions throughout the story prompts her to discover what she really is.
James’ models were perfect. I had something odd happen to me when I briefly held the model of Donitza in my hand before James installed her, busking with her case outside the shop in the market square. To see one of my creations who had only ever existed in my head take on a physical form was a moment of reification. Really, it is possible to think something into being, I thought. It was quite emotional for me. I never envisioned this as I sat in a trance writing, while listening to the voices and the seeing the movie in my head as I wrote The Snow Witch. The world in my head was enough on its own. And now, here it was – out there in the real world.