Novelist & Screenwriter Irena Brignull | Exclusive Interview
I had the honor of interviewing Irena Brignull! Who is well known for her novel The Hawkweed Prophecy, two young girls that were magically switched at birth. Ms. Brignull's second book recently came out. Check them out and dive into a world of destiny, magic and love.
The Hawkweed Prophecy
Poppy Hooper and Ember
Hawkweed couldn't lead more different lives.
Poppy is a troubled teen:
moving from school to school, causing chaos wherever she goes, never making
friends or lasting connections.
Ember is a young witch,
struggling to find a place within her coven and prove her worth. Both are
outsiders: feeling like they don't belong and seeking escape. Poppy and
Ember soon become friends, and secretly share knowledge of their two worlds.
Little do they know that destiny has brought them together: an ancient
prophecy, and a life-changing betrayal. Growing closer, they begin to
understand why they've never belonged and the reason they are now forever
connected to each other.
Switched at birth by the scheming witch Raven Hawkweed, Poppy and Ember must come to terms with their true identities and fight for their own place in the world. Enter Leo, a homeless boy with a painful past who – befriending them both – tests their love and loyalty. Can Poppy and Ember's friendship survive? And can it withstand the dark forces that are gathering?
Switched at birth by the scheming witch Raven Hawkweed, Poppy and Ember must come to terms with their true identities and fight for their own place in the world. Enter Leo, a homeless boy with a painful past who – befriending them both – tests their love and loyalty. Can Poppy and Ember's friendship survive? And can it withstand the dark forces that are gathering?
The Hawkweed Legacy
Poppy Hooper doesn't want to be the queen of the witches.
But some problems can't
be left behind.
Some love stories can't
be forgotten.
Some friendships won't be
broken.
And some enemies won't
stay dead …
The battle for the throne
isn't over yet.
Poppy has only just
discovered her position and her power as queen of the covens. Tormented by the
loss of her would-be lover Leo to her best friend, Ember, and a past that’s
shadowed by secrets, she’s left her dangerous world of witches and flown to
Africa. But Poppy never stops longing for Leo and, when she feels his magic
begin to spark, she will do anything to be reunited with him.
Now as the girls come of
age and Poppy’s powers grow stronger, her mother, desperate for her daughter’s
return and forgiveness, sets into motion a plan that puts Poppy and Ember, the
boy they love, and the world as they know it at risk.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Irena Brignull is
a successful screenwriter. Since working on the screenplay of The Boxtrolls,
Irena has been writing an adaptation of The Little Prince directed
by Mark Osborne and starring Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams and Marion Cotillard.
Previously, Irena was a Script Executive at the BBC and then Head of
Development at Dogstar Films where she was the script editor on Shakespeare
in Love, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Bravo Two Zero to
name a few. Irena holds a BA in English Literature from Oxford
University.
Interview Time:
What
gave you initial inspiration for The Hawkweed Prophecy?
It was a holiday that I
took with my kids to Italy one spring time. It was actually more of a
recuperation than a holiday, as my youngest had spent that January very sick in
hospital. I don’t know if it was being able to finally relax and look forward
after such a crisis, but the idea for The Hawkweed Prophecy just came to me one
morning. I told my daughter about these two girls switched at birth and the
teenagers they grow up to become, and everything went from there.
Were
there any specific songs that helped you write The Hawkweed?
I listened to Stevie
Nick’s Landslide a lot. The truth is I tend to get so into what I’m writing
that I block out everything around me and I fail to hear much. My poor kids
will vouch for that! So I do sometimes put on music to set a mood, but when I
start typing, the song just fades away.
Describe
your novel in one sentence?
The magic of witches,
nature, friendship and love.
Tell
us a little bit about The Hawkweed Prophecy. Did it change you? How did it grow
from an idea to a published novel?
It grew very slowly. At
first, I wrote it as and when I could, but then I sent the first 100 pages to
an agent and she encouraged me to finish it. That helped enormously. I sped up
and delivered the manuscript. She gave me some notes and I did a re-write which
then got sent out to publishers. I was very lucky to get interest from a few of
them and so was in a position to choose.
Did the experience change
me? I think so. It definitely taught me patience and stamina. Writing a novel
was something I’d always wanted to do, but I’d never felt confident enough to
really embark on. I always had the excuse of another screenwriting job, so it really
took my child’s illness to make me stop and take stock. Finishing the
manuscript felt like such an achievement. I tried not to hope that it would get
published, and I was blown away by the response it got.
When
creating the characters, shaping them, are you inspired by real life people or
actors or other fictional characters.
Looking back now, I think
that the characters and their journeys were inspired by the real life tales of
women being persecuted for being witches in the past. I’ve always been
fascinated by who they might have been, and horrified by the punishments they
endured. Also, I did have Macbeth’s weird sisters firmly in mind – wondering
what their story, beyond the play, could be. Other fictional characters must
have affected my writing too, just less consciously. Outsiders mostly -
Rebecca, Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason, Carrie, Hester Prynne, Heathcliff all come
to mind. Plus all those witches and wicked step-mothers from so many childhood
fairytales. My own teenage experience, as well as that as a mother, was hugely
influential too.
How
was writing a novel compared to writing a script? Difficult? Easy? About the
same?
They’re both very
demanding. Both a combination of pain and pleasure! Writing a novel, for me at
any rate, takes a lot more determination and sheer endurance. A lot more words
are needed on the page. Plus, novel writing is more solitary, screenwriting
more collaborative. I love them both, but the feeling of accomplishment on
finishing a novel is second to none.
Is
there anything else you’d like to share?
I’d like to thank all my
readers. There so many books out there to read, and I’m so grateful that they
picked up mine and gave me their time, thoughts and feelings. It takes their
imaginations to bring these stories to life.
Simply a girl who loves tea, blogs about her ever exciting life and wants to make her dreams come true.
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