Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mirrorscape?

The Mirrorscape is the world depicted inside paintings. In the Seven Kingdoms described in the book, artists such as Ambrosius Blenk and Lucas Flink have created worlds that can be entered if you know how to unlock them with the mirrormark.

What is the mirrormark?

Before such artists create these pictures they draw a design onto the raw canvas. This is then painted over as the picture is created and can no longer be seen. When someone who knows the secret wishes to enter the world depicted in the canvas, all they need to do is to trace this hidden design in the air in front of the picture and they are transported there.

What does the mirrormark look like?

Its exact design is a closely guarded secret known only to great artists.

Is it only great artists that can create these worlds?

All artists can create their own worlds but only the great ones can make a mirrormark that allows them, and others, to enter.

Is the Mirrorscape always locked away behind the mirrormark?

Normally, yes. But over time the mirrormark weakens in the same way that paint fades. After several hundred years the mirrormark can become so weak that the surface of the picture becomes like an open door and people – and things – can come and go.

Once someone’s in the Mirrorscape, how do they get back?

By tracing the mirrormark once more. However, this time they are inside the picture looking out. They must trace the mirrormark as it looks from behind to get back to the real world. The way back appears as a wall of mist that represents the rectangle of the canvas. Artists call this the picture plane. From inside the Mirrorscape this is only visible when seen from head on.

Why’s the world inside pictures called the Mirrorscape?

All will be explained in later books.

How big is the Mirrorscape?

At least as big as the real world. Every artist that paints a picture creates a little more of the Mirrorscape. It’s full of the imaginings of these artists and getting bigger all the time. Each part of the Mirrorscape is joined on to the part next door.

If a picture is destroyed, what happens to that bit of the Mirrorscape?

The artist’s world continues to exist but, obviously, the mirrormark is no longer there. The only way to and from it is via a neighbouring part of the Mirrorscape.

Why do Mel, Ludo and Wren need to get out of the Mirrorscape from time to time?

Anyone from the real world who stays too long inside the Mirrorscape starts to become ill. This illness first affects the body and then the mind. The only place they won’t get ill is inside a part of the Mirrorscape they have created themselves.

Are all the creatures inside the Mirrorscape demons?

The creatures that populate the Mirrorscape are known as figments. Some are demons – rather too many for Mel’s liking – but others are not. The figments are whatever the artist who created them imagined them to be so there’s an enormous variety limited only by their creators’ imaginations.

Why do Groot and the other apprentices call Mel ‘Fegie’?

It’s an insult. Mel comes from a province of Nem called Feg far from the capital Vlam. The other apprentices are prejudiced and think that everyone who comes from Feg is a country bumpkin. Feg also rhymes with skeg which is a swear word in Nemish, the language of Nem.

What does skeg mean?

Use your imagination.

I’ve read another Nemish swear word in Mirrorscape. What does scrot mean?

See my answer above.

What are Pleasures?

In Nem, Pleasures are the rights to just about everything except the bare necessities of life. If a baker wishes to bake a new kind of cake, then they must first buy the Pleasure from the Fourth Mystery which governs the sense of taste. In Mel’s life as an apprentice artist, colour is the most important thing. Ambrosius Blenk, his master, must pay the Fifth Mystery, which governs the sense of sight, for the Pleasure of colour.

I could paint pictures if I had iconium. Where can I get some?

It would make my job a lot easier too. Sadly, I made it up. But if you ever do find any on sale, please email me.

Does mirrortime always stand still in the Mirrorscape compared to the real world?

In some places it does and in others it doesn’t. Time and space inside the Mirrorscape obey rules very different from the ones we know. This will be explored in future Mirrorscape books.

Will there be any more Mirrorscape books?

Yes. The next book is entitled Mirrorstorm and will be published in April 2009 and book three, Mirrorshade, in June 2009.

Will Mel, Ludo and Wren appear in these books?

Yes, and they’ll make lots of new friends and enemies.

Who is your favourite character in Mirrorscape and who is he or she based on?

I like all of my Mirrorscape characters and they are all based on little bits of me – including the nasty ones. I first went to art school when I was thirteen years old. In that respect, Mel is like me although I am not nearly so brave.

What are your favourite books and who are your favourite authors?

If I were to mention every book and author I admired this would be a very long list. But if I stick to fantasy, some of my favourite books and authors are His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake and The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien. I also love the work of Robert Louis Stevenson, Cornelia Funke, Philip Reeve, Jonathan Stroud, William Nicholson, Terry Pratchett, Michael Ende and Jasper Fforde. I’m discovering new books and new authors all the time.

What about your favourite artists?

This could be another very long list but I especially admire the work of Hieronymus Bosch, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Richard Dadd and M C Escher. Same story about discovering new artists.

In Mirrorscape, is the character of Ambrosius Blenk modelled on Hieronymus Bosch?

Yes. I deliberately gave Ambrosius Blenk’s name the same number of syllables.

What about Lucas Flink?

He’s imaginary.

How long did it take you to write Mirrorscape?

I first had the idea several years ago when I was living in France. It remained on my hard drive and I only found it again after I had moved back to London where I completed it. All in all it probably took me about 18 months to create but with an interlude of a few years in the middle.

How long does it take you to paint a picture?

It depends on the size of the picture and how detailed it is. A small, black and white drawing like the view of Vlam in the front of Mirrorscape might take me a week and a large painting many months. The longest I have ever spent making a single painting is two years.

What do the little drawings of semaphore towers at the beginning of each chapter in Mirrorscape mean?

Semaphore is a visual code for sending messages over distances. Maybe my semaphore towers have a message for you.

I’ve seen some of your picture books such as The Ultimate Alphabet and The Ultimate Noah’s Ark. Do you consider yourself an artist or a writer?

What I hope I’m good at is imagining. Sometimes I express my ideas in pictures and other times in words. Deep down I am doing the same with both words and pictures and trying to make the images I see inside my head visible. If there was such a job as an imaginer, that would describe me best.

Where do you get your ideas from?

We are all swimming in a sea of ideas; they’re everywhere. I believe everyone is gulping in great mouthfuls of them all the time. The difficult bit is expressing those ideas. That takes time and skill.

Why do you put a snail into your works?

It’s there to remind me how long it takes to create a work of art. When I see it I tell myself not to be a slowcoach.

Do you write in longhand or use a computer?

I use a computer. This is because my images come to me all in a rush and I wish to get them down as quickly as I can. Also, I can’t spell. By using a computer I can write down my images and cut and paste them into the right order later and the spellchecker makes it look like I can spell.

Do you use a computer to make your pictures too?

Partly. I usually create my pictures the traditional way with paint and brushes or pen and ink. Later, I scan them into my computer and manipulate the images until I’m satisfied.

Do you ever read your reviews?

Yes. But I only ever believe the bad ones.

I want to be a writer or an artist. How do I become one?

I attended art school to learn to be an artist but I taught myself to write. I know of other people who went to university to learn to write and a few of them taught themselves to draw. Some clever people might teach themselves both with or without the benefit of university or art school. Whatever way you choose, it’s hard work. Be prepared for long hours, lots of disappointments along the way and, hopefully, a triumph at the end.

I have an idea for a book. Can I send you my manuscript or illustrations?

No. The best thing to do is find yourself an agent. An agent’s full-time job is discovering and nurturing new talent. My job is writing books and painting pictures.

How do I find an agent?

The Artist’s and Writer’s Yearbook lists all the agents in the UK. It’s published each year and you can buy it in most bookshops. It’s also available in the public library.