Gio Peters
Floral writing, classical inspiration, and magic systems!
Hey everyone! It’s another Sunday, and we’ve got another interview. Today I’m speaking to Gio Peters, author of the The Kingdom of Ura series, the first three books of which are available by following the links at the end of the interview, and I’m informed there’s FOUR WHOLE OTHERS to come. We got to talk a lot about inspirations, writing magic into the basis of a historical world, and queer rep!
This interview, like some others, was done as a series of questions, and covers a wide range of topics.
Chaos Gays: I want to start with something pretty general: can you talk about your novels and what might draw readers to them?
GP: The prose. I think I conduct my prose very well, and use imaginative metaphors, similes, personification and other literary devices to create a very wholesome and colourful character cast and scene settings.
Also, there’s the premise of the books—each one being a standalone, with a different MC and cast, but the casts of the characters loosely knowing each other. So a character from books one and two might make their appearance again in book three. As these books take place in different years, the same characters can be seen older or younger, meaning they’re more im/mature than what they were or will be in previous or future entries. I think it’s quite novel, and attractive to readers who enjoy good character growth.
Chaos Gays: They’re set in an era that resembles Victorian England, what made you choose this time period? Was there any research you did or things that drew you to the atmosphere of the era?
GP: I chose that time period because I love the 1800s classics. I fell in love with how they spoke, the way they expressed themselves, the humour, how they moved, their prose, their mode of transport. So I thought, “Why not create a fantasy series set in this time period?” And I subsequently did. What drew me to the Victorian era was the meat of their stories: “Who am I to myself and my community?” was their crux, as opposed to modern “Whose ass should I kick?” so I tried at the core of each story, no matter how much magic there is, to be a journey of self-discovery and self-creation for the all the main characters.
Chaos Gays: How did you incorporate magical elements into your world? When worldbuilding, how intrinsic to the society is the magic?
GP: There are: five main classes of power within The Kingdom of Ura.
Witches: have inherent power, and if you are a witch child you will be one, but witches can only have one child.
Fae: a third child of the same sex of the third child of the same sex (like a third son of a third son) who inherits a very powerful magical gift on their 16th birthday. They can also spontaneously turn into faeries.
Faeries: sentient beings (ogres, mermaids, sprites and the like) who have overwhelming magical ability, and generally live in faerie land.
Wizards: people who gain magical ability by working with lodestones, which are precious sand semiprecious stones inlaid with runes.
Favors: people born with small amounts of random magic.
Magic isn’t common, but generally accepted in the place, and has its place in society. For instance, each town has its witch(es) who they consult if there are magical problems or daemons which need destroying And being a fae is celebrated. It’s quite the culture, but it all fits neatly inside the main Victorian framework.
Chaos Gays: Naturally, you’re here talking to a space that calls itself Chaos Gays, so... can you talk about your main characters? They’re all queer leads, was it fun exploring different queer people in the same way straight characters aren’t reduced to their sexuality?
GP: My main characters are all gay or bisexual men. Each book has a different lead, and they each have their own pitfalls and sentimental values. I really wanted each one to have their primary qualities first and their attraction to men just be another quality about them. So not much exploration is done in terms of the characters “coming to terms” with their queerness. They simply are what they are, and generally accepted in society.
Chaos Gays: You mentioned that the stories, while standalones, are interconnected - how do you keep track of it all? And is there any favourite, non-spoilery cameo appearance that you have?
GP: The characters live in my head, but I do have a spreadsheet with when which books they appear in and the like, so I don’t accidentally put someone in a book after they die, or before they’re born (I’m looking straight at Professor McGonagall here). I keep close track of birthdays and death days, who is whose parent/sibling/grandparent/partner/friend and where in the kingdom they live. Also, the day is dated, so that readers can easily keep track of the interlocking and interlacing stories.
All the cameos are my favourite, honestly. They’ve all got their own spice, their own “OH MY GOSH IT’S THEM” factor to them, as you see the characters either older, or younger. There is a certain moon witch named Grant Porter, who appears in most of the books, and people generally love him and his suave wisdom. Besides him, I won’t give away more, because if I do I’d have to give each one away.
Chaos Gays: How does your world’s magic interact with the world’s religion?
GP: The religion and magic system are closely tied together. There was the first being, the deity Ahn, who split Themself into ten gods, and then Enlith, the death deity, came afterward, because all things must end. Each family has a patron god, each person has a god their parents baptise them under, and a god they baptise themselves under when they turn twenty-one. The gods lean heavily into the stories, as sometimes they appear or send their animal lieges to perform miracles for the heroes. They can be benevolent, or malevolent, depending on their mood, who the hero is and who they pray to. They’re a force unto their own!
Chaos Gays: Is there any specific theme you wanted to address in your work, or question you wished to answer in the process?
GP: Yes. Each book has its own exploration of the character, so each theme is fundamentally different, but all tie together with the “Who am I?” central theme. Each hero faces a novel challenge—not giving any away—but they may or may not include vampires, werewolves, evil wizards, evil witches, necromancers and daemons. The villains are unexpected, though, and their manner of appearance and mode of doing things is much different from the usual fantasy characters, and much more akin to gothic villains.
Chaos Gays: You take on some classical and more floral prose, do you have any specific author inspirations for voice and writing style?
GP: I absolutely love the Bronte sisters. Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte were where my love of prose came from. Next was Oscar Wilde and his utter genius, and even Thomas Hardy later influenced me. Dracula was also a book that influenced me very largely, and the format my books are in, with the date at the top of each scene, was taken from there, as I liked it so much. In modern literature, Madeline Miller was a huge influence as well; her sentences were basically music.
Chaos Gays: What was the process of building this world and these stories like for you? Was it a positive experience? Frustrating? Do you feel like it did what you wanted it to do?
GP: I’d say an equal mix of lovely and frustrating. When writer’s block hits me, it hits me hard, during which time I’m generally in a foul temperament. But when things come, they flow naturally. I’m a natural pantser, but do refer to a general outline as well, depending on my mood and the scene. I also have inspiration for the scenes ahead of time, so write out of order, and stitch the book together as necessary.
Chaos Gays: Lastly, as a fun question: If I sent you off now with total free rein to write the things that you’ve never included, as bizarre as they are or regardless of marketing, what would you write?
GP: I’d actually write a romance novel—the one I’m in fact busy with. It’s an M/M/F romance, with everybody cheating on each other with each other, and none being the wiser to it. The reason why it’s absurd is because it’s exceedingly long, which is something romances should not be. It’s very spicy, and I think lovers of that genre would find it tantalising. it think it would market extremely well, if not for its size.
Chaos Gays: Thank you very much for talking to me! For anyone that is now intrigued, Gio’s links are below - please check them out and support!
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